One step is left to the Kickstarter — whether there are chances of the project?
it has been 9 months we develop your project miniature power PC Black Swift. It's time to give birth, so to speak.
I want to share my experience and learn from the community: no wonder we started all this? We are almost ready to go on the Kickstarter and I, as the initiator of the project, slightly shaking from periodic shots of adrenalin. I must admit, waiting for the words of support and encouragement, but constructive criticism would be extremely helpful.
Anyone who is interested in our story, please read and comment.
Here here I described how it happened. Came the customer with the project, we started to look for options for technology platforms, found a few cards based on the Atheros AR9331.
Looked, thought, and decided to make their own implementation. First, it was interesting. Secondly, considering the cost of production of similar boards, we realized that to do their work somewhere on 30-40% at least cheaper than to buy ready-made. Third, there are several ideas how you can do better than "competitors". From the beginning one of the ideas was to make the project completely Open Source from both software and hardware. On the one hand, information on AR9331 pretty much everywhere. However, nowhere is available the working of the circuit device based on this SoC is not observed. Hundreds of projects people have realized, as an open platform ready and has not appeared.
The first revision of the Board our brilliant engineer Valera was developed about three months.
We wanted to make a miniature fee within the four layer (as cheaper). However, it is very difficult to do if you use DDR2 memory. Here is the Board under the memory chip:
After long tortures it to work, and we sent the documentation to our manufacturing technician Alex. Alex lives in Hong Kong, is a professional electronics engineer and electronics manufacturing in Shenzhen ate (thank God not literally!) not a pack of dogs. A factory for the manufacture of printed circuit boards search did not involved the same as doing Virtually. But finding the factory for mounting hardship. Nobody was eager to do a rather complex installation (we used a lot of 0201 components with dimensions of 0.6 × 0.3 mm) on the run of 20 boards. Well, Yes factories, thank God, example, lot, found, made. And in June we finally got the first revision of boards on hand and began to deal with them. Of course, once fees are earned (who would doubt?). For the week Valera found some of our schools and about the same Chinese (transistor, turned off when mounted on a 180 degree — what?). But his Golden hands still allowed us to run a large part of the boards. Of course, our joy was crowned by article on Habrahabr.
In a month of work with pay, it became clear, what is missing and where to go. Of course, first fix the bugs. Add a button — without the ability to do hard reset or enter boot loader with the default settings it is very difficult to work with the raw firmware. Added the FTDI chip, so you can not only cherish the charge from the computer USB port, but also to see the console. Added the ability to flash the NOR flash chip, not Vipava it from the Board (Yes, hard reset does not always help in the design, alas). Increased power DC-DC Converter, which makes USB stable 5V from 3.3 V for powering the Board.
With mrmager developed plastic case. Prototypes printed on a 3D printer. Thermal printer — the result is worthy, alas. But when the impressed (although expensive, of course):
Yes, invented by our computer called Black Swift. Black swift. The swift is a small, but very fast bird, as it suggests. Well, the black — Alex might have chosen a color for the Board, we liked it. Our designer, Tatiana, drew a cute logo.
Well, with the soft, of course, suffered. The boot-loader and firmware (u-boot and OpenWrt 14.07 Barrier Breaker) earned as it is necessary.
And here at the end of October came the second revision boards:
This time there were no critical issues, and fees earned on the next day. But, alas, no schools, no cost... So the third audit to be.
And on Habrahabr appeared another one of our article. Where nearly a thousand people expressed a desire to purchase our computer. Motivating, though!
And here we come to the current moment.
There is a working miniature prototype of a network computer is made on quite a decent level. In our opinion, a very useful thing in the economy.
Have an understanding of: on sales the Board to make impossible. Simple arithmetic: even if you make a profit of 5 USD with one fee (20 USD real operating cost in Moscow, 25 USD retail price), from the edition of 1000 boards, we earn as much as 5 thousand USD! A completely crazy money, yeah (sarcasm). And to sell more in Russia is unlikely to succeed, let's be realistic.
So we decided:
1. Cost does not need to "sell" and "distribute". If "give" it to people at cost, then the audience will grow much faster that can make Black Swift (particularly with respect to openness) another common technological platform, the basis for self-development. If people with their projects come to us — we will gladly help you to organize mass production and (hopefully!) earn their bread.
2. It is necessary to enter the global market via Kickstarter.
So, in December we're going to do another test audit of our Board (in two versions — regular and Pro version). I hope this revision will be final, no mistakes (three times spat through the left shoulder).
In January want to do a test with a circulation of at least 500 boards. If type for this pre-orders, of course (if not wanting to buy a computer, then why?). Here the main risk factor is the Chinese new year. Almost the whole February, the China is not working, so you need to get done and deliver to the Board in January, or the next deadline is the middle of March.
Well, April, I hope the Board will be available for immediate purchase without pre-order.
Next week we plan to start fundraising on Kickstarter. Registered legal entity in New Zealand, struggling to prepare the materials. As usual, all is not easy when you are doing yourself (from the intermediaries, we have decided to give up). Scary, much horror. Do you think we will get?
P. S. I beg the people who vote "no chance." — could you review to reveal their point of view? Really need constructive criticism.
Article based on information from habrahabr.ru
I want to share my experience and learn from the community: no wonder we started all this? We are almost ready to go on the Kickstarter and I, as the initiator of the project, slightly shaking from periodic shots of adrenalin. I must admit, waiting for the words of support and encouragement, but constructive criticism would be extremely helpful.
Anyone who is interested in our story, please read and comment.
the Birth of the idea
Here here I described how it happened. Came the customer with the project, we started to look for options for technology platforms, found a few cards based on the Atheros AR9331.
Looked, thought, and decided to make their own implementation. First, it was interesting. Secondly, considering the cost of production of similar boards, we realized that to do their work somewhere on 30-40% at least cheaper than to buy ready-made. Third, there are several ideas how you can do better than "competitors". From the beginning one of the ideas was to make the project completely Open Source from both software and hardware. On the one hand, information on AR9331 pretty much everywhere. However, nowhere is available the working of the circuit device based on this SoC is not observed. Hundreds of projects people have realized, as an open platform ready and has not appeared.
the First attempt
The first revision of the Board our brilliant engineer Valera was developed about three months.
We wanted to make a miniature fee within the four layer (as cheaper). However, it is very difficult to do if you use DDR2 memory. Here is the Board under the memory chip:
After long tortures it to work, and we sent the documentation to our manufacturing technician Alex. Alex lives in Hong Kong, is a professional electronics engineer and electronics manufacturing in Shenzhen ate (thank God not literally!) not a pack of dogs. A factory for the manufacture of printed circuit boards search did not involved the same as doing Virtually. But finding the factory for mounting hardship. Nobody was eager to do a rather complex installation (we used a lot of 0201 components with dimensions of 0.6 × 0.3 mm) on the run of 20 boards. Well, Yes factories, thank God, example, lot, found, made. And in June we finally got the first revision of boards on hand and began to deal with them. Of course, once fees are earned (who would doubt?). For the week Valera found some of our schools and about the same Chinese (transistor, turned off when mounted on a 180 degree — what?). But his Golden hands still allowed us to run a large part of the boards. Of course, our joy was crowned by article on Habrahabr.
Step two but not the last
In a month of work with pay, it became clear, what is missing and where to go. Of course, first fix the bugs. Add a button — without the ability to do hard reset or enter boot loader with the default settings it is very difficult to work with the raw firmware. Added the FTDI chip, so you can not only cherish the charge from the computer USB port, but also to see the console. Added the ability to flash the NOR flash chip, not Vipava it from the Board (Yes, hard reset does not always help in the design, alas). Increased power DC-DC Converter, which makes USB stable 5V from 3.3 V for powering the Board.
With mrmager developed plastic case. Prototypes printed on a 3D printer. Thermal printer — the result is worthy, alas. But when the impressed (although expensive, of course):
Yes, invented by our computer called Black Swift. Black swift. The swift is a small, but very fast bird, as it suggests. Well, the black — Alex might have chosen a color for the Board, we liked it. Our designer, Tatiana, drew a cute logo.
Well, with the soft, of course, suffered. The boot-loader and firmware (u-boot and OpenWrt 14.07 Barrier Breaker) earned as it is necessary.
And here at the end of October came the second revision boards:
This time there were no critical issues, and fees earned on the next day. But, alas, no schools, no cost... So the third audit to be.
And on Habrahabr appeared another one of our article. Where nearly a thousand people expressed a desire to purchase our computer. Motivating, though!
Our plans
And here we come to the current moment.
There is a working miniature prototype of a network computer is made on quite a decent level. In our opinion, a very useful thing in the economy.
Have an understanding of: on sales the Board to make impossible. Simple arithmetic: even if you make a profit of 5 USD with one fee (20 USD real operating cost in Moscow, 25 USD retail price), from the edition of 1000 boards, we earn as much as 5 thousand USD! A completely crazy money, yeah (sarcasm). And to sell more in Russia is unlikely to succeed, let's be realistic.
So we decided:
1. Cost does not need to "sell" and "distribute". If "give" it to people at cost, then the audience will grow much faster that can make Black Swift (particularly with respect to openness) another common technological platform, the basis for self-development. If people with their projects come to us — we will gladly help you to organize mass production and (hopefully!) earn their bread.
2. It is necessary to enter the global market via Kickstarter.
So, in December we're going to do another test audit of our Board (in two versions — regular and Pro version). I hope this revision will be final, no mistakes (three times spat through the left shoulder).
In January want to do a test with a circulation of at least 500 boards. If type for this pre-orders, of course (if not wanting to buy a computer, then why?). Here the main risk factor is the Chinese new year. Almost the whole February, the China is not working, so you need to get done and deliver to the Board in January, or the next deadline is the middle of March.
Well, April, I hope the Board will be available for immediate purchase without pre-order.
Next week we plan to start fundraising on Kickstarter. Registered legal entity in New Zealand, struggling to prepare the materials. As usual, all is not easy when you are doing yourself (from the intermediaries, we have decided to give up). Scary, much horror. Do you think we will get?
P. S. I beg the people who vote "no chance." — could you review to reveal their point of view? Really need constructive criticism.
