This is not about getting a 9-5 job at a company.

Advice on transitioning from home electronics hobby projects to actually working at home (garage) electronics. Most likely repair or perhaps constructing
some simple electronics devices (widgets) to sell.

Evidently there are an endless variety of hobby projects like toys to fool around with and build (including arduino types) for fun, but how can you move
from hobbyist to actually doing real world electronics work at home (if it is even possible)?

Has anyone here made such a transition or done this sort of thing?

 

This is not about getting a 9-5 job at a company.

Advice on transitioning from home electronics hobby projects to actually working at home (garage) electronics. Most likely repair or perhaps constructing
some simple electronics devices (widgets) to sell.

Evidently there are an endless variety of hobby projects like toys to fool around with and build (including arduino types) for fun, but how can you move
from hobbyist to actually doing real world electronics work at home (if it is even possible)?

Has anyone here made such a transition or done this sort of thing?

I pondered this same question recently, here's my thoughts.

A business must be run as a business, money, time and effort must be invested in stuff like advertising, support, warranties, returns, repairs and so on.

Unless there is a system, a process in place for all of these kinds of things the business will not last.

Design, development, testing, research, manufacture and so on, are all essential but only part of the activities the business must deal with.

If this is intended to replace an existing full-time job, then be careful, a job pays regularly, offers sick pay, health care and so on.

Calculate what the business must earn as revenue in order to match your existing job, do that because unless the business at least matches that you're already worse off.

Personally I think if one wants to build a genuine business with some growth potential then do not do it alone, two people are the minimum I'd advise.

Look at all the success stories, Microsoft, Apple, Hewlett Packard, Google etc., most of those started out as more than one person.

Business based on and individual and hobbies almost always fold, it's a well know fact so be aware of that.

Now if you're retired things are different, any money earned is money made (assuming costs are covered) and one might be able to sell this or that on a small scale.

 

perhaps constructing some simple electronics devices (widgets) to sell.

You will need to factor in the costs of tests for compliance with any legislation (e.g. EMI, safety) applicable to those widgets in the country of sale.

 

This is not about getting a 9-5 job at a company.
Has anyone here made such a transition or done this sort of thing?

Making or 'fooling around' won't neccesarily get you anywhere.
The old adage, find a need and fill it, are basically true.
I did design and manuf one product that the old original design had fallen by the wayside, It was a limited market, but a much needed one for those using the end use equipment.

 

Futurist
A business must be run as a business money, time and effort must be invested in stuff like advertising, support, warranties, returns, repairs and so on.

In that case, "business" becomes the primary focus and "electronics" is almost irrelevant. Why? Because there are probably
other money making fields which will produce more "business" and more profit (i.w. money). No use wasting time and effort
etc. on electronics when there are most likley better ways to make money (profit) with a business., like buying weathered
houses, fixing them up and selling them (flipping). Electronics is different. It's a cross between the joy of scientific invention using principles of physics via engineering which is a type of "Art" in one sense. Business is business, just to make money.

In other words, If a person wanted to "just make money via a business mindset" he or she would probably be better off
finding a different product to see. However, that being said, if fate, demand and luck would propel someones product
(or electronics service) into a high profit endeavor, then obviously the electronics oriented garage tech or inventor would
be a fool not to go with the fortunate windfall coming his or her way.

Futurist
Now if you're retired things are different...................

Or have other income, and not dependent on your garage ex-hobby pursuit for primary financial support.

 

Making or 'fooling around' won't neccesarily get you anywhere.
The old adage, find a need and fill it, are basically true.
I did design and manuf one product that the old original design had fallen by the wayside, It was a limited market, but a much needed one for those using the end use equipment.

From your garage??? (so to speak)..

 

You will need to factor in the costs of tests for compliance with any legislation (e.g. EMI, safety) applicable to those widgets in the country of sale.

I listed two possibilities. You only addressed one. Not that you have to address both, I 'm just saying. I don't think repairman would have to be
greatly concerned with legislation compliance. Widget inventor no doubt would have to, and thanks for pointing that out.

1) is the "inventor of widgets (which you addressed)

2) is Repair of electronics devices (like the old TV repairman of yesteryear)

 

Futurist
A business must be run as a business money, time and effort must be invested in stuff like advertising, support, warranties, returns, repairs and so on.

In that case, "business" becomes the primary focus and "electronics" is almost irrelevant. Why? Because there are probably
other money making fields which will produce more "business" and more profit (i.w. money). No use wasting time and effort
etc. on electronics when there are most likley better ways to make money (profit) with a business., like buying weathered
houses, fixing them up and selling them (flipping). Electronics is different. It's a cross between the joy of scientific invention using principles of physics via engineering which is a type of "Art" in one sense. Business is business, just to make money.

Yes, that's largely true, but I'd argue profit should be the focus of any business. Now as to the electronics, you (and me) have experience and skills in that area so we have a resources available for the business of electronics but not property renovation or antiques or running a publishing house.

In other words, If a person wanted to "just make money via a business mindset" he or she would probably be better off
finding a different product to see. However, that being said, if fate, demand and luck would propel someones product
(or electronics service) into a high profit endeavor, then obviously the electronics oriented garage tech or inventor would
be a fool not to go with the fortunate windfall coming his or her way.

Futurist
Now if you're retired things are different...................

Or have other income, and not dependent on your garage ex-hobby pursuit for primary financial support.

So if the activity doesn't need to be profitable then why call it a "business"? just continue to call it a hobby or a past time or something?

 

From your garage??? (so to speak)..

Yes, virtually!

 

I listed two possibilities. You only addressed one. Not that you have to address both, I 'm just saying. I don't think repairman would have to be
greatly concerned with legislation compliance. Widget inventor no doubt would have to, and thanks for pointing that out.

1) is the "inventor of widgets (which you addressed)

2) is Repair of electronics devices (like the old TV repairman of yesteryear)

I think the term "invent" is a bit overused these days. I doubt a man in his garage can truly invent anything in the realm of electronics, it's all been invented already. I mean could you invent a new kind of amplifier a new kind of oscillator? I doubt it, so invention in the sense of true innovation is not something I'd consider feasible these days, the days or Edison and Hewlett Packard are long gone.

Personally (now speaking as a software designer with forty five years experience) I think there's more scope to innovate in that area than in "pure" electronics. So doing novel things with MCUs is likely to provide more profit opportunity than pure hardware.

Another sad reality too, is that there are millions of people writing code and putting gizmos together to do all sorts of crazy stuff, its a crowded arena and doing something novel or original is all the more harder.

When I began working on mainframes in the early 1980s "programmers" were pretty elite, there were very very few of as around we could command salaries on par with a doctor or an attorney but not today, there are literally tens of millions of programmers around today.

My only solace with all this is that a great deal of software is crap, terribly designed and not too hard to improve upon.

 

Yes, virtually!

Would you want to elaborate on what and how you did it, or is it confidential and a trade secret ?

 

You'll need insurance.

 

Futurist
I doubt a man in his garage can truly invent anything in the realm of electronics it's all been invented already.

Yeah that no doubt is correct. I was thinking more of some application widget for a specific product or maybe some modification
of something or enhancemnt widget for a long used device in some specific industry.

Personally (now speaking as a software designer--- more scope to innovate in that area than in "pure" electronics.

Probably true but so is there in flipping houses. Anyway, software & programming is a different field and a different mindset
with different satisfactions on the personal side. Profit and money is a seperate satisfaction from ANY career. Anyone who
is making decent profit with money, gets the same satisfaction no matter what type of work or industry.


Another sad reality too, is that there are millions of people writing code and putting gizmos together to do all sorts of crazy stuff, its a crowded arena and doing something novel or original is all the more harder.

That is a reality that needs to be faced for sure, there is so much competition in every field of work today.
I do often think that "pure electronics" is really a dead field because of that especially with robotic manufacturing
and now AI beginning to call the shots besides upcoming quantum computing. BUT I still like to think that there is some
place for the pure electronics enthusiast in todays world other than hobbyist or a 9-5 as an engineer as a cog in some
company where management would be more than happy if they could find some robotic technology so they could
lay him or her off.

 

Futurist
I doubt a man in his garage can truly invent anything in the realm of electronics it's all been invented already.

Yeah that no doubt is correct. I was thinking more of some application widget for a specific product or maybe some modification
of something or enhancemnt widget for a long used device in some specific industry.

Personally (now speaking as a software designer--- more scope to innovate in that area than in "pure" electronics.

Probably true but so is there in flipping houses. Anyway, Software & programming is a different field and a different mindset
with different satisfactions on the personal side. Profit and money is a seperate satisfaction from ANY career. Anyone who
is msking decent profit with money, gets the same satisfaction no matter what type of work or industry.


Another sad reality too, is that there are millions of people writing code and putting gizmos together to do all sorts of crazy stuff, its a crowded arena and doing something novel or original is all the more harder.

That is a reality that needs to be faced for sure, there is so much competition in every field of work today.
I do often think that "pure electronics" is really a dead field because of that especially with robotic manufacturing
and now AI beginning to call the shots besides quantum computing. BUT I still like to think that there is some place
for the pure electronics enthusiast in todays world other than hobbyist or a 9-5 as an engineer as a cog in some
company who would be more than happy if they could find some robotic technologyso they could lay him or her off.

Am I picking up some cynicism from you?

I took up electronics as a hobby in the mid 70s, I'd make all sorts of things metal detectors and radios. I'd solder these onto Veroboard and worked with individual transistors and later TTL and CMOS devices. I studied electronics in college but ended up working as a programmer and then stuck with that as my career.

I still have a fondness for those old hobby days and today I have plenty of good equipment but the nature of the hobby has changed dramatically. Everything is Arduino this and IoT that and nobody builds stuff the way they did in the 70s any more. I have an advantage over many engineers in that I have masses of experience in designing software and have deep insights into operating systems and programming languages so that's something I've been doing more and more recently.

I will suggest that you look at tube amplifiers, that's not a crowded arena (if it was these prices would be impossible) and people pay HUGE money for a high spec tube amp these days, you might end up getting just two or three customers a year but at 50K a unit, that's good money from a hobby, how about this for an entry level product:

​

 

Am I picking up some cynicism from you?

Probably, but only about the current condition of electronics as anything other than a 9-5 job in a company unless
a person likes that type of job. I already have some income so I don't need a 9-5 job. "Hobbyist" is nice if you have
the luxury of a lot of spare time. I don't have that luxury so how I spend my time needs to be practical.

I didn't know there was money to be made in tube amps at 50K a unit. That would cause one to think about vintage gear
and nostalgia oriented equipment.

 

I think the term "invent" is a bit overused these days. I doubt a man in his garage can truly invent anything in the realm of electronics, it's all been invented already.

In my case it was more develop than "invent".
An older method of use had fallen by the ways side and was virtually obsolete I applied modern technology and came up with a design.
So 'invented in a way.

 

Would you want to elaborate on what and how you did it, or is it confidential and a trade secret ?

It was a part of equipment that was a process used by the scrap yards, so a limited market, but in the case where there was no other option for replacement, I took the oportunity to corner it with decent mark-up!
There was not the qty numbers involved that would have interested the big guns,

 

I also put together some PC based CNC controllers for smaller-lower end machines etc, using a motion card that sat in a PC rack and the PC was used as a operator interface.

 

Where I live in Arizona many people have a deep well (1000 ft+) and a pump manager unit that controls it (called a "pump saver").

Every time I deal with one of these I think "Man, with a modern MCU and some other bits, these units could do so much more like keep detailed logs, report on increasing motor degradation and increasing current consumption and let me know when the unit last ran and for how long, send out alerts" and so on.

These devices shut off the pump power when there's either too much current (motor aging, seizing) or too little (water level low - so don't run for a few hours). They could estimate water pumping rate (say gallons/24 hours) average duration of run and so much useful stuff.

There's an opportunity for someone...

 

You haven't mentioned what your career path is. I believe that solving problems is easier when it's related to your knowledge/experience.


I had repaired industrial electronics in my home based workshop, directly related to industries I was working in. I often found that devices where misconfigured, or misunderstood. That led to in plant troubleshooting of systems and processes, on my way to a career in automation. My workshop today is much smaller with a few guitar amps laying about.