Circuit Board Design For a Small Startup? 262
Patrick Bowman writes "I'm with a small (okay, it's just me) startup planning a camera-related USB device for the mass market. It's probably patentable so I can't give details. I can handle the software but have no hardware design or manufacturing experience. Does anyone have any recommendations for a company to handle the PCB design and manufacture? Instead of starting from scratch I've also considered approaching one of the companies (mostly in China) that make similar devices and asking them to modify their hardware for my requirements, and to provide their source for me to modify. Has anyone taken this route before? How did it work for you?"
Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Try Express PCB (Score:3, Funny)
1. Ask Slashdot
2. ????
3. Profit!
Re:Good luck (Score:5, Funny)
Tip: Beware the phrase "no problem".
Also beware the phrase: "do you want a girl for tonight?"
When I did my bachelor's thesis in Shanghai, I once drank a beer with one of the Western people I knew there. He worked in trade. He said that agreeing to said phrase will significantly alter your negotiation position in the morning. On the wrong side. :-)
Re:Good luck with IP if working with the Chinese (Score:3, Funny)
This generally isn't true. A VC will get preferred stock and as such in a liquidation event they will be able to recover their money before anyone else can. (So if you take on 1M in funding, sell the company for 500K, you're right, you get nothing and they lose 500K). I'm guessing this is what you're thinking of.
I think the idea with VC is to soak up a high salary, buy a Tesla sports car, acquire a blond trophy GF, an live high on the hog with a phenomenal "burn rate", until all the money is gone, then move on to the next VC project.