From Software to Hardware: Lessons Learned Manufacturing 500 Units of a First Product
By
sberens
Crackling crust, pillowy middle. The kind of bagel that earns a second cup of coffee.
Summary
A software engineer shares their journey of quitting their job to launch their first hardware product, Brighter lamp, detailing the challenges of manufacturing 500 units after a successful $400k crowdfunding campaign. The article covers the unexpected difficulties in hardware manufacturing, supply chain issues, quality control problems, and the steep learning curve from software to hardware development. It provides practical lessons learned about prototyping, testing, manufacturing processes, and the realities of consumer hardware entrepreneurship.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledI had no prior experience in hardware; I was counting on being able to pick it up quickly with the help of a couple of mechanical/electrical/firmware engineers.
The problems began immediately. I sent our prototype to a testing lab to verify the brightness and various colorimetry metrics.
The tagline of Brighter was it's 50,000 lumens - the world's brightest lamp.
Building in consumer hardware as a software engineer taught me that hardware is fundamentally different from software in ways I never anticipated.
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