[hpsdr] To kit or not to kit...............

[Steven Bible]

Gang,

This has all been a very interesting discussion.  We have people of all
talents and skill levels.  Remember the idea of a farmers co-op?  From the
Wikipedia:

  A cooperative (also co-operative or co-op) is a group
  of persons who join together or co-operate, to carry
  on an economic activity of mutual benefit.

May I make a recommendation, we need to identify all the roles needed to
take a project from idea to delivered hardware.  As Bob has pointed out, we
are still in the early development/prototyping phase (we are slightly past
the research phase).  We still need skills and labor that will take the
finished prototypes and deliver hardware.  What are these phases?

I suggest that next after the prototypes are finalized that we enter a beta
phase.  Those folks who have the skills to hand build the boards are great
candidates for this phase.  Their desires is to hand build and learn from
the building.  From their experiences, the final boards are evolved.  Then
on to the next phase.

This phase is the contract manufacturing stage.  We can go about this a
couple of different ways.  The easiest is that we hand over a bill of
materials, Gerber files, and test plan.  What we get out of it are assembled
and tested boards.  This option has some expense only if the numbers are
low.  The other way is buying the parts and handing them to a contract
manufacturer.  Thought some contract manufacturers like this option as they
need the parts packaged in such a way that they can do machine assembly
(tape and reel, tubes, etc.).  We need people who are familiar with this
phase, who have worked with contract manufacturers.  We need people to
recommend their favorite contract manufacturer.

We need people to chronical the process from idea to operations manual.  We
need people to count money.  We need parts buyers for the prototypes and
betas.  We need people to put beta kits together.  (what other roles can you
think of?)

If we could identify and gently formalize what the phases are, what roles
are needed, who the names of the people that will fill those roles, as the
product evolves, it gets handed to the next people in the process.  Then we
are well on our way to a finished product.

73,

- Steve, N7HPR
 (n7hpr at tapr.org)



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