What should internet companies do with smart hardware?

What should internet companies do with smart hardware? I happened to be in the software and hardware industry for 10 years, before beginning to talk about this topic, we first talk about a hardware product exactly how to do.

Any hardware products, probably need to include project managers, hardware engineers, software engineers, appearance and structural designers, procurement production testing and other supporting personnel, related to the design, development, procurement, production and other departments, which hardware developers can also be subdivided into drawing schematic and circuit board, analog circuit or digital circuit design , firmware code programming, and so on. Software developers include app-side app development, server-side development, database, and more.

Process is probably the case, the first is the project, that is, the function of the product definition, implementation, the application of the scene to determine, after the hardware engineers need to do chip selection, drawing schematic, cloth board, designers at the same time do the design and structural design, such as circuit board proofing back after welding debugging finished, Software engineers continue to code programming, testing functions. In this way the whole prototype is ready to go into production preparation, that is, the input of abrasives and procurement materials, usually this time period is a bit long. Normally, a project from the establishment to mass production, generally takes 3 months, the PCB also needs to P2 to P3 version can be called production version.

Thus, to do a hardware product than simply to do a software product cycle and chain longer, and hardware is a very experienced technology live, any trial and error to pay a high cost, only a wealth of experience to avoid detours, can be said there is no shortcut to speak.

Now a lot of internet companies are doing smart hardware, and most of the mode of cooperation is to look for external solutions to cooperate with the way. There is no denying that this is a quick way to cut into the hardware field, but because of the different companies ' genetic culture and user-oriented differences, there will be a lot of friction in the process of cooperation. Here are a few of my suggestions:

1, do not ask for speed, do hardware must be a bit to do up, quickly not. Normal speed also to 3 months of time period, may be a lot of people ask Huaqiang north of the cottage why one months to ship, this is because the cottage can express the premise is based on standard parts of the assembly, such as in the production of a PCBA, only need to change a look or packaging can be, indeed can be quickly shipped, But the new design of the product is too many links, indispensable. One of the longest cycle of abrasives, generally have to 30 days of time, PCB design, sample to production, generally also need more than one months of time.

2, the project in the process of not often change, this is particularly important. Hardware changes are very troublesome, such as the increase in some functions, you must change the chip to re-cloth a circuit board, and the appearance of the changes will affect the structure of the change of the abrasive, it is possible that the entire abrasive damage, and greatly delay the product cycle.

3, to find already have done similar products of the program to cooperate, hardware products in fact, if the breakdown out is also a lot of, do not think that do WiFi will do Bluetooth, will do MTK mobile phone will do high-pass mobile phone, any different technical solutions have to time to learn, need experience to accumulate, If you are looking for a team that has not done a similar product at all, don't expect too much in time and quality.

4, do not focus too much on the size of the program company, cooperation this thing, with very important! If a very experienced small team, willing to 100% of the time to help you do a product, then this must be a priority choice.

Many big solution companies will be at the same time to take a lot of products in the development, the match on the contrary is not very good.

5, do not think that the cost of hardware is very low, the profit will be very high. Shenzhen has a bit of experience in hardware engineers monthly salary of more than 20k, the general design company to do a product design and structural design, but also to 480,000 of the level, a simple product of abrasives, at least to prepare more than 100,000 of the abrasive fee, so do hardware is to spell sales, if not a few K sales guarantee every month, I advised that I should consider it carefully.

6, choose a reasonable bias on the price, I think is the best choice. Of course, local tyrants can directly choose the factory, but the start-up companies should not choose cheap small factories, especially abrasives factory, I met a lot of abrasives open out, want to throw away immediately change the impulse of the factory, and the choice of abrasives directly affect the appearance of the product and the overall quality, is irreversible and can not be optimized.

7, if the high quality requirements of the product, there are several links is the most important. 1 Industrial Design level, 2 Select abrasives Manufacturers, 3 assembly plant quality control, these 3 links to determine the production before, during production, and after the production. And in the Assembly of the factory, it is best to send a factory QC to go, so that the last ring to ensure the quality of the product.

8, to accept the views of senior people in the industry, do products is a compromise art. Do not insist on what high-risk process or bad rate of high production, control costs not only in your choice of more inexpensive chips and solutions, more in the process of mass production, how to control the bad rate and improve production speed.

In addition, the Internet company best still have to understand the hardware development and production process of the person, do not let a completely do not know people to follow up hardware products, this need to implement the actual person if they do not understand the business, then in the process of cooperation encountered problems will be difficult to solve.

Source Lei Feng Net

What should internet companies do with smart hardware?