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Ask HN: What can you realistically manufacture in your garage?

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Re: Ask HN: What can you realistically manufacture in your garage?

#401

Post by kelnos »

Maursault wrote: post #229
Panther34543 wrote: post #63

I've given this advice elsewhere, and I'll give it here. Go look at the small business initiatives by each branch of the U.S. military; many are now posting lists of open contracts that you can bid on for an incredible array of things. Browse through those lists and find something you can build. I really believe the U.S. military is in the midst of a large scale transfer of military spending from traditional large de…

> I think Anduril is a great example of the possibilities in the "new" defense space. With "Anduril," are you referring to Toykeeper's (technically deprecated) LED driver (flashlight, torch) interface? If not, then what? If so, then please give me some idea how a flashlight interface may be employed in national defense. Thanks.

Can we not do this sort of thing here? Yes, I get that everyone has not heard of every single company in the world, but a quick web search for "anduril defense" or "anduril company" can solve that particular issue. There's no need to pedantically feign annoyance that someone used a term you aren't familiar with and need to do the most trivial of research.

Re: Ask HN: What can you realistically manufacture in your garage?

#402

Post by kelnos »

oceanplexian wrote: post #347
bombcar wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is almost always exactly what it's for, and those with ears to hear can use it to their advantage. The key is to fly under the radar and not cause problems.

The key is to never buy a house in an HOA, and write your lawmakers to pass laws to limit their power as much as possible.

I never really understood the idea of a HOA for single-family homes, or even duplexes. It makes sense if you have a condo building, even with a small number of units, since you'll invariably have shared space that needs to be cared for.

I've seen some large HOAs that cover lots of homes where they provide free or discounted community services, like a gym, pool, tennis courts, etc. But it seems silly to structure that as a HOA rather than some sort of voluntary community organization. Or just do it more traditionally and charge membership or use fees to use the amenities. If that's not financially feasible, then perhaps there aren't enough people who actually want them, and so maybe they shouldn't exist.

And I get that many homeowners want to control their neighbors in order to keep the neighborhood frozen in some particular state, but it's... pretty gross. I hear the line "protecting home values" trotted out all the time, but that just feels like an excuse for busybodies who want to control others' lives. Things like not allowing a garage-based business that produces lots of noise and pollution should just be covered by regular zoning laws.

Re: Ask HN: What can you realistically manufacture in your garage?

#403

Post by kelnos »

throwaway0a5e wrote: post #94
duped wrote: post #13

The legality should interest you. I saw someone have their small business shut down by police because they were running it out of their basement. It wasn't the noise or pollution (which realistically are the nuisances you're going to be inflicting on neighbors) but the excess cars parked and delivery trucks coming and going down the street. One neighbor ratted them out. The problem with the space isn't really the cap…

>The legality should interest you. I saw someone have their small business shut down by police because they were running it out of their basement. It wasn't the noise or pollution (which realistically are the nuisances you're going to be inflicting on neighbors) but the excess cars parked and delivery trucks coming and going down the street. One neighbor ratted them out. Nobody is checking what's going on in garages…

I don't think "there are some place where law enforcement doesn't give a shit" is a good reason to just not care about legality. At the very least, it would behoove someone living in a place Detroit to at least think about it -- and perhaps decide "nah, no one is going to bother me" -- before starting something.

Re: Ask HN: What can you realistically manufacture in your garage?

#404

Post by Unbeliever69 »

csteubs wrote: post #285
Unbeliever69 wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Out of curiosity, how did you determine which skis you'd make mats for? Did you have to generate your own templates? Also, where did you sell?

My first prototype was for my own ('98 Kawasaki STX900) so I just asked if anyone was interested buying a set in a Kawasaki forum I frequented heavily. When custom orders started coming in I just asked for a picture of their current footwell/tread mat and cross-referenced measurements online. I erred on the side of leaving some models larger so the customer could trim it on their end, but the majority follow a really…

Thanks for sharing! One last question. How did the astro-turf compare as a slip-free material compared to more conventional materials?

Re: Ask HN: What can you realistically manufacture in your garage?

#405

Post by kelnos »

vturner wrote: post #106
h4waii wrote: post #5

I currently manufacturer a fairly niche product with nothing but a 7 year old $250 3d printer, some off the shelf parts, and a bit of custom electronics. Very high profit margin, as I am the only producer of this item (!). I'd love to move to a more "robust" process, but options for materials and widespread access to 3d printing provides a lot of versatility for a single-person business where I want to control the en…

How did you come to have the skills to design and build whatever it is you manufacture? I'm guessing you have a mix of mechanical and electrical background. I always have ideas for little products (some involve electronics others not) I'd like to build, but how to go from raw idea in my head to working assembly, I'm lost on: choosing motors, control board, mechanical reliability, etc. Maybe I just need to read some M…

I have a background in electrical engineering, but a) it's 20 years out of date (I got the degree and immediately went into software), and b) my training was somewhat niche in that I focused on microprocessor design. So I'd never (for example) learned how to lay out a circuit board, or deal with mixed digital & analog effects (well, at least not at the scale of a PCB).

Recently I had a small project idea that involved a pretty basic PCB. I was surprised at how easy it was to teach myself board layout (using KiCAD) and several related skills. You can get one(ish)-off PCBs manufactured by PCBWay or OSH Park on the cheap. I haven't finished the project yet (supply chain issues), but I'm pretty sure it'll be successful, and fairly cheap, considering.

There are lots of resources online if you need more external help learning. Two I was pointed to (but haven't really dug into too deeply yet) are All About Circuits (https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/) and Ultimate Electronics (https://ultimateelectronicsbook.com/). For the more physical aspects, YouTube has been a great resource -- for example I needed to solder a 5mm x 5mm QFN IC to a breakout board, and didn't want to spend the money on a high-end rework station. A random video on YouTube taught me how to do it with some flux, solder paste, and a cheap hot air gun I bought on Amazon.

Next I'm going to look into getting a 3D printer, and learn how to design stuff for that. I expect the learning curve there will be higher (at least for me), but I don't see it as out of reach.

Re: Ask HN: What can you realistically manufacture in your garage?

#406

Post by fortysixdegrees »

primax wrote: post #135
fxtentacle wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't the distillation process prone to explosions? How would one get started? How much capital is needed?

It's fairly safe if you operate in a well ventilated environment, have fail-safes in your still in case there is a pressure build up, and use electric elements instead of gas. Plenty of people use gas, but I don't see why given the increased risk and cost. For gin you need to make or buy neutral spirit first. Buying it is ideal as larger providers can make it cheaper and cleaner than you, but needs a license so you w…

Good post, this person know what they are talking about. Source: I make gin

Re: Ask HN: What can you realistically manufacture in your garage?

#407

Post by chasd00 »

bijection wrote: post #174

A friend and I manufacture a laser party light that makes your feet glow in a space smaller than most garages. Just a 3d printer, some custom cut metal pieces, the actual electronic components and some soldering irons. [0] [0] https://toeglo.com

you know, that could be a very useful nightlight for the middle of the night when you can't see your feet, stairs, or... lego pieces.

Re: Ask HN: What can you realistically manufacture in your garage?

#408

Post by jeffreyrogers »

bleuarff wrote: post #76
mepian wrote: post #56

Sam Zeloof alone managed to manufacture chips with the early 1970s technology in his garage using old fab equipment bought cheap (sadly don't remember the exact budget): http://sam.zeloof.xyz/ Maybe with more people and more capital this could be scaled to something that can be sold, like replicas of classic CPUs.

That was my first thought upon reading the title, but you have ton ponder it, though. Does it fit the "reallistically" criteria? I mean, sure it's been done already so it is possible, but this is advanced work and probably not really accessible to the average hacker.

It's definitely one of the cooler ideas but there are much easier ways to make money if that's one of your primary goals.

Re: Ask HN: What can you realistically manufacture in your garage?

#409

Post by chasd00 »

kelnos wrote: post #405
vturner wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How did you come to have the skills to design and build whatever it is you manufacture? I'm guessing you have a mix of mechanical and electrical background. I always have ideas for little products (some involve electronics others not) I'd like to build, but how to go from raw idea in my head to working assembly, I'm lost on: choosing motors, control board, mechanical reliability, etc. Maybe I just need to read some M…

I have a background in electrical engineering, but a) it's 20 years out of date (I got the degree and immediately went into software), and b) my training was somewhat niche in that I focused on microprocessor design. So I'd never (for example) learned how to lay out a circuit board, or deal with mixed digital & analog effects (well, at least not at the scale of a PCB). Recently I had a small project idea that involve…

> Next I'm going to look into getting a 3D printer, and learn how to design stuff for that.

I'm in the high power rocketry hobby and a 3d printer was a game changer for me. I have a prusa i3 mk3s+ and can't recommend it enough. For software i originally started with onshape but then went to Fusion360 because that's what everyone else in the hobby uses. Learning curve is steep but there's tons and tons of good material to help you learn. My workflow is Fusion360 then PrusaSlicer then save to sdcard then print. You can really optimize further but i don't sell 3d printed parts so it's good for me.

On the other hand, i do have a big arse laser and i stood up a little website and sell a simple cutting service to my buddies in the rocketry hobby. I like my website, i have no database! I actually use some metadata features of the stripe api for my order database hah.

https://oakclifflaser.com

Re: Ask HN: What can you realistically manufacture in your garage?

#410

Post by kelnos »

cq493 wrote: post #331
jamiek88 wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep, you start off buying obscure soils and obsessing about ph levels and light and moisture and years later I use the cheapest 4-4-4 fertilizer I can find and water when I stick my finger in and it’s dry. I get better product now than I used to. Mostly it’s about genetics anyway. The number one bit of advice I give to new gardeners (my garden is pretty well developed) is ‘less is more’. Basically leave the plant alo…

Is your view on this unique to marijuana or pretty much all plants? I'm looking to grow some berries but would love to avoid some rabbit holes that lead to nowhere. The 'less is more' concept is definitely appealing, but does that mean the latest wave of agtech startups optimizing every part of growth fall under the hype umbrella?

> Is your view on this unique to marijuana or pretty much all plants?

>> for my 5 pumpkin plants

Is this some sort of code-speak, or marijuana variety, or are they really just talking about pumpkins?

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