Selling 2,500 Jamcorders: Why Hardware Is Not So Hard
What I learned selling 2,500 MIDI recorders: Hardware is not so hard
After a career in software, I launched Jamcorder, a MIDI recorder that has already sold 2,500 units. Contrary to the popular belief that hardware is incredibly difficult, I found the physical build surprisingly smooth compared to the complex software development. By keeping the design simple, using off-the-shelf components, and maintaining high margins, I proved that building hardware is manageable if you avoid unnecessary complexity.
"Hardware is as hard as you make it."
HN discussion
- The difficulty of hardware is subjective and scales with complexity; for simple products like the Jamcorder, keeping hardware minimal allows a solo developer to focus effort on software iteration.
- Using a pre-certified module like the ESP32 does not grant automatic regulatory compliance, as the entire device must still undergo testing for unintentional radiators under FCC Part 15 Subpart B and CE requirements.
- The primary value of the Jamcorder lies in its software and data tracking capabilities rather than the hardware, which is relatively simple to replicate with standard components.
- Hardware development is inherently more unforgiving than software because physical constraints like signal integrity and electromagnetic interference offer no cheap way to iterate or recover from design errors.
- Small-scale hardware projects often face significant risks from inventory mismanagement, where guessing production volumes incorrectly leads to either lost sales or financial loss from unsold stock.