What I learned selling 2,500 MIDI recorders: Hardware is not so hard
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
Hardware is easier than software for simple products with strong margins.
Chip Weinberger sold 2,500 Jamcorder MIDI recorders after a career in software. He expected hardware to be the hardest part, but found the 200K lines of code across firmware, app, and tooling took over three years, while hardware assembly and manufacturing went smoothly. The device uses a simple PCB (25 components), single screw assembly, and cheap injection mold. He recommends keeping BOM simple, partnering with Chinese suppliers, aiming for 70%+ gross margin, and doing final QA in-house.
What commenters are saying
The author confirmed the app is 85K lines (Flutter), firmware 110K lines (ESP32). Commenters asked about anti-counterfeit strategy: he uses STSAFE chips (same as StarLink) and random per-device IDs. On compliance, he said FCC/CE testing costs ~$5K with pre-certified radios; Chinese test labs are affordable. One EE argued the take is poor because hardware difficulty depends on complexity, but the author's device is simple. Several commenters sought paid advising or design review tips.