How can I make money with my Propeller projects?
Microcontrolled
Posts: 2,461
I know that more then few have asked this, but I would like to know the best way.
I need some cash to pay off some electronics that I have recently purchased, and I was wondering if there was any way to make money with my Propeller projects/objects, that would require little money down.
I can't spring for a custom made PCB, but I do have a website, and some amateur web programming skills. I don't need money FAST, but I have some nice projects that may be worth paying for, that I would be willing to wait out.
Thanks,
Micro
I need some cash to pay off some electronics that I have recently purchased, and I was wondering if there was any way to make money with my Propeller projects/objects, that would require little money down.
I can't spring for a custom made PCB, but I do have a website, and some amateur web programming skills. I don't need money FAST, but I have some nice projects that may be worth paying for, that I would be willing to wait out.
Thanks,
Micro
Comments
Your entry into this is that "in time" thing, since you don't have money to spend buying materials cheap and repackaging them or assembling them into products. But making money by selling software has always been hard; people in general tend to think of it like air since it can be copied so easily. I'm sure this is why the OBEX requires the MIT license, so as not to come into conflict with this tendency. And if you charge a fair price as a consultant -- it takes a lot of time to write good software, and it's hard to get paid if you don't have an organization behind you to do collections. Been there, done that, ended up getting a job.
Good luck dealing with your situation but, sadly, I don't think monetizing prop projects is going to be the answer for you.
Yes, there is a way to do this, Micro.
I'll pay you $200 and provide the hardware for the project if you can help me solve the following problem. I will need your very best effort, however, both in terms of coding, assembling the circuit and sharing the project on these forums in the "Completed Project" section.
To understand the scope of work you first need to understand the problem.
Parallax has many departments, as you know: manufacturing, accounting, marketing, sales, engineering, R&D, education, and technical support. We have filled our Rocklin location and one of these departments was recently moved off-site.
At this new location a FedEx package arrives nearly daily. The arrival of the FedEx package has many subsequent dependencies of processing - related to bookkeeping, inventory and business communication.
The problem we are currently experiencing has to do with a lazy [okay, less motivated] FedEx driver. Even though he comes to the same location every day and drops a package on the doorstep, he refuses to walk another 300 feet to get to the final destination where the package actually belongs. So, about twice an hour, a person from the final destination walks to check to see if the package has arrived at the front door. This is a waste of time and I imagine the person would rather go outside to take a walk as part of a break instead of just to check on the FedEx package.
This has been a problem for six months and I have promised to address it using Parallax technology. But I have no time to do that, as you can imagine.
I have talked to the FedEx driver to see if he would be willing to press a button when he arrives. He agreed to this as an acceptable solution.
I have 12V available at the front door (transmitting location) from the door bell, and power at the remote location 300 feet away (receiving location).
The transmitting location would have an XBee radio and a pushbutton on a Prop Proto Board, mounted nicely in a Mountain King Acrylic Enclosure (I shall provide). It would also have a few indicators (LEDs, perhaps) to show that the button has been activated by a package drop.
The receiving location would have a Prop Proto Board USB, XBee, and a small composite display (I will provide). The display must be powered off by the Propeller during non-business hours and weekends to save energy. During business hours, it would display whether or not a FedEx package was present at the transmitting location. This receiving unit will also have a pushbutton so that the transmitting location could be reset, ready for the next day.
How to achieve this project can vary - I'm only providing you with one solution.
You would use this thread to seek any input on how to achieve the project, and post your progress here along the way.
I'd be able to stop in about once a week to see how things are going.
You would finish the project by providing me with working hardware. And you would post in the Completed Projects section a schematic, code, and pictures.
Let me know if you are interested in making the $200 this way. You would need to budget at least 50-60 hours to do this, considering the scope of work. Sure, you can get the circuit working in two hours, but remember that it takes time to write code properly, get approval from a boss, and document everything you've done. You would have to check with your parents, too.
Sincerely,
Ken Gracey
Perhaps a quick start would be posting on craigslist.org what you can do for other people.
And perhaps make up some 8 1/2 x 11 flyers saying what you can do with microcontrollers. Take them to manufacturing businesses in your area and leave them.
Somewhere out there is someone at a small business wanting help with their web site. Nothing fancy. Someone else will need basic help with their computer - all you do is go out there, ask for their instruction manual, read a bit, then get their whatever to work!
And somewhere out there are small manufacturing companies which need a microcontroller to do something.
You just need to advertise and get the word out. Then once you do some work for a couple of people, they will call you back and tell their friends what you can do.
As to making flyers or posting on craigslist, try different titles/subjects. Then when someone calls, ask how they heard of you, which posting/flyer. Then you will learn what gets people's attention and what people want/need.
So for small businesses which don't do any manufacturing... Maybe a flyer which says Computer Help! / Web site Help! Then your info.
And for the manufacturing businesses... Microcontroller Programming! Process Control! Robots! Etc.
And post maybe 3 different things on craigslist. Web site help! Computer Help! Microcontroller Help!
(2) Contract your services. Offer to write code in exchange for monetary compensation. Make everyone sign a contract.
(3) Offer your soldering skills for someone.
(4) Aid or assist those who are already in the business. Maybe you can make an add on product and offer your skills and services.
(5) I don't know what kind of money you are talking about but there are secondary jobs to help make you money. My neighbor can't cut his grass anymore and I offer to help him for free but he resists and insists on paying me.
(6) I would like to open an online store in the future and haven't ruled out working with other people but this is a long term goal that won't happen overnight.
(7) Set up a table at a flea market, trade show, club, etc., and be a product reseller. Show off the prop and re-sell it.
(8) Design some prop toys. I was amazed that one of the local malls did a study and told potential renters the average income and said that the average consumer spends something like $130 on a shopping trip. Someone has money and you just have to find the market.
(9) Network with people like you are doing here and see what they can come up with.
(10) My email box is open.
Other solutions I have wouldn't offer you fast cash.
Let him program one of your robots to carry the parcel the extra 300 feet when it arrives.
You get:
A real run on a project, with all the parameters and expectations. (this is worth a lot, as most people consider opportunity costs when picking prospective contractors, which is being ignored here)
Interaction with fine business people, who will work to communicate the expectations and deal fairly on the project itself. (that's worth a lot too, as not all communication of this kind is as clear as what you just got, and there are a lot of rough, and needy (because they are rough) work prospects out there)
A finite project scope, with clear deadline. (just reinforcing the value of good expectations here)
Opportunity to network, upon project completion success.
Long ago, I had some chances like this. I took a few, skipped a few too. The ones I did were worth their weight in gold. In your youth, you are wealthy. Want to know why?
Time. Time is the key measure of our wealth. When we have more "want to do" time, as opposed to "must do" time, we are considered wealthy people, regardless of our actual dollar holdings.
The value of this, at your stage in life, is simply that you can make personal investments with no real cost impact. As you age, and life burdens grow and shift as they always do, that amount of time shrinks, raising the cost of those personal investments significantly.
Consider doing this project. You will not regret having had the experience, and if I were you, I would do the business end as well, accepting a clear proposal, understanding the terms and conditions, and deliver an invoice with the completed work, along with the deliverable.
The education you will get, stepping through this process now, could very likely significantly impact your adult life in a very positive way.
Truer words have not been spoken... At least not here..
OBC
Or just deliver a shock to the FedEx driver?
Seriously, offering a talented young person good money to do skilled work? Very good.
The rules appear to allow input and help from others "You would use this thread to seek any input on how to achieve the project, and post your progress here along the way."
So we can all pitch in and help.
Re "The display must be powered off by the Propeller during non-business hours and weekends to save energy."
That kind of suggests to me a switching regulator rather than a linear one, if you are running off 12V. I have some schematics if you like.
Once it's done, you could ask Ken how big the parcels are and maybe send a bot to collect it (as was suggested above). However, you couldn't leave the bot outside or someone might be tempted to remove it! Unless of course it was housed in a protective cage. Lots of ideas here.
Maybe Ken could post a pic of where the packages are dropped and what size they are?
And yes, we could do it cheaper (before someone else comments!).
This is no alternative to kens offer though, which is a great opportunity to actually learn something; usually impossible mucking around in consumer electronics as i often do
Don't tell them, that you use the propeller. Show them a solution for their current problem. And tell them, how difficult it was and that only you knew, how to do it and that only you had the skills. Beware telling them, how simple is was, using the propeller!!
Problem solved.
I have found in my life, doing things I love to do makes work a much better experience. Having that be possible is totally worth the time and effort it often takes to get there.
Be sure and make friends in the right places! As you figure yourself out, others will see that and give you a leg up. They can't do that, unless they know you. That was said to me a long time ago too. It has paid off so many times I can't even say.
Here's a new thread from the Forum: offering $$$ in exchange for programming.
Looks good for you too ...
http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?t=124914
T o n y
As the others have said, this is a great opportunity. It is a good way to start and will give you an insight into the engineered design process. It will also show you how documentation plays a huge role in real life designs.
These kind of offers are just one of the many reasons I feel Parallax has such a good image.
First of all, as for Ken's offer, I accept.
I have thought about it before posting a reply here, and I have decided that this is the best possible thing that I could do to make money. Because:
(1: It's fun
(2: I love to program the Propeller
(3: This will be great for my CV
(4: This is a great opportunity to get real world experience
(5: This is something that serves a real purpose and gets something done.
As for all the other suggestions, I thank you for them, as they have also given me some good ideas. After all, this job won't last forever, and then I'll have something else to go to afterward. :-)
If I can find a way to do this kind of thing as my job and make a living off it, I'll never have to "work" a day in my life!
THANKS KEN!!!
Not quite...
Shipping companies, truck drivers, etc. have unions and union stipulations in their contracts which can get to be quite silly at times.
I've seen truck drivers delivering something arguing with a small business as to where exactly the "loading dock" was located. They were only required to drop off the shipment at the "loading dock" or some such nonsense?
I saw an incredible number of really good ideas from the posters above, by the way.
Let me know what hardware you need from Parallax and I'll send it your way. Use e-mail kgracey@parallax.com for your requests since e-mail follows me everywhere. Before you request any hardware it would be appropriate to sketch out the design idea and see if there's any feedback from other forum members. A block diagram would be helpful, at a minimum.
You'll be supervised by our other forum members, by the way. Keep the project evolving on this forum thread as much as possible.
One of my first jobs was in electronics - Something I did at home for fun...
I could not believe I was being paid to do what I did for fun!
So yes, quite possible!
I just PM'ed you before seeing this message, but I will send all my other info though Email.
I will update often, and try to get at least one update in every day. As usual I accept constructive critisism and suggestions from all forum members.
Congratulations!! on getting the job. I'm sure most forum members will do what they can to see that your project is a success. Of course we will also have a little fun along the way, if possible.
Another design idea:
Most delivery companies provide real-time tracking. I would use the new Propeller web module "Spinneret Web Server " to provide real-time tracking info and some type of real-time indicators(LCD, LED, sound etc..) to let you know when a parcel has arrived.
http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?t=119478&highlight=propeller+module+david+carrier
How it works:
The delivery is made. The driver scans the parcel, online tracking is automatically updated, The Propeller Spinneret Web Server provides the real-time info via LCD, LED etc.....
http://fedex.com/Tracking
A few other advantages are :
1. It can show real-time info for parcels that haven't been delivered on time and you don't have to call the company to find out where they are.
2. David Carrier get a product showcase for the Propeller Spinneret Web Server.
3. Then the robot is instructed to deliver it or instructed to wait for an additional package.
4. The idea works so well that other companies want to use it and Parallax packages the product with enhancements and sells it as a commercial product.
Can you let me know about your experience in electronics? I've seen you on the forum and expect to do a large project next Spring for which I may be in a position to hire someone. The project will be fun, large for a microcontroller type project, but incredibly small for a defense department project.
I don't know how much your skills may exceed mine already. (I've thought about approaching P. Philgrim, Bean, Kae or some of the other great people at some point but really want to do as much as possible myself).
Having someone PAY YOU to get experience while solving their needs is always worth it.
My years of experience in electronics is 8 years, in microcontrollers is 5 years, and Propeller programming is 3 years.
IMHO, I have intermediate programming and electronics skills and would be glad to help you when you need it. I'm pretty good at the Propeller, but I need improvement in PASM.
Sincerely,
--Steve
The lines connecting them are for power only, not communication.
"You have package"
I used to have a certain appliance in my apartment wired so I could tell when it was finished doing its job. After which, the following was announced in every room: "You have toast."