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by chromacity 61 days ago
Unfortunate. Tindie is (was?) a pretty unique marketplace. Amusingly, a lot of what they were selling was probably illegal due to FCC rules: for the most part, you can't sell electronics without EMI certification and "I'm just a hobbyist" is not an excuse. Kits get a bit of leeway, but finished products don't.

Before the tariffs, I noticed that Chinese companies were trying to undercut them. I've gotten multiple mails asking me to start selling my designs with China-based outlets: they would make the PCBs, assemble them, and pay me some money for every item sold.
2 comments
dbl000 61 days ago
Can you share more information about the undercutting? I've heard of places like Elecrow trying to incentivize people to sell via their platform/OEM service but it sounds like you've had people asking you to license your designs?
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chromacity 61 days ago
I never followed up, but I didn't read it as some serious IP licensing thing. It sounded like they've come to the conclusion that they're making the stuff that's sold on Tindie anyway, so might as well set up a website and ship directly to your customers.
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the_axiom 61 days ago
Free market is a good thing.
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Permik 61 days ago
It's good until some unregulated electronic device creates interference that makes some poor guys pacemaker act up and kills them.
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EtienneDeLyon 61 days ago
As a RF expert, I can assure you that is not possible. And basic common sense should tell you why.

It's AM radio that gets interfered with.

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kube-system 61 days ago
It's not likely, but if you're an expert I'm sure you could think of a few ways it would be possible. The reason we give people with pacemakers a list of machines to avoid is definitely not to waste their time because there is no possible way any of those things could be dangerous to them.
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chromacity 61 days ago
I mean, more or less, we do. The NIH list includes cell phones, e-cigarettes, and headphones.
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kayson 61 days ago
As an RF expert I can assure you that I could create a device to wirelessly interfere with a pacemaker. A pathological one, maybe, but the point remains: regulation is needed.
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fluoridation 61 days ago
The question is whether such interference could be created by a device as a by-product of its normal operation, not by a weapon that's intended to cause harm.
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jdiff 61 days ago
Blind dogma is rarely a good thing. A free market is not a virtue or end goal in itself, but a means to other ends.
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croes 61 days ago
Every freedom has limits
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