[SUGGESTION] Please consider running a crowdfunding campaign for a custom Necroware GamePort-Adapter on Crowd Supply or other similar crowdfunding platform?

Hedda commented 1 year ago

@necroware can I suggest you consider a crowdfunding campaign on Crowd Supply for a custom Necroware GamePort-Adapter?

That is, organize and run a crowdfunding campaign on a crowdfunding platform (such as example crowdsupply.com) to fund the development and manufacturing of a larger batch of a custom Necroware GamePort-Adapter PCB + a matching custom enclosure that you arrange to have manufactured professionally one or several factories then distributed/shipped to backers/customers.

Crowd Supply is usually the perfect fit for funding and launching this type of project/products designed and made by creators:

https://www.crowdsupply.com/about
- https://www.crowdsupply.com/apply

At least I for one would love for more people to enjoy and contribute to this project and I think a crowdfunding campaign would help put the word out and grow the user base which at some point would hopefully lead to more actively contributing developers.

Motivation; while your gameport-adapter is still a niche product with retro-gaming becoming more popular I think that today and in the near future probably a lot (relativly speaking) of retro-gaming enthusiasts and collectors would be very interested in buying a preassembled and pre-flashed version of gameport-adapter if it came in a nice enclosure and had the same feature set as your existing gameport-adapter already have if sold as a complete product that has been tested to compatible out-of-the-box with a list specific joysticks, gamepads and gaming wheels.

Open-source hardware (OSH) licensed (CC BY-SA 4.0?).
Open-source firmware / open-source software licensed (GPL-3.0 license?).
DIP-switches for different controller modes (bonus though if add Bootloader mode to be used for flashing new firmware).
Optional: Keeping the modular "Arduino Shield" design with Arduino Pro Micro compatibility.

The things that I think are missing compared to your existing in order to make it a successful project as a crowdfunding campaign:

Include a 50-cm long USB-C to USB-A data extension cable in the package (as the adapter will not work without a cable).
Include a custom-designed adapter enclosure/case in the standard package (needed both to protect PCB and look good).
- Open source the adapter enclosure/case CAD designs to allow users to 3D-print their own case.
- See example -> https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5457006
Proper use of OSHW logo (with "open source hardware" text) -> https://www.oshwa.org/open-source-hardware-logo/
Optional: Use custom PCB with SMD components for pick-and-place machine for resistors all in factory manufacturing?
- Optional: Debug Header + unused IO pins (for developers if make a custom PCB with the SoC as SMD).
Publish versioned precompiled firmware binaries, and optionally provide some kind of easy-to-use firmware flashing tool.
- Also check out BootloadHID for firmware hex file upgrade via USB -> https://www.obdev.at/products/vusb/bootloadhid.html
Dedicated community forum, like for example GitHub Discussions in main project repo-> https://github.com/features/discussions
Documenting the project with wiki -> https://docs.github.com/en/communities/documenting-your-project-with-wikis

Then you should really just need some good marketing by reaching out to different retro-gaming communities to help spread the word.

More advanced ideas (not low-hanging-fruit so possibly not achievable if the main goals includes low-cost and easy-to-use?):

Base the new gameport-adapter on the Raspberry Pi Pico RP2040 SoC instead as it would probably get a lot more people interested in the project, see for example the Raspberry Pi Pico Gamepad/Joystick Library -> https://gitlab.com/realrobots/PicoGamepad (which can today be used with https://monsterjoysticks.com/9-pin-joystick-to-usb-adapter )
- Anyway, the fact is RP2040-based products/projects gain more notability simply because Raspberry Pi is so very famous/popular.
Automatic Controller Mapping with default controller profiles that make the tested and supported joysticks/gamepads work out-of-the-box with RetroArch -> https://www.retroarch.com/index.php?page=controller-autoconfig
- Perhaps informally partner with Team Libretro to send the prototypes for help with RetroArch compatibility? By the way, they are also working on the development of an unrelated "RetroArch Open Hardware" -> https://www.libretro.com/index.php/introducing-the-retroarch-open-hardware-project/
Add a vJoySerialFeeder" and/or "vJoy/vJoystick" mode (serial port to a virtual joystick) to support custom/hacked joysticks via VJoySerialFeeder compatible software/drivers -> https://github.com/Cleric-K/vJoySerialFeeder or https://sourceforge.net/projects/vjoystick/ (for POC see https://backofficeshow.com/shop/ultimate-joystick-interface)
- This requires data coming through the serial port should be structured in a specific way in order for the feeder to recognize it, (e.g. IBUS, SBUS, DSM, MultiWii Serial Protocol, KISS serial protocol, and/or CrossFire. etc.). After data is received it can be mapped to any virtual joystick axis or button in very flexible and configurable way via the vJoySerialFeeder GUI software.
Add an expansion port on the gameport-adapter (e.g. a GPIO-header accessible through an opening in the enclosure) that allows the user to add custom accessories, (such for example adding as a few trim pots that can work e.g. as elevator trims, aileron trims and rudder pedals in your favourite flight simulator game).

Maybe even consider asking if someone more, like Kreeblah who designed a similar board based on ATmega32u4RC-MU/ATmega32u4-MU (and he still also maintains updated designs for it to this day), would be interested in partnering on a such project to share the load of running a crowdfunding campaign + getting everything manufactured and shipped?

Tip on other one-stop-shop turnkey PCB and embedded circuit board manufacturers partners, and if keeping it as open-source hardware then should know that some offer open project pages so that anyone today relatively easy (and inexpensive) can just submit the KiCad PCB layout files directly to some PCB-prototype board manufacturers like Oshpark or PCBWay who will take it then make + ship a few of the PCB boards and needed components as a kit, all without them having to use KiCad yourself or even having to understand the PCB layout:

Oshpark https://oshpark.com
- See example project (rev 0.2.1 of Necroware gameport-adapter board) -> https://oshpark.com/shared_projects/rzwJjMoP
PCBWay https://www.pcbway.com
JLCPCB https://jlcpcb.com
Seeed Studio (Seeed Technology) https://www.seeedstudio.com
Elecrow https://www.elecrow.com
PCBgogo https://www.pcbgogo.com
Makerfabs https://www.makerfabs.com
OSpcb https://www.cnospcb.com

FYI, Chinese PCB manufacturers will usually make around 20 simple PCB board like this for less than $10 and ship them to you for around $20, so depending on your country's import tax you have those at home for around $30-40 in around a months time.

PS: For some more related inspiration may I recommend you check out these other similar projects/products liked below:

Monster Joysticks 9 Pin Joystick to USB Adapter product/project:

The Backoffice - Ultimate Joystick Interface:

necroware commented 1 year ago

Initially, I planned to go in that direction and start an online shop with some of my hardware projects, but unfortunately life plays sometimes a bad joke and currently I have absolutely no time for it. Not even enough time for my youtube channel. Sadly but true.

Hedda commented 1 year ago

Ah, ok, that is sad to hear. I guess that then also means that you do not have time to arrange for a company like PCBWay (or another similar company) to make it for you and have them sell it from their store so you do not have to carry stock or sell it yourself, or? ...at least you should be aware to some companies like PCBWay do offer such full shop services where they not only make and assembly your design but also act as a reseller with shipping directly to the customer:

https://www.pcbway.com/project/gifts-sell.html

https://www.pcbway.com/project/gifts.html

Hedda commented 1 year ago

Recommend moving this to the suggestion section under discussions -> https://github.com/necroware/gameport-adapter/discussions

necroware / gameport-adapter

[SUGGESTION] Please consider running a crowdfunding campaign for a custom Necroware GamePort-Adapter on Crowd Supply or other similar crowdfunding platform? #46