[Arm-netbook] microdesktop case, laptop pcb1 and pcb2, etc.

[Allan Mwenda]

God damn NDAs. And it really is a common design too, chinese companies are basically slapping logos on the same chassis. That is unfortunate, the situation you describe. 

On 16 April 2017 16:01:43 GMT+03:00, Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton <lkcl at lkcl.net> wrote:
>On Sun, Apr 16, 2017 at 12:42 PM, Allan Mwenda
><allanitomwesh at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Just gonna ask here coz I'm too lazy.
>
> :)
>
>> How hard would it be to repurpose one of these cheap $200 macbook
>clone
>> things with intel atoms to take an eoma68 card instead? I can already
>> imagine the rockchip one in it :)
>
> yeah me too.  ok, repurposing of existing casework comes up as a
>recurring theme, quite a lot: i was one of the people who believed,
>back when this project started, that it would be practical and
>perfectly reasonable.  so i wrote it up as one of the updates, "laptop
>comparison".  ha, cool, i just encountered this:
>
>https://www.crowdsupply.com/eoma68/micro-desktop/updates/the-opposite-of-the-eoma-68-modular-laptop
>
> i'm redoing that PCB you can see at the end of that one, except it'll
>be coloured green.. :)
>
> this was the one:
>https://www.crowdsupply.com/eoma68/micro-desktop/updates/laptop-comparisons
>
> and... ah.  that's strange... i didn't add the bits about the
>impracticalities of sourcing the components.(which are flat-out
>impossible in the anticipated quantities).  that _was_ the whole
>purpose of mentioning the update.  duuUuh :)
>
> ok so _somewhere_ i have a critique of the strategy which utilises
>pre-existing casework: it's a comprehensive fail, pure and simple.
>
> why?
>
> well, if you get some existing casework, it's likely to be at least 1
>to 10 years old.  the company that made the connectors - SPECIFICALLY
>for that SPECIFIC laptop case as SPECIAL ORDER ITEMS will have a
>unique relationship with the designer of the laptop.
>
>conversations between you and that supplier would go something like
>this:
>
> you: "hello!  we want to make a PCB based around a proprietary laptop
>case!  please give us 100 of your connectors!"
>
> supplier (very puzzled supplier): "hello!  glad to hear from you.
>are you a representative of the company whom we signed an NDA with
>whom we have multi-million-dollar supply contracts?"
>
> you: "errr.... no?  i just want 100 of your $0.10 connectors that you
>made 10 years ago"
>
> supplier (who is probably trying to be veery diplomatic by now): "10
>years ago?  you want to give us $10 for some parts where the tooling's
>been destroyed over 9 years ago and it would cost us $100k to remake
>it, and it's a proprietary (copyrighted) design as part of one of our
>unique client contracts??"
>
>... you get the general idea, allan?  :)
>
>even if it's a common design, as i've found out already, you need a
>*personal* connection - someone who *actually* has worked with that
>casework and knows *all* of the components *and* suppliers, has a good
>relationship with them, and is prepared to risk that because you're
>*guaranteed* to order at least 1k and preferably 10k units...
>
>.all of this should give you the general impression that it is a f***
>of a lot of work and risk for almost zero return.  it's similar to the
>hilarious "how i made a $3 toaster for $1800" ted talk, which is well
>worth watching.
>
>https://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_thwaites_how_i_built_a_toaster_from_scratch/transcript?language=en
>
>l.
>
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