Make an Electronics Website to Get Projects?

I've been considering making a website so I can be found for electronic projects.

But what portion of people go to Google when they need a designer? There's LinkedIn and maybe something on Facebook. There's Monster and other employment sites. Of course there's here. "Newsgroups? Oh yeah, I watch that on tv."

When someone needs a designer, where do they search? Yellowpages? :P

Reply to
D from BC
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projects.

Not really. LinkedIn is *really* buggy.

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

I can't tell you for sure, because for the most part my customers don't tell me. But for the most part my business comes to me from all over the US (and a little bit from other English-speaking countries), and for the most part my e-presence is on USENET, with a few articles in Embedded Systems Programming Magazine and my website.

A web site makes a really good extended business card, but I don't think its going to pull in business unless you have some unique content. Put up at least a page with your contact information and some sort of picture or graphics; put up a "capabilities" page that says what you can do (or perhaps what you're willing to do of what you can -- I can dig ditches perfectly well, but it ain't on my website). Then, if you write well and have something to say, maybe put up some articles.

Then when folks are trying to contact you, you'll pop up on Google.

Linked-In seems to primarily have value as a way of keeping in touch with former coworkers and clients, and a quite secondary way of providing contact information. To my knowledge I have gotten no jobs at all through LinkedIn, although I did almost get some repeat business because the engineer who was trying to bring me in on their project was one of my contacts.

If you're going to hire yourself out as a contractor, get in touch with every former co-worker you've ever and that you can find, and let them know that you're in business and hungry for clients. Join your local IEEE consultants group (if there is one in your area), go to IEEE meetings with lots of business cards, etc. Don't be shy: shy people don't get jobs.

If you're hurting, get onto Craigslist and respond to Every Damned Ad. Even if it specifically says "no contract", send in your resume with a note explaining that if they change their minds you'll be happy to man the walls for them while they're trying to find a permanent hire. And, it'll keep you busy. (I have a really cool local part-time customer that I got that way. I should probably do it more often)

Most contractors get their business by word-of-mouth; I know that I'm the only one in my local IEEE group that gets business mostly from the internet: most of the guys get work with people who they've worked with before, or people who know people they worked with before. About half of the local business I get comes to me that way, too.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

--
Tim Wescott
Control system and signal processing consulting
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Reply to
Tim Wescott

electronic=20

I usually do all my own designs, and I have some friends I can contact = for=20 some questions. But when I was looking for someone to do assembly work, = I=20 did a "dogpile" search and found a local guy who specializes in SMD PC=20 assembly, modification, and repair. This newsgroup and several others = are=20 very helpful, and I don't mind if someone contacts me offering = professional=20 services for hire. Up to me if that's what I want, and it's appropriate = to=20 expect compensation if the engineering takes more than an hour or so = (unless=20 you're bored like Jim Thompson was :)

I have had my own website since 1996, and it's pretty much the same as = it=20 was then. Even though it's very simple and not "snazzy", I get several=20 requests a year for calibration and repair services, even though I = direct=20 them to an associate who specializes in that, but often with my = assistance.=20 I am perhaps also lucky that he has a number of projects for me to work = on,=20 and that's about all I can handle. So I don't really seek new business. = But=20 I think the reason my website gets the response it does id because I = have a=20 lot of content which specifically attracts those in that niche. If you=20 search on "Circuit Breaker Test" with dogpile, I'm on the first page,=20 although the link is to an old server. Same with "Recloser Test".

It's also a good idea to stay active on usenet and other forums, = especially=20 by offering good advice, and you can put a link to your website in your = sig,=20 along with a brief list of your expertise. I don't know what you do and=20 without such a reference I'd just have to guess from your posts. "D from = BC"=20 doesn't come up with meaningful hits. "P E Schoen" has my personal web = page=20 as the first hit. Also several others on the same page. So I'm easy to = find.

I also have a free listing in the Thomas Register. I've had a few = inquiries=20 through them. Some manufacturers and distributors have lists of=20 professionals with expertise in their products. If you have any specific =

product or service with a distinctive name, you can get a domain name = for=20 less than $10/year. I have manufactured the "Ortmaster" since 1994, and = I=20 have that domain name in .COM. If you happen to know that my dog's name = is=20 Muttley, the Hanna Barbera character and others dominate the hits. But = "Paul=20 And Muttley", we dominate the hits. And I could edit the Wikipedia = (which=20 gets the first hit) to include my dog. That's fair play. I could even = make a=20 Wiki page for the Ortmaster.

So, what sorts of projects are you looking to take on? Good luck.

Paul (and Muttley)

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Reply to
P E Schoen

Ah yes, good ol networking. I hear that was the way in ancient times and is still good now. "I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who can build that." :P

Reply to
D from BC

I'd probably take on projects that are not too easy and not too hard. Something between digital gates and RF. For example, if someone needs a spread spectrum project, it's going to take a very long time. Mostly because I know nothing about spread spectrum. I'd like to get loads of project offers and only pick the interesting ones that I think I can barely do. Too easy, it's boring. Too hard, it's crushing. Probably microcontroller, smps, analog and digital below 100Mhz.

Reply to
D from BC

I might have some projects you can do. I explained some of it in Jim=20 Thompson's thread, and then I supplied more information by email. I = could=20 supply you with the same information, and you could draw up a proposal. = You=20 might be able to do some portions of the design, but also propose a = timeline=20 and cost schedule for the entire project. I don't know exactly what your =

qualifications and interests are, and I don't know what sort of fees you =

would charge. These projects are relatively low volume (10-100/year), = but=20 they sell for a fairly high price ($2000 to $50,000 each). For an idea = of=20 the type of products being considered, look at the websites:

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s/ezct-2000a

I am now working on a small high current test set for up to 100 or 200 = amp=20 breakers. Another engineer has been working on a micro-ohmmeter and a = CTER=20 (transformer test set).

Another project I may get involved with is a system which will be used = in=20 villages in Africa and other remote, impoverished areas, to provide = power=20 for farming and sustainable biofuel/solar energy. It may take the form = of a=20 hybrid diesel with modular components that can be used for = transportation=20 over difficult terrain, and power for grinding, milling, pressing, and = other=20 agricultural needs. Some of the devices are shown here:

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I think there may be some advantage to using three-phase induction = motors=20 with a VF control so they can also be used as generators. And they may = be=20 combined with solar and wind energy and a variety of energy storage = options.=20 In this case, there is a fine balance between rugged simplicity and=20 high-tech efficiency and versatility.

Paul

Reply to
P E Schoen

Any previous experience doing contract work? It loses its 'fun' aspect real fast.

Reply to
Fred Bloggs

(snip)

Interested to see how you are approaching that (without compromising your IP of course ....)

I've traditionally done that sort of thing with a heath-robinson "current injection" jig using a variac feeding a step-down transformer with a high-current secondary. Ammeter and breaker in series directly across the secondary of the step-down. It's open-loop so it's far from precision engineering, but serves to provide go/no-go checking of manufacturers' curves.

Reply to
who where

The technology is far from secret. It's pretty much as what you are = doing,=20 but we use an SCR controller with the initial phase angle adjusted to = reduce=20 the DC offset effect caused by energizing an inductive load (which is = worst=20 with zero-crossing devices). We use a form of Rogowski coil for the = current=20 sensor, which requires an integrator to restore the current waveform, = but=20 this smaller test set will probably use a PCB mounted toroidal CT. For=20 another device I make, for testing reclosers, I use a 1000A 100mV shunt, =

which can measure full scale currents as low as 50 amps and as high as=20

10,000 amps, to an accuracy of better than 1%.

If you look at my website, you will see an old article called "Circuit=20 Breaker Testing Technology", which describes the methods used. And you = can=20 look at my YouTube channel which has videos of circuit breaker test=20 equipment and also testing of a "small" high current output transformer=20 (about 20 kA maximum) that was defective and had to be rebuilt:

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(noisy transformer testing)
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(breaker test sets)
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(4000A DC test set, 20,000 amp pulse)

Paul

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Reply to
P E Schoen

(snip)

(snip)

We tried to KISS and not destroy/reinstate waveforms.

I will certainly look at that. Thanks.

Reply to
who where

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Would I be out to lunch if I wanted $600/day for design work? :) BC is not a cheap place to live. Of course the other guy offering less might win the project but I get unhappy working for cheap.

I've only worked locally for electronics design and am totally clueless as to telecommuting. Is it common for electronic designers to get projects from around the globe?

Reply to
D from BC

I don't have much experience doing contract work. Electronics has been mostly a fun hobby. (Is it still a hobby when you have 1000's of dollars in test equipment, spend tons of time on LTspice, do tons of math and use a dynascope to solder SMT parts? Scuba diving would be cheaper.)

I figure I should try bidding on a project to see how that goes. I did one design contract long time ago. "Is it done yet? Is it done yet?" I couldn't stop improving it while I was designing it. :P

Reply to
D from BC

Much depends on your level of skill and ability to get the job done = right,=20 and within a reasonable timeframe. As an example, for my consulting = rates, I=20 charge about $50/hr for jobs I can do from home, and $60/hr for on-site, = and=20 I also add $20/hr for commuting to and from the jobsite. I would add = actual=20 expenses for travel by plane or train, and for hotel/motel, rental car, = and=20 meals. Or I may agree to a per diem allowance for extended stays.

For my regular customer for whom I am designing this test set, I gave = him a=20 flat rate for the job, based on my best estimate of the actual = productive=20 time involved for various stages, and target dates for milestones = showing=20 progress. So for this job I am charging about $10,000. I wrote up a = detailed=20 proposal and separately billable sections. In this case there is a hard=20 deadline to get a demo unit built and basically functional in time for = the=20 NETA show in Houston at the end of the month, so I have about two weeks. = I=20 got the last critical part today and I plan to have the unit put = together by=20 the middle of next week, leaving time to make some adjustments and add = some=20 features, but at least conceptually and visually it will be ready to = show.

I have probably low-balled my rates, but actually I enjoy what I'm doing =

enough that I'd do it for free, for my own use. And I also have a = product=20 that I designed and now manufacture, which costs about $400 in parts and =

sells for a list price of $3995. Yes, a profit margin of 900%! But the=20 design was the result of several years of off-and-on effort, including=20 several revisions of PC board (and a major change of design from a = serial=20 interface to USB), and much tweaking of software, which includes not = only=20 the Windows GUI, but also two separate PIC projects.

This product is a redesign of an MSDOS version which used the parallel = port=20 for data acquisition, and I sold over 100 units to my distributor, for = about=20 $1800 each, and he bundled it with his software and sold the package for =

$3995. I was working with him for about two-three years but we ran into=20 difficulties in our expectations and methods, so we parted ways a couple =

years ago and I added the functionality he was working on, and actually=20 delivered products to customers who had been begging for this but found = no=20 joy in trying to get anything from him. After five years, his website = still=20 reads, well, see for yourself:

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I've sold about 15 of the new systems so far, but with deep discounts. I =

have not even advertised it, and I still get inquiries by word of mouth, = and=20 my customers are really good, down to earth people, often rural electric =

COOPs and testing companies, but also some sizeable corporations.

So, in order for me to justify spending $600/day for your services, I = would=20 need to be confident in your abilities to be productive and worth that=20 amount. I am able to design pretty much anything in my area of interest, = and=20 I have a fair idea of what it takes to finalize a product, and how much = my=20 customer is willing to pay me. But I have been working in this niche as = a=20 design engineer since 1977, and I have done work for most of the big=20 companies involved in this business. The products I worked on and = designed=20 for EIL, from 1977 to 1989, are still being used in the field, and some = are=20 even still being manufactured in slightly modified form. So I have = intimate,=20 and often unique, knowledge of these instruments and perhaps nobody else = in=20 the world could provide the same level of advice of service, since much = of=20 the documentation is incomplete, incorrect, or lost, except in my head = and=20 in some dusty old files.

So, if you are serious about offering your services, I need to know more =

about you and what you have actually designed, even more than = educational=20 credentials. I never got my degree, but I know my way around a testing = lab=20 or machine shop or calibration facility or power plant with much more=20 confidence and experience than probably most BSEEs or other degreed=20 professionals just out of school. I generally look for those with more=20 hands-on experience, such as hams, hobbyists, and electronics repair = people,=20 in preference to those with mostly theoretical knowledge and math whiz = kids.

Paul

Reply to
P E Schoen

ere:

Take the 'expected' salary [wholesale price] for what you do, multiply times 1.35 to 1.50 to get the expected billing you should receive [retail price]

However, today many potential customers expect to have a 'vague' description implemented into a design, built into a couple of highly polished prototypes, and be 'Production ready" with documentation for somewhere between $10k to $15k. Which obviously is a bit low.

I once had 5 small PCB's [1inch by 8 inches] built by a very reputable, inexpensive PCB Fab house that cost $21,000. only 14 layers, but had buried vias, blind vias, cutouts, dead end cutouts, etc etc. The design was so remarkable, the Fab house still has the board on display as an example of their prowess at making 'difficult' boards.

Regards,

Reply to
Robert Macy

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