How often do you guys start new projects? (ie new boards, new macropads, and anything in between) I can’t get myself to spend the money to start new projects all the time, but I have some really cool ideas for things I want to do and want to know how I should go about rationing time/money.
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I’m on a hiatus, after 4 or 5 years of making custom keyboards. I’d say that on that period I really made just one project per year on average (in the sense that I ordered PCBs and components for assembly). Counting the projects that I started designing and ended up being “shelved” I’d say one each month or two.
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For me it would probably average out to around a project a month. Not all for myself of course, but I try to always have a project in the works for when I get the itch. As far as rationing time/money goes I’d be a bad example for that, LOL! My schedule is chaotic as all hell so I don’t have specific time or day when I do my thing & I am not the best with money. I’m always able to keep the bills paid & a small emergency stash I don’t touch, but beyond that I am terrible at saving.
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I go in bursts depending on which hobby is grabbing my attention. When its keeb time, I usually tackle 2-4 items at a time over a couple months.
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Kind of hard to say for me, since I’m constantly starting or planning projects and tend to leave them unfinished for months at a time. Right now I have 4 sets of switches that need to be lubed (always my biggest bottleneck since it bores me to no end) and an iris case to laser cut. I also have a couple of pcbs for macro pads that I haven’t quite decided what to do with yet and a fullsize pcb I’m planning on designing a case for.
I try to limit my hobby spending to ~$100 per month which mainly gets spent on keyboard stuff unless I need to replace some of my camping gear.
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If it’s just physical keyboard stuff, I’m sitting on at least a half dozen. Throw in videos and other content and I’m swimming in too many projects lol
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It’s been about 3 years. The Tex Shinobi, is the first keyboard, that I’ve seen in a while, that’s made me excited, but I am a TrackPoint junkie.
Same
From a design perspective, I never really stop. I design a ton of stuff that will never see the light of day, but it helps me build my skills and potentially hit gold! Of 100 designs I have worked on, I am just now producing my first.
This is where I’m at currently. I have 4-5 ideas that I really want to build but can’t will myself to actually start purchasing parts.
I just have to think about interest. Half the stuff I would do I will never show anyone. I there is something I love and I think others will enjoy, I will publicize it.
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As far as kits/boards I’m building I usually have one or two I’m sitting on, as far as projects I’ve been working on my own designed keyboard with a friend for over a year, but the thing is since we’re both engineers (I’m electrical, he’s mechanical) we’re not usually super motivated after doing the same sort of work as our day jobs so it’s been moving really slow. I also have two or so other projects I’m sitting on, a weather balloon I’m more actively working on, and another one kinda sitting.