Along with KickStarter there are numerous crowd-funding sites and I've ploughed a bit of money into several. As well as electronics projects I have funded a few artists to record albums and have been very pleased.
Here are four projects I backed, three of which came out really well and one which kinda got half-way there. The thing you have to remember is that backing things on KickStarter is not like buying something - you have to fully accept that some project just won't deliver.
- PockEthernet is a tester for ethernet and IP networks. Serious network people use a Fluke DTX-1800 (I used to have access to one) - it's now discontinued, but like the replacement DSX-series all TDRs (Time Domain Reflectometers) are expensive (a few thousand pounds) but if you want to certify an install it is expected. At the other end of the spectrum you have the £50 DC testers that just make sure there is continuity on each of the eight legs and really just allow you to have some certainty in termination polarity etc. The PockEthernet is a half-way house with some TDR capability (not sure home accurate is it) but nice record keeping. Above a little DC-tester (like a ModTap or others) it can do some IP testing; POE, DHCP, VLAN tags etc. and so for me is ideal.
You interact with it using a BlueTooth-attached app running on 'phone or tablet computer
The measurement reports can be over many circuits (so testing a whole patch-panel at once is do'able) and you can email/save as PDF from the app.
You can even brand the reports with your logo
- BeeLine bike navigator - I often see folks with their smart 'phone in a waterproof wallet as a bike GPS. That's great, but when I'm cycling somewhere I'm not entirely familiar with I often like to find my way but certain in the knowledge that as I get closer I can make better navigation decisions. The BeeLine is a bluetooth attached smart compass that tells you what direction to go and how far your destination is. I've been using mine for maybe eighteen months and it works really well. It is stable and accurate with good battery life.
wiggly route; it was a Sunday afternoon!
- Pebble Smart Watch - Although the Apple Watch is undoubtedly a miracle to technology I never felt it was for me; the biggest problem is the battery life; two days at best. It also seems to need a lot of curation. Friends who use them are constantly attending to them and I only really wanted a second screen for my 'phone with good notifications, health tracking and control of media players. The Pebble does just those things really well and nothing else. The battery on mine (Pebble Time Steel variant) lasts for more than a week and when they went bust at the end of 2016 I bought a second one just in case. They charge in about an hour.
The lockdown has been great for sleep but very bad for exercise...
I always return to the same watch-face "Graphite Too" as it has everything I use and is clear.
Thankfully after Pebble went bust and got bought by FitBit a group call Rebble acquired all the source-code etc and have been supporting the watches with new firmware and online services since.
- Oscilloscope Watch - I know what you're thinking; what a daft idea! I've written a lot about this one in the past because I did get a very janky alpha-version (3D printed case, very early build of the software etc). Still, five years on and the project is still live on Kickstarter and so we live in hope!
