The hottest Prototyping Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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A 15-minute intro to resin casting

lcamtuf’s thing • 4693 implied HN points • 21 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Engineering Manufacturing Prototyping DIY Materials
  1. Resin casting involves making a mold and pouring liquid plastic into it. This method allows you to create exact replicas of items, capturing all their details.
  2. Compared to 3D printing, resin casting can produce stronger and more durable parts. It also gives a finer finish since the liquid can fill every tiny detail of the mold.
  3. The process includes making a flexible mold from silicone, applying a release agent, and carefully pouring in the resin. It's important to manage air bubbles for the best results.

An Introduction to Arduino

wavesandcode • 99 implied HN points • 21 Oct 24
🕹 Technology Electronics Microcontrollers Hardware Prototyping Education
  1. Arduino is a beginner-friendly microcontroller that lets you create electronic projects. It's easy to replace if you make mistakes.
  2. Basic components like breadboards, jumper wires, and LEDs are essential for building circuits. They help you connect and test your ideas quickly.
  3. Starting with simple projects is a great way to learn. Using resources like the Arduino Projects Book can guide you in building fun circuits.

New prototype is with the fab house

Single Board ESP32 ZX Spectrum • 439 implied HN points • 29 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Prototyping 3D Printing
  1. The new prototype is now in production after some delays, showing the importance of taking action despite fears.
  2. The process of sending the boards off involved some challenges with component availability, requiring adjustments.
  3. Future plans involve exploring software options, experimenting with hardware possibilities, and considering 3D printed cases.

#8 Compact Design

Mountain Labs Newsletter • 39 implied HN points • 13 Sep 24
🪑 Design Product Design User Experience Sustainability Materials Prototyping
  1. Compact design can be very complex, as it needs to use every bit of space wisely. Creating a small air quality monitor involved three design revisions and a lot of thought.
  2. The design process involves trial and error. Each version of the product had its own challenges, whether it was durability, assembly, or size balance.
  3. Choosing materials is important for the final product. Different types of wood can affect how the product looks and feels, and the design might need tweaks for the manufacturing process.

Designing your own PCBs

lcamtuf’s thing • 2652 implied HN points • 09 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Electronics PCB Design Manufacturing Tools Prototyping
  1. Designing your own PCB allows for faster iteration on new designs compared to ordering custom circuit boards.
  2. KiCad is a recommended tool for designing hobby PCBs due to its extensive library of footprints and open-source nature.
  3. Consider important factors like component placement, trace widths, and manufacturing constraints for successful PCB layout.
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#4 Prototyping / Pre-Order Campaign

Mountain Labs Newsletter • 39 implied HN points • 27 May 24
🕹 Technology Prototyping Product Development Hardware Startups Innovation
  1. Mountain Labs successfully got 77 pre-orders for their Air Quality Monitor in just 6 weeks. This is a good sign of interest from customers.
  2. They have a clear prototyping process, starting from a breadboard to a punched-card prototype, before making the final PCB design. Each step helps them test and improve their product.
  3. Collecting pre-orders helps Mountain Labs plan their first batch of manufacturing. They aim to sell the product at $99, making it affordable for many people.

#3 Industrial Design

Mountain Labs Newsletter • 59 implied HN points • 17 Apr 24
🪑 Design Industrial Design Product Development User Experience Prototyping
  1. When developing a hardware product, focus on three key areas: energy, communication, and form factor. Energy determines if your device runs on batteries or needs to be plugged in.
  2. For B2B products, start with communication needs since they often integrate with other systems. But for B2C products, prioritize the look and feel of the device first.
  3. Always check the costs and manufacturability of your components. If it’s too expensive or hard to make, revisit your choices before moving forward with the design.

How to Get From Zero to Prototype in 5 Days

CodeLink’s Substack • 58 implied HN points • 25 May 23
🕹 Technology Design Prototyping Collaboration Product Development
  1. Learn how to go from zero to prototype in just five days using an async design sprint.
  2. Key elements of a design sprint team include Facilitator, Timekeeper, Bus Driver, Decider, and Interviewer.
  3. Daily schedule for a design sprint includes warm-up sessions, group collaboration, individual work periods, and sync-up meetings to stay on track.

Premature Optimization and Rapid Prototyping

Load-bearing Tomato • 8 implied HN points • 23 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Game Development Software Engineering Prototyping Coding Practices System Design
  1. Games need to start with quick experiments to see what works, this is called rapid prototyping. Flexibility is important so designers can try new ideas without being held back.
  2. Code doesn’t have to be perfect; it just needs to be good enough for what the game requires. Sometimes a simpler solution works best and saves time.
  3. It's crucial to know when to optimize code. If the game is running well and meeting its needs, there might not be a need to improve it right away.

Week 33 - 🚀 The Ultimate Guide to Prototyping for Product Managers: Mastering the Art of Reducing Uncertainty in Product Development 🎯

The Product Channel By Sid Saladi • 33 implied HN points • 02 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Prototyping Tools User Feedback Product Development
  1. Prototyping is crucial for product development to validate concepts, identify issues, and refine designs
  2. Different types of prototypes include paper prototypes, wireframes, static mockups, clickable prototypes, and more
  3. Best practices for prototyping involve defining goals, choosing the right type of prototype, recruiting the right users, preparing a test plan, setting context, using appropriate tools, encouraging feedback, and staying open to feedback

🎓 What `MVP` actually means; Horizontal vs. Vertical scaling

Become a Senior Engineer • 0 implied HN points • 21 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Scaling Engineering Infrastructure Prototyping
  1. An MVP is about focusing on value, not just products. It's delivering the earliest testable product to get feedback early and iterate quickly.
  2. For scaling, vertical scaling increases power of a single server, while horizontal scaling adds more servers for flexibility. Each has its pros and cons to consider.
  3. When choosing between vertical and horizontal scaling, think about expected growth, architectural needs, maintenance, team capabilities, and cost to make the best decision for your project.

[Zero To Python] Day 4 - Faking The Screens

Brian Knapp’s Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 08 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Programming Software Development Prototyping Python Coding
  1. Faking screens in software development involves creating realistic-looking interfaces without complex functionality.
  2. Starting ugly in programming means quickly putting together something intentionally messy to learn and iterate faster.
  3. Use print statements and simple design elements to fake screens in your programming projects.

Procedural Flow for Mechanical Design

The Halfway Point • 0 implied HN points • 26 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Engineering Design Manufacturing Simulation Prototyping
  1. When designing a product, it's crucial to define the project scope clearly. This helps prevent misunderstandings and changes that can be costly later on.
  2. Using tools like design block diagrams can help visualize the design process. This makes it easier to define parts and see how everything fits together.
  3. Consider the quantity and materials needed for the design early on. This affects manufacturing choices and ultimately how well the product can be made.

Building on a Subnet solution by Ava Labs

CodeLink’s Substack • 0 implied HN points • 12 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Blockchain Developers Gaming Tools Prototyping
  1. Avalanche Subnets allow developers to create customized blockchains for specific needs, enhancing performance and security.
  2. Using Kurtosis makes setting up Avalanche Subnets quicker and simpler for deploying blockchain applications.
  3. Developers can easily deploy and play multiplayer games on a local Avalanche subnet with step-by-step guidance.

Low-code API Prototyping Using Webhooks

The API Changelog • 0 implied HN points • 28 Nov 24
🕹 Technology API Development Prototyping Software Engineering
  1. Webhooks are a great tool for creating API prototypes quickly and easily. They allow different applications to communicate without needing a lot of coding.
  2. Using webhooks, you can set up various actions like listing, retrieving, and creating items in an API. For example, you can manage a coffee list with simple GET and POST requests.
  3. This method is user-friendly and helps you get feedback quickly. It's perfect for testing ideas without a complex setup.

How we built an app to fix our own meeting fatigue

realkinetic • 0 implied HN points • 05 Oct 20
🕹 Technology Product Development User Experience Prototyping Features
  1. The app Witful was created to reduce cognitive load for people with lots of meetings, helping them be focused and prepared.
  2. The idea for Witful arose from the struggles of managing large teams and multiple client relationships, showing the importance of organized note-taking.
  3. Continual iteration and user feedback helped the Witful team realize the significance of smart organization, user experience, and search functionality over flashy features.