1.4 Justifying the Investment

Let’s be honest. Spending more money on parts that may or may not work well together versus buying a cheaper purpose-built device that meets or exceeds the functionality of a homegrown solution is simply not a good investment. Sure, there may be some value derived from the knowledge gained from the design experience, the pleasure of building the solution, and the satisfaction of seeing your creation come to life. But justifying such an investment to a budget-conscious spouse, for example, may deflate whatever gains you have made in the satisfaction department.

When considering any new design approach, strive for a scenario where you will maximize your time, equipment investment, and learning potential. You may have to try several experiments and iterations before the hardware and software come together and work the way you envisioned. But if you keep at it, you will be well rewarded for your persistence. Not only will you achieve high points for devising a low-cost solution, but such constraints will help drive creativity to even higher levels. That’s why I have tried my best to keep all the projects in this book within a reasonable budget, and I encourage reuse of old electronic parts and materials as much as possible.

Do your homework. Research online to see who may have attempted to build what you have in mind. Did they succeed? Was it worth the money and time they invested? Is there a commercially viable alternative?

If you determine that your idea is unique, put together an estimate of the expenses in terms of your time and of the materials you need to purchase. Remember to also include the cost of any tools you need to buy to construct and test the project’s final assembly. This added expense is not negligible, especially if you’re just starting down the DIY road. As you get more involved with hardware projects, you will quickly find that your needs will expand from an inexpensive soldering iron and strands of wire to a good quality multimeter and perhaps even an oscilloscope. But the nice thing about building your own solutions is that you can build them at your own pace. You will also find that as your network of DIYers grows, your opportunities for group discussion, equipment loans, insightful recommendations, and encouragement will grow exponentially.