Trying Tindie

So some good news, it is worked.

I tried Tindie for the "coasters", listed 5 of them, and by the end of the day all sold and shipped.

It looks like they took around 10% in payment processing and their fees, not too surprised.

Now I have the challenges of sorting payment and VAT. I am sure I can, but I need to blog that I am sure.

It seems payment is Paypal, and PayPal sending to my bank account wants open banking access to see all transactions (WTAF?). Trying to add an account with no txns fails, what a surprise! So we need to sort that.

No clue of VAT, so will err on the side of HMRC to be on the safe side I expect. Invoice matching what is shipped.

But the next plan for Tindie is exactly as I said - some small volume boards, from time to time, and the example is an IronMan controller board.

I only need one, and maybe one as a spare, for a mate of my son that does IronMan at events and parties and so on. He has a suit. But the tech is all crap and broken.

So we can do way better, we already sorted the helmet, but the "chest" has speakers, a button, and several LEDs, which means more than one string (one RGBW and one RGB at least). The arc reactor has a nice outside ring with bright RGBW, and some inner RGB, but also a load of single "pixel" WS2812 in the suit.

So the board has :-

1. ESP32S3-MINI-1-N4-R2 processor - Dual CPU, 4M flash, 2M SPI RAM
2. Four LED outputs, well, they are just GPIO with an ESD diode, and power from USB-C and a big cap on the power from USB
3. Two inputs, again GPIO with ESD diode, and 10k pull up, but suitable as buttons
4. USB-C to power it all and do loading code, debug, etc
5. Two (stereo) speaker outputs MAX98357A
6. Two (stereo) microphones TDK ICS 43434 (not needed for Iron Man but cool, so did anyway)
7. Micro SD card (for WAV files for the speakers).
8. All WAGO connectors.

Ordering 5 is minimum and ordering 10 (or even 20) it way more sensible given the many "one off" aspects to costs. I ordered 10.

So plan is we use one, one spare, and 8 on Tindie. We'll see how that goes.

Update: Looks like at least two other "IronMan" specific boards as well (for gloves), so this will be fun.

Selling cool stuff

We sell loads of stuff, much of the small PCB stuff on Amazon, and even though Amazon as a fucking minefield, and charge a fortune, they still make sense for things like Faikin boards sold all over the world.

We sell very little of the small PCB stuff direct on the A&A web site - I mean we have tried, and many boards are listed and in stock at the office for staff to ship out - but the A&A site just does not have the clout of Amazon.

But I actually get quite a lot of other cool stuff that never makes it to Amazon, or the A&A site, that is mostly not quite a commercial product - it is a result of loads of R&D. We record when we scrap stuff as part of R&D work, but in some cases we make small run prototypes that work perfectly, but they have no good home to go to, and not worth listing on Amazon or the A&A site. In some cases staff get bits.

This can happen as part of trying to evaluate an idea, consider new technology, or on the road towards making a product we do sell on Amazon and the like. Some things are a dead end. Some things have different features along the way to a final product. One recent example was my audio recorder - as I added a speaker driver to the initial prototypes, which are on Amazon now, but dropped it as not sensible to include at the extra cost. Other times are devices that have fewer than the final features, or different devices or configurations (e.g. LED controllers with PDM microphones).

What I need is a way to sell some of these - even if only just above cost price. It is way better in many ways than scrapping or hoarding them. If low quantity I can do shipping myself, and so handle international shipping as well.

What is nice is that payment used to be a pain, but these days we have sold several things (like the ASR33 boards listed on the A&A site) directly with shipping to US, but paid by transfer to IBAN which was complete within hours. So I think it is sane to sell some things.

What I need to come up with is a site / forum to list what shit I have to sell.

The latest, as a good example, is some illuminated coasters. The idea came from making coasters for my Son's wedding, but he has used them in videos on the tok of tik, and people actually asked if they can buy. So I have 10 prototypes. One is staying under my glass here. It may be that when he posts some stuff on these they do sell, he may sell, even. But for now I have 9 more here.

The board, as you can see, if pretty neat, and has 124 LEDs, which could be used for compass type stuff even. Arranged as 4+8+16-32+64 LEDs in rings (yes, the code to make that in KiCAD was fun).

With two spacer boards, and a diffuser, you get a coaster. Of course it runs any ESP32 software like WLED, or ESPHome, etc. It has a microphone even (for sound based effects).

It is cool! I am really amazed with the overall solid disk construction. I'm adding some feet on the base tomorrow.

Now, I think we can sell for £30+postage. Obviously if we made 100s of these it would be somewhat cheaper, except once we list on Amazon and they take a cut.

But for now, I have a few, and it is just an example of some of the stuff I have.

So I am pondering a web site and maybe just an email address, but any other suggestions for how to list these things - low quantity, ad hoc, sales of things?

Suggestions welcome.

And just to be clear - if I can sell stuff (that works) even if around cost, I'll be more happy to keep making these things :-)

Update: Trying Tindie

Zen and the Art of Hot Tub Maintenance

I have posted about the hot tub before, but this is a bit of an update on latest experiences.

As I have said before, the hot tub will typically go some months with no problems. I have some combined chlorine and other stuff tablets in a floater (not that sort of floater). Another invaluable tool I keep by the tub is a wet/dry vacuum in case bits of leaf and so on end up in the bottom of the tub. I also now have a tap properly plumbed in to allow me to put water in from above. All very slick.

The way it used to work is after a few months it would get a bit cloudy. Clarifier helps, and obviously good to change the filter. The filters are not expensive, especially compared to the cost of power, so I am lazy and change for a new filter rather than the time consuming and messy process of trying to clean a filter.

Now comes the odd bit, since the change to heat pump and the extra insulation it has changed. It no longer gets cloudy, even after many many months. But it does degrade, it seems.

Basically it gets to a point that the chlorine levels do not stay, even with loads of fast acting chlorine tablets to shock it, it then has no chlorine showing. The floating tablets no longer seem to maintain a sensible level. The other very subtle effect is the tint of the water is more green than blue. The tablets have algicide but still, but clearly there is a change.

What really made me take action, eventually, was that it was starting to cause skin irritation!

So, with shocking operation not helping, the answer is simpler, empty and refill. This is a lot quicker now I have the heat pump. The vacuum is great for ensuring fully empty and all the pipes sucked out as well. The new plumbed in pipe/tap makes filling easy as well.

So, it seems there is a change, and I cannot see why the heat pump makes a difference, but still needs a refresh every few months.

And now it is very pleasant, and blue tinted, once again.

Making my bed

How hard is it to make my bed in the morning, is it a chore? How do you make your bed in the morning?

[Yes, this is arguably an attempt to make the most dull video possible]

Don't use UPS to ship to UK

I posted about shipping and importing and tax and duty - general info. But this is specific.

DON'T USE UPS!

I had assumed the UPS issue was some minor oversight or administrative error, maybe one they could fix, but no. I got this from the sender (a major PCB manufacturer in China).

It seems UPS need some per sender and per receiver paperwork (like any senders are going to do that?!), and sender doing extra paperwork and notification on every shipment (yeh, again, will any do that).

In contrast, both DHL and FedEx cope. FedEx are not without other issues. Indeed, no carriers are. But these days major international carriers (all except UPS), understand postponed VAT accounting for UK import. They just need the VAT and/or EORI from the shipper. Shippers know how to supply such already (EORI needed for EU I think). I even put VAT number in the actual address lines to be very clear.

But it seems UPS don't just do PVA as normal, they create an administrative nightmare.

Thankfully JLC have said they will add a remark on their checkout for anyone stupid enough to pick UPS for shipping to UK. This should stop anyone else mistakenly using UPS.

So four parcels return to sender, in China, at UPS's cost (LOL), to be resent via a sane courier.

Why?

Well principle for a start - I will not be blackmailed to pay an admin fee I never agreed to, for a service I never asked for, that was provided solely due to incompetence.

But also a simple practical aspect - the fees are demanded on the doorstep and the delivery driver looks ill equipment to provide a formal VAT receipt.

That means my time getting one, assuming it is possible. The web site says "government charges", not "VAT". The customer service email says "tax and duties", not VAT. Without a clear VAT receipt I cannot legitimately reclaim the VAT, and so I won't - we are very careful with VAT (and everything else). I may be wrong, a VAT receipt may be simple, but their attitude gives me no confidence at all.

So the very real risk I will not even be able to reclaim the VAT means this is not just their admin fees. Return to sender and then paying to send via DHL works out cheaper overall. Shame about the delay.

Update:

They said they are returning to sender, and then said out for delivery again. I have no clue what the hell they are up to and that is yet more reason never to use them!

Deliveries from China

I have PCBs made in China (well Hong Kong).

This is all my many small PCB projects (not FireBrick). I would rather use UK suppliers but I am sorry, even for just 5 PCBs, populated or unpopulated, even with carrier charges, China is way cheaper, I mean a *LOT* cheaper, and generally even faster. I'd love UK companies to up their game, and cope, and I have spoken to some, but they cannot get close. If they could get close, I'd got for it. It is a shame.

Duty and VAT

So, I have had to learn how it works. Before Brexit there was some stuff that worked well from EU. But in the last few years things have changed (not just because of Brexit), and now there are some things that are, honestly, better.

If you have ever ordered something as an individual from overseas, and it is over the small "gift" or "minimum" level where they don't care, you will have been hit with a surcharge by the courier. Often on the doorstep as a surprise.

This has three parts potentially.

1. Duty - some levy on some types of goods. The government have a moderately sane web site for this (https://trade-tariff.service.gov.uk/find_commodity) which helps you work it out. The system itself seems insane, and a minefield, but the web site helps. My experience is "duty" never applies to any of the bits we order, thankfully.
2. VAT - this applies always
3. Courier admin fee

The last part if the big problem, in my view. Handling customs, duty, and VAT, is an inherent part of the process of being an international courier. It is no more an unexpected cost than paying for petrol for their delivery vans. Yet, somehow, they decide they will charge the recipient for this admin work and not make it simply part of the cost of shipping.

This is simple for them, as they can legally expect the recipient to pay Duty and VAT so they add their bit. Refuse to pay and they won't deliver. It is a basic lien / or blackmail. In my view it should not be allowed. Royal Mail actually have legislation to allow it (!) which shows that it should not normally be allowed (i.e. if it can just apply normally then Royal Mail would not need special legislation for it).

The recipient has no contract with the courier. They have not agreed a price for service the courier has chosen to provide. Even if they accept they provide the service that is logically the start of negotiation on a fair price. As a consumer even an implied contract like this would be unfair and so not enforceable. But they have you over a barrel.

Postponed VAT accounting

If you are receiving goods as a company, well, as anyone VAT registered, things are better, finally.

It used to be you paid the courier, and their admin fee. You then battled to get a formal VAT invoice from them (not easy if payment collected on the doorstep). Then you included that VAT (not their admin fee) in your next VAT return to reclaim it - up to 3 months later.

End result - not paying VAT. But impacting cash flow, and you paid an admin fee.

Postponed VAT accounting changed that - you account for the fact you should have paid VAT on imports, and that you are claiming it back, in the totals on the next VAT return (surprisingly not separate fields for that). But you don't pay VAT on import. Obviously they get the tax when you finally sell with VAT at the final (higher) price.

This gives the courier no excuse to charge an admin fee - yay!

DHL, FedEx, UPS

The three main couriers used by JLC seem to be DHL, FedEx, and UPS. They have different prices and delivery speeds. FedEx is arguably the cheapest, and works (though hassle with them insisting on a signature). UPS are next. DHL cost more, but probably fastest. Until recently I was using DHL. I made the mistake of trying the others.

• DHL are quick, text/email progress, text/email on the day with time window, even live tracking the van, cope with leaving on doorstep if I ask, and handle Postponed VAT Accounting no problem.
• FedEx are OK, not the same progress messages, struggle to "leave on doorstep", but do handle Postponed VAT accounting
• UPS are idiots. Slow. No updates. And it seems have no clue on Postponed VAT accounting, so insist on charging on delivery, and their admin fee is expensive (more than difference in courier costs).

So, obvious lesson, do not use UPS, as they cost more in admin fee than it is paying DHL to send in the first place.

Don't use UPS, simple as that!

In practice the few orders using UPS in the pipeline are literally going to be returned to China, at UPSs cost, if they cannot work it out, and then I'll pay for delivery by DHL. This is slightly more than UPS admin fee, but it is the principle - I want UPS to suffer the cost of returning to China for their stupidity, and I've learned to never, ever, use them again, and tell you the same.

Just to add, we now have several supposed "delivery attempts" which I can prove with extensive CCTV were not, in fact, attempted, by UPS, over the last few days. Why do that?!?

Pre-pay

Another option is have JLC send via a courier but with pre-paid duty. Same set of couriers.

This is bad for several reasons - for a start the extra they charge up front is not the normal 20% VAT. It seems a random and larger amount. I have no clue why! But also it is not a VAT invoice, so you can't easily reclaim the VAT! To be fair getting a VAT invoice from couriers paid on receipt is not easy either.

It may work for an individual who cannot reclaim VAT, as may be cheaper done this way than VAT and admin fee on receipt. So worth considering in such cases.

Duty

I mentioned duty. This is not the same as VAT (which a business can reclaim). You have to pay it.

Duty applies on some specific classes of goods, from specific countries, and it really is very specific! It is basically politics.

Thankfully JLC are not totally daft - I can say the category for the goods, ensure it is right, and not have duty charged. I only got that wrong once, and had a couple of pounds duty (plus a courier admin fee)!

If you have to pay duty, tough, it may be that with enough imports an "account" somehow with chosen courier can avoid admin feeds for these. Not 100% sure. Thankfully we don't do stuff that needs duty.

It is nice that JLC offer a clear choice of couriers.

What is really nice is when sender will work with you to ensure clear and accurate marking of the goods. For a recent order from China (not PCBs this time) I searched on that duty checking page and identified the exact description and "category code" and the sender agreed to clearly use that wording and code on the parcel to avoid issues. I hope it works (will find out in 30 to 60 days).

FB9000

I know techies follow this, so I thought it was worth posting and explaining...

The FB9000 is the latest FireBrick. It is the "ISP" high end model we do. We do smaller models like the FB2900 as well, but FB6000 and now FB9000 are aimed at ISPs and the like. It is what A&A use.

You can see a lot more here: https://www.firebrick.co.uk/fb9000/

But why now - the FB9000 has actually been around a while?

We are not like other companies!

When we launched the FB9000, we obviously started using them ourselves, in A&A.

We hit some snags, some random crashes, we backed off, we found a release of the code that worked and was stable, but that does not address the underlying cause. Why did some releases crash? So we were able to continue with a good set of working LNSs on a somewhat aging reliable release of code. But it meant some inconvenience for our customers along the way when we tried other code. We do not like that! So we massively backed off.

Thankfully some devices, notably BGP routers with VRRP, which annoyingly crashed far less often, can recover in literally 1/10 of a second. So they were good test cases for new code without upsetting customers. An LNS does not recover as well as all users need to reconnect and that can take minutes, depending on their router.

You would not believe the details behind the problems, seriously, it is crazy, and I am not even going to try to explain it here. There may be a really detailed technical blog post by the FireBrick team in time. Suffice to say this snag held us back something like a year.

Now, we could have plowed ahead, and sold loads, but we were really careful not to. A couple of ISPs trust us enough to solve it that they have the stable code release running and did buy some. Thank you. They did so very aware of the issues and have been fine on the stable code release.

It takes time

The issue is that the fix literally takes months to be sure it is a fix. And at A&A we have been doing very very careful staged upgrades to LNSs to prove this, with a lot of staff working during the night to manage this (well mostly one, thanks Andrew). This has taken months even after we think we have nailed the underlying issue. Thank you to all of the staff involved.

We are now at the stage we can probably say it really is fixed, at last. But it is one of those things which are a problem - you cannot be 100% sure until it doesn't crash. Yeah, when exactly is that?

Chasing ghosts

We really are pretty damn confident now. The issue is that, as an engineer, you want to find the smoking gun. This issue is a horrid mix of hardware quirks that even the chip manufacturers cannot explain, and some very very subtle hardware initialisation that has impacts days, weeks, even months later in running code. We have found some concrete issues, well, things not quite 100% as they should be, but not the causal link you want between such things and the problems we saw. And this is not for a lack of trying - every time we thought we found the cause the team have tried hard to break it in a repeatable way. To overdo what we may possibly have done wrong.

A product we can sell

This has always been an awesome product, and any other manufacturer would have fired off the marketing team years ago for sell - sell - sell.

We finally have something we can say with a lot of confidence works well. Does the job, and does it well.

There is more

The FB9000 is awesome, and if you are an ISP you really want one - they have some unique features that really gives A&A an edge which you too could enjoy.

But we are working on a next generation for the smaller units, the FB3100 to succeed the FB2900. It too will take time, and we hope none of the same issues. The FB2900 is also awesome, and there are some offers I think on the pricing soon.