Stay At Home Mom?

[Squintz]

Starting next feb. I want my wife to give up her job and stay at home with our two kids. We are going to be losing alot of income when she does this and i thought that i might be able to compensate for some of it by building and selling a USB IR reciever/transmitter. There is only one small problem. I don't know how to make the hardware or the PC software interface.

Could I talk one of you guys into helping me. I am willing to pay you for you time.

I would want to keep cost of the units low and would want the unit to be as small as possible but not so small that i'd need a microscope to solder it. I do have some electronics background and also some software knowledge. I have friends that might be able to assist with both the software and hardware developement but id thought id ask here first to see if there might be projects already started that i could work with.

The USB IR device would need to be able to learn remote codes by aiming existing remotes at the unit and then storing them in the PC. Also it would be nice to be able to use a mono jack and cable to add an external IR LED emmiter and/or reciever so that the LED's could be routed and mounted in remote locations.

As far as the software goes i would like a dll to be made to controll the communication. I have another software program that allows plug-in to be written and the unit would be controlled by the software that already exist.

 

[evandude]

not to rain on your parade, but if you are going to be selling something to a bunch of people, you really should be totally familiar with its operation in case problems arise, or you'll have some unhappy customers. If someone else does the design work for you, you aren't going to have that kind of understanding. Nobody understands the workings of a microcontroller project as well as the person who spent countless hours tearing their hair out in frustration while writing the code. Perhaps you should try to go to market with a product that you have the knowledge to design by yourself, and maybe work your way up in the future.