From Maker to the World: Quark-N Ultra Mini Linux Computer Module
It is a pity that many makers have great ideas with commercial value, but for various reasons, these ideas have not yet materialized. This may be because of cost issues. Due to a lack of funds, a small batch trial production may be difficult to achieve, not to mention spending money on marketing. Or it could be due to time issues. For enthusiasts who’s projects are only regarded as a hobby, it is difficult for them to spare time and energy from everyday life to start and manage their own business. Moreover, makers may not have the resources to discover the commercial value of their ideas.
To help remedy this, Seeed strives to provide professional manufacturing services and advice to support makers share their ideas with the world, from prototyping, mass production to selling to a global audience.
Let’s take a look at how Seeed’s services have helped Zhihui transform the Quark-N from an idea into a licensed product.
Zhihui is a full-time AI algorithm engineer and an enthusiastic maker who likes to share videos of his creations in his spare time. He has more than half-million fans on the Chinese equivalent of Youtube, bilibili, and his most popular video surpassed 4 million views. Seeed was impressed by his outstanding ideas, so our team reached him out and came to a cooperation agreement of Project Quantum. We promised to provide him with a full range of services, such as engineering design, mass production, product operation and product promotion.
The Project Quantum Mini Linux development kit consists of Quark-N and the Atom-N carrier board.
The Quark-N System on Module is possibly the smallest Linux development board on the market. It is suitable for scenarios such as a personal server, intelligent voice assistant, and for robotic development.
Design
With over 12 years of product development expertise, Seeed’s mature electronic design and production team provided Zhihui with professional Design for Manufacture (DFM) advice, minimizing production risks and maximizing yield, quality and efficiency. Zhihui wants nothing but the best for Quark-N and Atom-N users.
Manufacture
The Quark-N and Atom-N are being cooked up in Seeed’s own production facilities, including parts procurement, pick and place, reflow, testing and quality inspection. With sensitive packages like the Allwinner H3 BGA on the Quark-N board, it helps to have a production partner experienced in dealing with such packages. The pre-production DFM check ensured that the production stage was fluid, without nasty surprises.
Packaging
Product packaging is also very important, both in terms of protecting the boards and aesthetics. Packing can speak volumes and leave an everlasting impression. Seeed’s in-house packaging designers are well accustomed to the maker audience. By working with purchasers, Seeed finalized cost-effective packaging that satisfied Zhihui and did the boards justice.
Pricing and promotion
When selling for the first time, it can be difficult to set a price, especially if you have put your heart and soul into the project. That is where Seeed’s direct experience with the maker market can help. Seeed also has established marketing channels and outlets, providing ample exposure to the community who will be most interested in Zhihui’s designs. We are confident that Seeed customers will be in awe of Zhihui’s boards. The Quark-N and Atom-N will be coming to the Seeed Bazaar in mid-December.
Warehousing and logistics
Once production is complete, the boards will be shipped to Seeed’s own warehouse. Order processing, stock, and logistics will all be handled by Seeed’s existing infrastructure, so Zhihui doesn’t have to lift a finger to take orders.
After-sales service
Throughout the journey, Zhihui’s dedicated account manager has been walking him through every step of the process and will continue to provide after-sales service long into the future. They are also in charge of collecting front-line performance data, customer queries and feedback for his convenience.
If you have a design with great potential and think others would be interested in it, you can start with Seeed Fusion Marketplace. Seeed Fusion Marketplace is a great platform to make your PCBA product available to a worldwide audience without handling production and order processing. It can help you scout out the interest in your design and gauge its real market potential. It only takes 3 easy steps, check it out here!
With cost issues, Seeed offers various sponsorship programs for PCB assembly, discounts for small batch orders and every PCBA order includes free shipping. Also, our library of over 150,000 locally available parts, the Open Parts Libraries, offer a wide range of low-cost parts.
As with the Quark-N, Seeed will reach out and invite makers with outstanding ideas to help scale up and turn an idea into a licensed product.
Makers own the IP of the licensed product, and Seeed will handle the rest.
As long as you have a good idea and want to spread your unique idea to the world, we are willing to serve you, provide you with a market, help your products reach every corner of the world. You don’t need to change your life trajectory to enjoy all the results. Come and join us!
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