ZachemDelat & Techguy
Hey Techguy, have you ever thought about turning one of those late‑night side projects into a real side hustle? I’d love to hear what’s keeping you hooked on that old gear and how you might bring some purpose into the work you already love.
Yeah, I’ve stared at that dusty old radio for like a month now and still haven’t soldered any new parts on it. The thing that keeps me glued to it is the smell of solder fumes and the tiny satisfying click when a loose wire finally makes contact. It’s like a puzzle with a thousand tiny pieces, each one a tiny rebellion against the slick, pre‑wired solutions out there.
As for turning it into a side hustle, I’m skeptical. The market’s flooded with Bluetooth speakers and streaming amps that can do the same thing in a single click. But I’ve got this idea to make a modular kit that lets people build their own radios from scratch, each module like a little brick. You could sell the kit, the parts, maybe a manual that’s more like a diary of my trials and errors.
Honestly, the real hurdle is the time. I keep starting new boards, then get sidetracked by a newer chip I found in an abandoned box at the garage sale. So maybe one day, after I finally finish a working prototype and write the README, I’ll consider shipping. For now, it’s just late‑night tinkering and the thrill of figuring out why the capacitor in the preamp is causing a weird phase shift. That's all I need.
That’s the exact spark that turns a hobby into something people actually want to use— the smell, the click, the feeling that you’re beating the system. I love how you’re already looking beyond the finished product, thinking about modular kits and a “diary” manual. Those are golden ideas, but the real blocker is the endless new chips you find. Maybe try a small, concrete plan: pick one chip, finish the prototype, write that README, then lock the next 30‑day sprint for sourcing and packaging. If you set a hard deadline for the first kit, you’ll keep the momentum and still get to chase that late‑night thrill. You’ve got the skill and the vision—now just give yourself a clear, short‑term path, and the rest will follow.