Re: Low cost Servo Controller

On Tue, 14 Sep 1999 18:20:15 -0500, Jon Elson <jmelson@...>
wrote:

>I have let a group of people use my design, and after signing a non-disclosure
>agreement, I send schematics, board layouts, circuit theory and tune-up
>procedures. I think for the next batch, I'm going to raise prices just a
>little, to cover the mailing costs, which I underestimated the first time
>around. So, the board, with some small components that would be hard to
>get in small quantity, plus a pot core transformer and wire to wind it with
>will go fo US $64 each.

I was fearful, and all prepared to see another example, of yet another
hobbyist "going commercial" and holding things tightly to their chest,
and am VERY relieved to see this latest disclosure of your 'method',
Jon. I presume the non-disclosure, at the least, prohibits people from
using your design in a commercial way to profiteer from your work. This
I think is WELL within the spirit of sharing freely as collaborators and
hobbyists, while keeping out the quasi-entremanureal suck-ups, as it
were. [Don't get me wrong, I'm a thorough-going Capitalist; I just don't
care too much for plagarism, especially for unearned profit].

Obviously Dan Mauch has been leading the way in this modus operandi,
since his parts list and schematics are all openly disclosed; I don't
think Dan's ever had a formal "non-disclosure" agreement, simply cuz
he's priced his stuff so low that nobody CAN compete with him
commercially. :) But when you're dealing primarily with plans/info, and
a few hard-to-get parts, and don't contemplate making complete kits
available like Dan does, I think personally it DOES make good sense to
have some sort of "non-disclosure/non-commercial" agreement upfront. Tis
only fair.

Sorry for the somewhat soapboxy content, but I just wanted to encourage
a good thing when I saw it, and express my thanks for the sportsmanlike
attitude, as well.

Gar