

Ask HN: How would you design/manufacture an Android tablet? - andrewtbham

I am looking to design/manufacture a rugged, shock proof, water proof android tablet (think military use).  it would only have one input that would supply data and power, a few buttons, including pwoer.  no cameras or speakers.  i am an android software developer... i am an EE, but have been doing web and mobile apps for 10 years. Where would you start?
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jhen095
Start with specification requirements, what CPU (power consumption, speed),
mobo (size, features, weight), memory (size, speed), screen (resolution,
toughness, size), etc.

Once you have a list of constraints (not necessarily specific, but bounded),
think about how these will work as shock-proof, water-proof. Will it just be
the case that is shock/water proof or will the components be as well.

The screen is probably the hardest bit to make rugged since being a tablet it
will probably be a reasonable size and therefore easy to crack/scratch/break.
So a large amount of focus should go here.

Just as a start

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andrewtbham
I would think the components should be water/shock resistant.

It seems like gorilla glass might work for the screen.

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retroafroman
The simplest way would be to contact a manufacturer in China that makes
tablets and work out a deal where they put your brand name on their tablets.
Alibaba.com may help you find sources for that. The downside is that you will
likely have little to say about the specs of the tablet. Also, I've yet to see
a Chinese Android tablet that has decent specs and provides a decent
experience. Going further, I'm sure that some manufacturer would be willing to
work with you on the design specs that you have, but this will likely cost
you.

Another option is to start a business, raise capital (probably a relatively
lot), and build up a team of engineers here. This would allow you to take a
larger part in the design process, but will take longer and require more
outside investment before you can even get a prototype out.

I would look at the options available on the market now for white labeling,
and build off that.

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andrewtbham
i like the idea of the white label a lot... the main spec that is crucial is
that it is rugged/shock proof/water proof... i.e. mounted on a jeep in the
dessert or on a small boat.

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curt
Phlux, put up the post I did on Manufacturing, take a look at it. If you have
questions get in touch. Your going to have to give me quite a bit of info
though if you want me to help. Don't worry won't steal it, I'm busy finishing
up my own project and getting ready to raise financing (also gearing up to
look for a CTO/Co-Founder once I go live).

My advice depends on a lot of factors such as target price, quantity,
resources, timetable, development team, etc. Until I know more I can't help,
but once I get the info I can quickly tell you if it's viable and if so what
to do.

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sbierwagen
The problem with this generation of tablets (in my astoundingly subjective
opinion) is weight, so I'd optimize for that, but that design goal conflicts
_somewhat_ with ruggedization.

~~~
andrewtbham
weight is not an issue for this project... in fact, they may be mounted.

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icegreentea
Obviously figure out how rugged and shock proof you want it. From there, you
can design the shell and component mountings to withstand the shocks. And then
make sure you don't get any thermal problems with whatever chips you'll want
to use.

In other words, find an engineer who designs physical things, and get him on
board (or at least get him to give you a quick rundown of stuff).

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phlux
Well, I would have started at CES - there a re a ton of ODM tablet guys from
China at CES.

Look at this post, and get in touch with this guy:
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1840896>

I would take his recommendations regarding any of the other components of your
device, like the case, you might be looking to make.

Any direction you take is going to take $$ though, as you will need to pay for
tooling, etc.

Do you already have capital?

I too am looking at getting a tablet made - but for medical purposes.

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andrewtbham
I don't have funding right now... we are building a software prototype on a
normal android tablet and then pitch vcs to get money for the hardware... but
we want to have an idea what we're getting into and if it's going to be
feasible/economically viable.

~~~
phlux
Are you building a military app? If so, why not look at getting money from
either Darpa grants, others in the defense industry or just selling/licensing
the app to a defense contractor, such as Lockheed.

Otherwise - why be so concerned with the tablet.

When I was at lockheed, we used to buy Tough Books and mount them in pelican
cases with other RFID reading hardware and sell them to the DOD for like 30K.

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andrewtbham
well... it might be used by the military... i just figured that would be an
easy way to describe the water/shock proof aspect. the target market is
actually recreational boats. one of the partners is concerned about keeping
the idea a secret... which i think is silly.

~~~
phlux
android+GPS autopilot for boats, plus remote security. Got it.

Well, What I would focus on if I were you would be the app - and talk to
shock/case/mount people first.

There are so many people right now building tablets that you should surely be
able to find an ODM soon building based on the spec you need.

This is an interesting company, www.launchpad-sprocket.com

They are making tamper-proof mounting boxes for iPad and other tablets.

What I am suggesting that building a waterproof/shock proof mounting setup
would be far cheaper at this stage then attempting to spec a whole device.

Do some prototypes this way - to proof it out.

<http://www.protopulsion.com/> is a 3d printing service shop in redwood city
that could help proofing the case.

Again - the most important thing to build is the app. The tablets will come.
You also might want to stay out of the HW biz for a whole number of reasons,
not the least of which is that every high volume Apple/Motorola tablet order
is going to make all your components too expensive - so ODM it...

