Hardware Isn't That Hard: Lessons from 2,500 MIDI Recorders

Author: Chip Weinberger
Date: July 19, 2026
Subject: Reflections on the creation and sale of Jamcorder

About eighteen months ago, I released the Jamcorder. This project served two primary purposes: first, it gave me the exact tool I had always desired—a piano recording device that operates with total automation and zero manual intervention. Second, it allowed me to transition from a career rooted in software into the realm of physical product design.

The Great Misconception

Coming from a software background, I entered this venture expecting the physical build to be the most grueling phase. I anticipated a nightmare of:

• Complex electronics design
• Plastic molding and sourcing
• Logistics and fulfillment
• The dreaded component shortages

To ensure the process was dialed in, I personally hand-assembled the first 500 units. To my surprise, the process was seamless; I didn't even need to make a single adjustment.

Perceived vs. Actual Difficulty

In reality, the software was the true mountain to climb. I spent over three years—working long hours in an era before Large Language Models (LLMs)—writing approximately 200,000 lines of code. This codebase was distributed across:

1. Firmware
2. The Application
3. Manufacturing Tooling

# Conceptual scale of the software effort
lines_of_code = 200_000 
years_of_development = 3
effort_level = "Extreme"

Compared to that software slog, the hardware was an absolute breeze. In my opinion, the narrative that hardware is inherently "hard" is often exaggerated.

The Secret: Intentional Simplicity

It is important to note that the Jamcorder was designed to be simple. While I used custom-made MIDI connectors, every other component on the PCB was an off-the-shelf part. To maintain this simplicity, I deliberately removed several features:

Context and Scale

I recognize that selling 2,500 units is a modest achievement in the grand scheme of global commerce. The difficulty curve changes drastically based on scale and complexity. If the product were $\text{10x}$ more complex or the volume were $\text{100x}$ larger, the experience would have been entirely different.

Furthermore, if I were attempting to break into hyper-competitive, low-margin industries—such as $\text{smartwatches}$ or $\text{automotive}$—I would likely be struggling.

However, my core takeaway remains: Hardware is only as difficult as you choose to make it.

Final Advice

If you are intimidated by the prospect of building a physical product, don't let the "hardware is hard" myth stop you. Just ensure you have a strategy to protect your profit margins.

Practical Take-aways for Medium-Scale Shipping:

• Simplify your BOM: Keep your Bill of Materials as lean as possible.
• Document everything: Create a comprehensive, step-by-step assembly guide complete with photos.

Figure 1: The evolution of the Jamcorder prototypes.