Things have come a long way since a year ago.  Back then, this project was just a twinkle in my eye, a bodged prototype circuit board, and a first pass at a firmware that never saw the light of day.  It would be nearly another month before I'd write anything about it online, partially because I still had no idea whether I'd get anywhere near a finished device or not.

Today, I've now sold over $2000 worth of PD Buddy devices on Tindie, and they're continuing to sell faster and faster.  The last batch contained 30 boards, and about two thirds of those have sold in the first week.  I realized that I need to reorder immediately, and that it's time to seriously step things up.

So, this project just reached a new milestone: I ordered a batch of 100 boards today.

I've never seen a hundred of a circuit board I designed before.  The thought is really a bit daunting.

By my best projections, I will have started grad school by the time they've all sold.  Finding time to fulfill orders as a Ph.D. student might be challenging, especially if sales keep growing like they are.

To that end, I plan to spend some time between now and August working on an easier programming and testing setup so that MacroFab can fulfill orders for me.  Then I'll be less involved in future batches, allowing me to spend my free time on support and development instead of making shipping labels.

I'll have to think for a time about what this new testing setup will require.  I know that I'll have to make a new board revision of the PD Buddy Sink, at least so the tester can control the Setup signal without physically pressing the button.

A new board revision.  That will give me an excuse to finally add a logo.  That alone will be another milestone.