You seem to have posted on multiple occasions in an effort to get someone to hand you an idea that will help make some money. You are not going to get anywhere with that approach because we know nothing about your actual skill sets, knowledge and capabilities - what we've learned in the interim doesn't seem (to me) to be anywhere near sufficient to delve into design, manufacture or even repair at the level that will give you an income. I may well be wrong on this - convince me....
More often, thinking along different lines brings a solution as sticking with the 'only' skill you possess limits your horizons - skills don't necessarily equate to income as it is possible to do something 'simple and repetitive' to create an income (mowing lawns is a bad example but illustrates my point).
In my case - as I've mentioned - injury stopped my (very) lucrative marine electronics work and I sort of 'fell' into making food where I discovered I have a particular skill and ability despite having zero learning (other than 'eating'!) - the rest was sheer determination to make it work.
Broaden your horizon and look for that niche that others seem to have missed - this is as difficult as thinking up a new product and then delving into construction, testing, manufacture etc but without knowing your local situation and the current market(s).
My previous suggestion of gasoline garden machinery (and generator) servicing works for most residential areas and isn't difficult to learn nor tool-up to achieve. Anyone with hands-on electronic skills should easily adapt to small engine work - much easier than a small engine mechanic could move into electronics repair. Even limiting yourself to testing/fault finding the electrical side of generators, without getting your hands dirty actually fixing the engine(s), could bring in money. Many people that can service their own mowers/generators etc think the electrical side is 'voodoo' even though you can do practically everything with a multimeter and a portable load!`
Thanks for your advice, and I am considering what you say since you seem to know the ropes.
As I told you some of this before, I was always interested in electronics as a teenager I was an aspiring Ham operator then, but mainly a SW listener, and I built that SW unit from a Heathkit type assembly, setup my antenna and started to move towards Ham .
I had a neighbor down the road who was a Tech in industry and had a 6 meter voice Ham station (with tubes) and hung around other Hams.
Then had to go in the military due to the war. Worked as communications assistant in the Navy on a ship between the transmitter and radio shack with basic electricity training. A few years later, took college classes in DC, AC, Valves, semiconductors, digital circuits, Boolean algebra, microprocessors. Worked in aerospace and manufacturing in QC electromechanical.
NOW, being retired, as I said previously, I am looking for extra
part time income. Since I like electronics, (and Physics & Science) and the nature of matter , I thought
I would investigate doing something in electronics since I have some knowledge although not a hard core technician & engineer like you said you were. Electronics has obviously changed a lot over the years, and the microscopic nature of the components now, does not appeal to me as well as the "black box" throwaway economics of repair. I appreciate the fact that you went from hard core electronics to creating food to make money. That is quite a change. I could probably do something else to make some extra cash, like you did, but I thought I would explore the possibility of electronics since I am familiar with it, like it and feel comfortable in the environment around it. I see that the "Microcontroller" Arduino, Raspberry Pi craze seems to be a big thing now, and thought I would ask here about that possibility as it is associated with core electronics to a degree, but more on the periphery.
Also I have taken some older computer programming language, (NOT "C" or other new ones) but I did do some higher level software programming in manufacturing for measuring and worked with CAD models so I understand the logical thinking involved.
Anyway I just thought I'd look into making some extra money in electronics some how, came across this message board and asked around to see if anyone had some insight into that possibility. Since you are saying I don't have the experience or skills, I asked about the microcontroller aspect. It does seem like there is not much opportunity like there used to be and I see the stacks of electronic junk piling up in the waste yards, and it is considered an environmental hazard and blight, and not worth fixing, according to the economics of electronics today. So maybe all home electronics is nowadays, is reserved for the hobbyist doing it for fun and income free satisfaction except for a handful of exceptions to that rule as is always the case.
So there it is. I hope that answers your questions .
