Limitations to Scaling a Hardware Device to Reduce Disease Transmission

Question

Inspired by the COVID-19 outbreak, I recently had a eureka moment and think I have an idea for a simple hardware device that could reduce the transmission of diseases. I&rsquo;m in the early stages of prototyping it, but the availability of components on Digikey and the factory lead times listed are not anywhere close to the scale and speed needed. I know there are more options than Digikey, but I can't help bu think at some point the supply chain will not meet demand. I If that's true, then the ship has already sailed for massively scaling the device and making a dent in the spread of the current outbreak. If that&rsquo;s the case, I&rsquo;ll still build it in the hopes that its effectiveness can be proven, and that it will be useful for the next outbreak. Obviously, to even sniff the required scale, the design would have to be made available to anyone who can make it.So the questions are: If the goal is to produce millions per month, how quickly could a company like Microchip ramp up production to the point where they are producing that many ATTiny85&rsquo;s? How many alternative sources for similar products are there available? What about batteries (coin cell or otherwise) and SMD component manufacturers of resistors, LEDs, accelerometers, etc.? I&rsquo;m assuming that if the device is small enough, then a nationwide network of PCB manufacturers would be able to keep up. Is that wrong? What else am I missing?

tlb · Accepted Answer

Your Microchip sales rep can give good answers to that. Typically, for a small, mature chip like the ATTiny85 they can deliver a million immediately and quickly ramp up to any volume you need in a few months. But there are many similar chips and one may be much more available than the next.Definitely build several prototypes first to see if people want it before investing a lot of time in building a supply chain.