Is scavenging parts from consumer electronics for own commercial products, a good idea?

I have a product that I'm trying to bring to market testing and if successful I'll get them manufactured. For prototype I pulled a camera PCB from an old webcam. It so happens that because my volume of production is low it is actually three times cheaper to buy brand new webcams and pull the PCB and camera off it. Could I get into trouble for doing this?

PCB Assembly, PCB Design, PCB Testing
November 29, 2023

Yes.

For a prototype or the first beta units, it’s a fine idea. However, your time disassembling the units will eat into your profitability.
Bad idea for production. Many cheap consumer products have a short lifespan, so you’ll end up redesigning your product when you can’t get the product.
Plus, cheap products use the lowest quality electrolytic capacitors which fail at an early age (within a couple years), especially capacitors in switching supplies.

From the perspective of sustaining profitability and product quality, it is more advisable to design PCBs on your own. Or, if you are not capable of electric circuits, outsource the design job and prototype making. The cost of this will be lower than the long-term trouble brought by using camera PCB pulled from an old webcam.

#PCB Design #PCB Assembly #PCB Testing

Oliver Smith

Oliver is an experienced electronics engineer skilled in PCB design, analog circuits, embedded systems, and prototyping. His deep knowledge spans schematic capture, firmware coding, simulation, layout, testing, and troubleshooting. Oliver excels at taking projects from concept to mass production using his electrical design talents and mechanical aptitude.

Oliver Smith

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