Hi,
I am putting together a small number of engineer's thumb pedals (<5) to give/sell to my musician friends in the LA touring/recording biz.
Is it good practice to credit the original designer of the circuit on the pcb? What's the usual policy in these cases?
(I am designing+assembling the PCB myself, and artwork is being done by an artist friend of mine who'll be credited+commissioned)
Hypothetical: if I were to make larger numbers (10-15) for sale on reverb or locally, do I also credit the designer in the pedal description?
I presume it's more like deontology/ethics issue...
(I credited Merlin on my Jenny Greenteeth handmade board even if nobody could ever see it..) :icon_wink:
Best thing to do is contact the designer and ask them how they feel. Different people like to be recognized and thanked in different ways.
Some people wouldn't necessarily like to see their design being sold by someone as a product. Others may not care, or may even encourage it. It's not a legal issue but rather an ethical issue, which I'm sure you understand (otherwise you wouldn't be asking about how to properly acknowledge the hard work of others, which is a nice thing to want to do).
(Also, as a side issue, you don't want your attribution within your commercial description to look like a falsely implied endorsement, which is another good reason to consult the designer).
I agree, contact the designer and let him know what your intentions are and see what they say.