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Buying hardware

Your team could need hardware to implement a product. For example, a product that is to move around by itself could need motors, wheels, a microcontroller board, and other things. Another example, a product for collecting data from remote sensors may need sensor components, microcontroller boards, communication devices, and other things.

Does your team have an external project?

If yes, you can basically stop reading here. Your team's external company or organization decides what you can buy, and how. KTH will not fund hardware for external projects.

Before buying anything for an internal project

Before buying your first item, your team needs a written approval from the examiner. To get this approval, the team should have two things in order:

  • an approved product idea that motivates buying hardware, and
  • a treasurer (skattmästare), selected by the team.

The written approval always includes a maximum limit of allowable spending.

When the team has a written approval, then spendings that are reasonable, below the limit, and with good receipts, will be reimbursed after the course.

The treasurer (skattmästaren)

During the project, the treasurer will keep all the team's receipts, and maintain a spreadsheet document that accounts for each receipt. The total spendings of the team must stay below the amount allowed by the examiner's written approval. A template for the spreadsheet document is available from the examiner.

After the project, the treasurer will e-mail the spreadsheet to the examiner, and also make an appointment for a 20-minute meeting. At the meeting, the examiner will check the receipts and the spreadsheet document before accepting them. Before the end of the meeting, all receipts must also be copied or scanned, and the copies or scan-files received by the treasurer.

If an in-person meeting ("physical meeting") cannot be arranged, a digital meeting in some form will be arranged. In that case, the examiner and the treasurer will decide the details.

When all treasurers have handed over their receipts, the receipts are processed by KTH administrative staff. Some time after this, typically a month later, the examiner receives money equal to the sum of all receipts. The examiner then distributes money to each treasurer, according to the outlays of each team.

When the treasurer receives the money, it is the responsibility of the treasurer to redistribute the money to the members of that team, in accordance with what each person has bought.

Good and bad receipts

Good receipts are cash receipts (kassakvitton), and include all of the following:

  • the name of the seller,
  • the corporate identity number (organisationsnummer) of the seller,
  • a list of the items sold, and the price of each item,
  • the amount of value-added tax (moms),
  • the tax-percentage (momssats) used - this can be different for different items, and
  • the total amount you payed.

Please note that printouts from a credit-card terminal are not good enough by themselves. When you pay by card, you must also save the cash receipt (kassakvitto). Some stores staple the cash receipt to the printout from the credit-card terminal. Other stores include the credit-card information on the cash receipt.

When you pay by card, you usually key in your secret, 4-digit code into a keypad on a grey box. That grey box is typically a credit-card terminal; any printout coming directly out of that grey box is not good enough by itself, and must be supplemented by a cash receipt.

Do you have stuff that we can use?

Yes. The examiner has some components, cables, tools, a few multimeters, oscilloscopes, and other stuff. There is also the Mentorspace/Makerspace, with lots of good tools, equipment, and some components.

What can we buy?

You can buy hardware that goes into the product. You can buy spare parts, within reason, because some things break easily during testing. If in doubt, ask the examiner.

What can't we buy?

You can't buy software or services, no matter how useful these might be to your project. If in doubt, ask the examiner.

Is the limit a hard limit?

The examiner can raise the limit. Before spending over your current limit, you must get a written approval for a new (higher) limit. As an example, assume the team has an approval for SEK 1500, but sees a need to spend more. The team gets a new approval for SEK 2000. From then on, the team can spend an additional SEK 500, up to a total of SEK 2000.

What if we buy more, without an approval?

The team will not get any money at all for receipts exceeding the limit. As an example, assume that the team has an approval for SEK 1500, and has accumulated receipts for a total of SEK 1442. An additional purchase of SEK 69 would push the sum to SEK 1511, which is above the limit. Therefore, the additional purchase of SEK 69 would not be covered at all by KTH. Instead, the team would receive SEK 1442, which would be the sum of amounts on those receipts that stay below the limit.

Can we buy stuff from the course?

No. KTH cannot sell you hardware.

Can we sell stuff to the course?

This is usually not a good idea, and must always be approved by the examiner in each case separately. If approved, the receipt must be really good. Before doing this, always talk to the examiner. The examiner may be able to find an alternative.

Can we lend stuff to the project?

This is usually not a good idea, and must always be approved by the examiner in each case separately. Before doing this, always talk to the examiner. The examiner may be able to find an alternative.

Can we donate stuff to the project?

If you have a few small and inexpensive things, such as nuts and bolts, you may give them to the project instead of going to a hardware store to buy identical things. More expensive things cannot be donated. If in doubt, ask the examiner.

Who owns the product?

For internal projects, KTH owns all hardware. This includes anything you may have donated to the project.