11 Jun
2006
11 Jun
'06
11:04 p.m.
On 6/12/06, Don Y <dgy at dakotacom.net> wrote:
Hi,
The discussion re: SBC6120 got me thinking...
*Why* aren't people interested in this sort of thing?
- lack of interest (i.e. PDP8? what's *that*??)
In some cases... witness the "what do you _do_ with a PDP-8" thread.
- lack of collector appeal ("Ah, but it's not
a REAL '8!")
Well... it's not built in 1970, but _mine_ has a real chip I borrowed
from a real DEC machine (spare DECmate III board that
cost me less
than a NOS CPU chip).
- lack of space ("Hand me a shovel; I'm
digging a sub-basement")
Mine hangs on the wall...
- lack of CASH (<frown>)
Can't help that one, but even with the FP6120, it's cheaper than
typical ePay prices for an -8/e. It depends on how much you want to
run code on hardware as opposed to an emulator.
- lack of skills ("Now, *which* end of the iron
do I hold??")
- lack of time ("Honey, little Bobby set himself on fire, again.
Can you please put it out?")
With as fine as the traces and vias are on this board, I wouldn't call
the SBC6120 a "learn to solder" project, but I didn't find it
difficult to assemble (unlike the IOB6120 which I found to be on the
challenging side, given the 0.5mm-pitch QFP FPGA in the middle).
In the interests of candor, maybe replies off-list are
better?
And, don't interpret this as JUST pertaining to that
particular product/project. I'm curious as to how receptive
(resistant!) people are to *any* sorts of projects like that
(even if they are "already assembled")
I'm probably not a good example of why people don't build kits like
this, since I've built *many* things from Spare Time Gizmos and many
kits before that (starting with a Don Lancaster TVT-6 "TV Typewriter"
and a Quest Elf in the late 1970s when I was just a punk kid who
wanted a computer at home). About the only STG project I've passed on
lately was the keypad for the Elf2K; pretty much everthing else I've
found to be interesting to build, and always fun. OTOH, I can usually
blunt the cost issue for most projects by supply 75%-90% of the parts
out of my own parts bin, leaving just the bare PCB to pay for. The
IOB6120 is one of the only projects I've done where I _did_ buy the
100%-of-the-parts-in-a-bag kit.
I do like it when the board sellers make a "bare board and
difficult-to-find/custom parts kit" - that's how I did the FP6120
(board, plexi, and paddle switches) and the SBC6120 (board and
stackable connector) and the Elf2K disk board (board, stackable
connector, and CF socket). I know kit makers aren't gouging on
popcorn parts, but there's a certain amount of handling, etc.,
involved with ordering, re-packaging, etc., that they do need to
recover. If I already _have_ the stuff on hand, I'm happy to order
the minimal amount of parts with a bare board. Of course, it helps
that I have my own EPROM burner, etc., which not every hobbyist has,
especially beginners.
So that's my $0.02...
-ethan