Hi guys, (If you previously emailed me about the DiscFerret, you'll already have received a copy of this message... in which case, apologies for the duplication...) I now have a final price list for the DiscFerret, after having spent the week arguing with suppliers over leadtimes, MOQs and prices. I've given up on this process, and have instead adopted the highly scientific method of "order the blasted things from DigiKey." This leaves me with the following price list: Bare board: ?22.50 With TPS75003 mounted: ?27.50 PCB + tested PSU + PIC soldered/programmed: ?49 Fully assembled and tested PCB: ?129 Power supply (*) ?27.50 Postage to the USA for a single unit will be ?7.50 for normal airmail, or ?12.50 for an insured and tracked service. (*) The power supply is a PowerPax 12V 3.8A "soap on a rope" type switch-mode PSU. It can power the DiscFerret, and a disc drive with a power requirement of 5V 1.5A and 12V 1.5A. The fairly high price is due to its weight: a 36W PSU is not a light beast, even in switch-mode form! You will need to supply a suitable mains input lead (figure-eight tape-player power lead; available from most electrical retailers). Cables ====== By default, the DiscFerret includes a 40-to-34-pin IDC cable for a 3.5in disc drive, and a power cable terminated in a Berg connector (the type used for 3.5in disc drives). If you need a different cable (e.g. for a 5.25in drive or both 3.5 and 5.25), ask me for a quote. I'm quite happy about getting the price down to ?129. It's taken days of futzing through the Farnell catalogue to find suitable parts at decent price points (curiously some of the name-brand parts are cheaper than Farnell's Multicomp own-brand parts), but I finally got there in the end. So what now? ============ Well, you guys let me know what your final orders are. I have four Revision 0I06 (September 2010) boards and the six 0J28 (October 2010) boards from Gold Phoenix. There are a few rules as to allocation: - If you're ordering a bare board or a board with some (but not all) parts pre-mounted, you'll get a Rev 0J28 because these are easier to solder (immersion silver plated finish). - If you order a ready-built unit, you'll get a random choice between 0I06 and 0J28. There is no software-detectable difference between 0I06 and 0J28. The main difference is that 0J28 adds pads for a USB current limiting resistor, which is added via an ECO modification ("greenwire fix") on 0I06. 0J28 needs a greenwire due to a mistake in power routing, but does not require any track cuts (unlike 0I06). If you order a built-and-tested unit, rest assured that you will receive a board which has been updated to the latest ECO level at the time of manufacture. How to order ============ 1) Send me an email with a list of what you want to order, including quantities. 2) I'll send you a PayPal invoice for the total. If you're in the UK or Europe and would prefer to pay by BACS or SWIFT transfer, please let me know and I'll send you the relevant details. The payment must be in British Pounds Sterling, *NOT* Euros (my bank doesn't allow incoming transfers in anything other than GBP). Other payment methods may be a possibility -- ask me, I don't bite :) 3) When you pay the invoice, select "Include shipping address", and enter your desired address. This will need to be a Confirmed address. If you're paying by BACS or SWIFT, email me your name and address. I'm going to be assembling a couple of boards tomorrow as a time-trial. Assuming all goes to plan, the first units should be shipping towards the end of next week. I'd like to thank everyone on Classiccmp, VCForums, and so on for their assistance, comments, criticisms, sharing of expertise, support and so on. Seriously, you guys rock. Thanks, -- Phil. classiccmp at philpem.me.uk http://www.philpem.me.uk/