Sorry if this thread is old hat now - I've been having a hard time keeping up with the volume of traffic here recently. This is strange. You are saying: Tech support is what costs. Kits don't need so much. Therefore kits are more expensive. ??? I claim the other way around. Most kit suppliers have to spend _more_ on technical support because they have to help people who try kits too hard for them and expect the supplier to sort out their mistakes. Kits generally have shorter production runs than complete units, hence less quantity discount / economy of scale. Finally, kits are generally better documented than complete units sold as such. And documentation costs a lot! Philip.