New batch of pdp8 OMNIBUS to USB interface! Please Read and react!

[W2HX]

Personally, i don't care about lead free solder. I am quite happy with lead. Is there a rohs requirement for small production, non profit, prototyping project?

________________________________
From: Philipp Hachtmann <hachti at hachti.de>
Sent: Feb 14, 2017 11:54 AM
To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
Subject: Re: New batch of pdp8 OMNIBUS to USB interface! Please Read and react!

Hi,

> I'm interested. How much did a board from the previous batch cost?
Was different. I first made a poll and sold a batch of boards in my
online shop for a certain price. It was somewhere about 105 EUR without VAT.
After I received the payment, I made the boards and delivered them (I
announced exactly that procedere!!).
Later, as a few boards were left, I increased the price up to nearly EUR
200. I did it like with kickstarter - the people who trusted and funded
got it cheaper. The whole thing barely covered the costs btw.

> And
> will that be any indication of what the new boards price?
No, not really. But I already have some rough idea.
The board will most probably be full size again. Reducing the size does
seems not to offer enough benefit with respect to the hassle of adding
enlargement afterwards.

After my poll it looks as if there will be the following options:

- Kit with full size board and SMT already soldered RoHS compliant.
This will most probably go for short under EUR 100 (without VAT where it
applies).

I have to check with the assembly house. This time I try not to sit
there and solder lead free SMD by hand for days. I like soldering SMT
but that lead-free stuff and masses of boards can get quite annoying.
The last boards were all hand soldered by me.
One problem could be the gold fingers: My usual board house finally
realized that their calculation tool was plain wrong when it charged me
extra EUR 1,50 per board for the hard gold fingers.

The board will be like the old ones but:

* some unused (upper bit) IC positions removed
* The diode stuff moved away from the edge (that was so stupid, sorry!)
* The USB connector will be moved away from the edge, I will think about
some holes to fix the cable using a strap. The USB will become mini USB.

- Wonderful handle/set of handles to attach to the board. Probably made
of milled wood, still thinking about it.
This will be extremely expensive, I have no idea yet. Perhaps EUR 30 per
"one piece" or set.

And if someone really insists, I will manually complete and test a
board. That would add another EUR 65 to the game. And perhaps an USB cable.

If I continue to sell boards in that way, it will take not even 5 more
years until it has paid for my Eagle 6 and 7 licenses..

Please continue to add to the doodle "calendar", if you are interested.

Kind regards,

Philipp