Path: csiph.com!v102.xanadu-bbs.net!xanadu-bbs.net!feeder.erje.net!eu.feeder.erje.net!news.stack.nl!aioe.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: "Rod Pemberton" Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth Subject: Re: MSP430-Stamp Date: Fri, 30 May 2014 04:05:30 -0400 Organization: Aioe.org NNTP Server Lines: 43 Message-ID: References: <7x8upkm2yx.fsf@ruckus.brouhaha.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: CNsg4fVcCsvs3UaOgZtQCw.user.speranza.aioe.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed; delsp=yes Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Complaints-To: abuse@aioe.org User-Agent: Opera Mail/12.16 (Linux) X-Notice: Filtered by postfilter v. 0.8.2 Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.forth:31009 On Thu, 29 May 2014 22:09:58 -0400, Paul Rubin wrote: > rickman writes: >> I honestly can't think how any board, even as a kit, could be sold for >> $4. But I just want to hear the basis for the feature set of the >> board. > > MSP430G2553 PDIP = $1.00 (1k qty per ti.com) > FTDI cable = $1.00? > PCB = 50 cents, it's small 2-sided through-hole board with big traces, > i.e. cheap > 2 leds @ $.10 each > A few other parts, hmm not sure. $0.50? > In bulk, they're probably much cheaper than that. E.g., the cheapest bulk LED Mouser offers is $0.028 USD ($0.0206 EUR) in lots of 5000. So what? You've got enough for a long, long time... When I worked for a small electronics manufacturing firm in the mid 90's, the PCB was usually one of the more expensive components of any product, unless it was single- or double-sided board. Those were really cheap, usually using some type of fiberboard instead of phenolic or fiberglass. When I say fiberboard, I mean "fiberboard". It was just like fiberboard, from the hardware store, maybe a bit like particle board, except very thin and very fine pressed wood/paper particles. These boards would even get soggy and bend like paper or wood when fluxed by the wave soldering machine. The traces would come off too, if you overheated them with a soldering iron. I'd swear they were pressed on. Hey, I said cheap ... > I still like the idea of a solderless kit. Why? I haven't worked in electronics in a decade, but it's still very easy to solder up a bunch of components, if you can solder. Of course, Youtube videos can help novices with that. The only thing they need to do is take a break after soldering a few pins, when soldering in chips with lots of pins, so they don't overheat the chip, or give them a socket. Rod Pemberton