RunnerPack wrote: As I said in the comment on your blog post, it's great to have you back and working on VB stuff!
The new design looks great! I hope you can get costs down as much as possible, because I really want one!
The biggest factor when it comes to cost is actually the PCB itself. If I can order the PCB in semi-large batches I will get a huge discount per board, and that will drive the cost way down. My goal is to make this similarly priced to the FlashBoy. My rule is that "if I wouldn't buy it myself, it's too expensive". It's definitely something that I will keep in my head as I work on the design. But first my goal is just to get it working, obviously.
Here's my first take on the Rev3 PCB. I will most likely end up making several/many changes to this before I order the next prototype, but this gives you an idea how massively complex this project is. This board was 100% hand routed on two layers from scratch. All SMD packages were also created and measured by me.
Looks promising, making all those footprints that aren't in the library already is a real pain.
I wonder if there's some central deposit for those things so you can upload and get other people's stuff?
You should perhaps try and find some cheaper PCB manufacturer, I order from China when I build carts for the Fairchild Channel F and prototyping is done. Recent purchase was for 14 PCBs, plain double sided (basically cheapest alternative):
1) FRCJ01 2.28 2layers, 0.062", FR4-TG130, 1oz, Lead Free HAL, GREEN SOLDER MASK, WHITE SILK SCREEN, Complex Shape, 3.50" x 3.15" Special Notes: Shipped As Individual Boards , Ship To Sweden QTY: 14pcs USD11.817/pcs; Subtotal:USD165.44 Lead Time: 5 Business Day + 3 Business Days Shipping
I understand a four layer 0.032" board will be a lot more expensive I just wanted to point out that there could be cheaper alternatives.
I work at a PCB factory in Sweden, we are however not cheap, it's not impossible though I might be able to squeeze something like this in (one or two boards) at no other cost than the shipping price if there are other boards made with the same configuration (thickness, copper thickness, layers, material).
In my experience the shipping costs for various parts are what tends to make things more expensive, having a single supplier for all parts can be more economic than ordering from here and there even if the individual parts are cheaper.
Gideon is having trouble sourcing microSD card connectors in the same type that he has been using for the 1541U-II. Make sure you choose components that are available in the near future as well if you intend to do more than one batch (I guess it depends on how many is sold). ;-)
e5frog wrote: Looks promising, making all those footprints that aren't in the library already is a real pain.
I wonder if there's some central deposit for those things so you can upload and get other people's stuff?
You should perhaps try and find some cheaper PCB manufacturer, I order from China when I build carts for the Fairchild Channel F and prototyping is done. Recent purchase was for 14 PCBs, plain double sided (basically cheapest alternative):
1) FRCJ01 2.28 2layers, 0.062", FR4-TG130, 1oz, Lead Free HAL, GREEN SOLDER MASK, WHITE SILK SCREEN, Complex Shape, 3.50" x 3.15" Special Notes: Shipped As Individual Boards , Ship To Sweden QTY: 14pcs USD11.817/pcs; Subtotal:USD165.44 Lead Time: 5 Business Day + 3 Business Days Shipping
I understand a four layer 0.032" board will be a lot more expensive I just wanted to point out that there could be cheaper alternatives.
I work at a PCB factory in Sweden, we are however not cheap, it's not impossible though I might be able to squeeze something like this in (one or two boards) at no other cost than the shipping price if there are other boards made with the same configuration (thickness, copper thickness, layers, material).
In my experience the shipping costs for various parts are what tends to make things more expensive, having a single supplier for all parts can be more economic than ordering from here and there even if the individual parts are cheaper.
Gideon is having trouble sourcing microSD card connectors in the same type that he has been using for the 1541U-II. Make sure you choose components that are available in the near future as well if you intend to do more than one batch (I guess it depends on how many is sold). ;-)
Thanks for the tips. Luckily I planned ahead in order to make my PCB costs cheaper - just 2 layers, believe it or not! Hard to tell by looking at that mess.
I usually order my prototypes from BatchPCB. Their fab house does a good enough job and I can order just a few boards for the lowest cost I've seen. I don't want to order 10+ boards for a prototype. But I'll keep your advice in mind for the future.
I'd be happy to buy a naked PCB and transfer a connector and shell myself, there's a lot of brand new V.L. Baseball carts out there.
I never got a reply from my contact in Thailand about making a cartridge shell. Perhaps some place where they make 3D prints will be an option if you want to make something brand new.
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