Mods, can we please move this developing OT discussion out of jamesmilne's project thread here and into a board feasibility or general product development study topic in hacks? NOT under my byline. :-/
Dunno what board costs are, but $2 for even a simple double sided board in the dimensions of Artmix' DiiMO clone's form factor ain't even close..
Lets break it down in business terms, I've done this stuff IRL in the era of the SE/30.
Figuring zero cost for development:
Price out four layer boards in the dimensions required for your project.
Try to get low volume total parts costs under $30, not likely. EuroDin connectors in that size is not inexpensive these days.
Estimate time to:
- do pricing and place orders
- open packages and set components up for board stuffing
- board stuffing
- time spent & cost of wave soldering offsite or heaven forbid, hand soldered process in house
- burning/testing PALs
- installation of each assembled board for burn in testing
- removal for machine
- cost of packing materials (after costing/ordering time)
- packaging
- order taking labeling time
- shipping cost and getting boxes to carrier (misc. other shipping an handling costs)
Assuming there is no equipment to buy and amortize as a cost of production:
- multiply time estimated by minimum wage (dunno about you or the rest of the gang, but I ain't working for minimum wage)
Profit margin would be whatever you can charge more than the totals above, but enough less than $200 to generate sales to move all of what you'll need to inventory.
Take two aspirin and get back to me in the morning. [
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