So all the SMT parts have been ordered for the prototype PCB. Once they come in, I’ll be testing the placement of the parts on top of a printed layout to see if the chips/parts match the layout — if there was a package screw up, and so on.
This board was never optimized for cost per se, but here’s what the major components cost:
- 56-pin dual row 2×28 female header connector: $3.99
- SRAM chips: $4.47
- Real Time clock: $6.13 (Yow!@#)
- Battery Supervisor: $2.12
So there’s still some other misc parts (resistors, capacitors, battery holder, other logic ICs) so I could easily be at $20 in raw parts. That’s higher than I’d like, but whaddya gonna do.
Plus, there’s also the PCB cost itself too, which shouldn’t be horrible.
$20 sure is cheaper than the ~80€ it cost my family back in 1992 😀
Thanks for the perspective! 🙂 I think in the US it sold for $100 and adjusted for inflation that’s around $178 today.