Fun > The Porch
2015 Coop Poll for Lynx Equipment
Steve Gase:
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Register or LoginWhile the "store" idea sounds good, the issue is who is going to pay for those items while they are sitting in the store? Another issue is that while these boards are sitting on the shelf in the store, they may become obsolete. If a new design comes out or a critical component becomes unavailable (like the display driver on the LE), it could render the boards sitting in the store useless. Who is going to cover those costs? While the store is a great idea, this is not a retail establishment and keeping it fully stocked is not realistic.
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Maybe the items in the store should have an extra "carrying charge" assigned to them... maybe $1 above the cost... maybe more.
I realize that this gets into the other problem where RJ does not want to treat this as a business, and doesn't not want a "profit". But, the lack of PCBs is greatly limiting the proliferation of these great designs.
Maybe there is a way to have the pcb manufacturer build on demand and have the consumer pay for the extra cost of a single-unit production. (I have no idea if that's a $1 additional cost or $100 cost...)
klaasb01:
Would PCB only coop's be a good idea, once you hit the minimum for a run.
I would like to see the coop managers lives to be simpler, and sorting and sending this stuff out has got to be a real challenge to say the least.
tbone321:
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Register or LoginMaybe the items in the store should have an extra "carrying charge" assigned to them... maybe $1 above the cost... maybe more.
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The primary issue still is who is going to pay for these items in the "store"? Most board manufacturers do have minimum unit counts for a production run. Anything less is a prototype run and could have costs exceeding $100 or more per board. If the minimum production run is 50 boards and at a cost of $10 a board, that is a $500 cost that someone has to pay. Then if a key component this board uses becomes obsolete and unavailable with no direct replacement, any remaining boards also become obsolete and a total loss.
You are not allowed to view links.
Register or LoginI realize that this gets into the other problem where RJ does not want to treat this as a business, and doesn't not want a "profit". But, the lack of PCBs is greatly limiting the proliferation of these great designs.
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The problem is that when you start stocking items that is exactly what it becomes. Even Uncle Sam may start taking a look at it which would require him to file more tax documents to show that there is no profit being made which will cost him either time or money and perhaps both to do.
You are not allowed to view links.
Register or LoginMaybe there is a way to have the pcb manufacturer build on demand and have the consumer pay for the extra cost of a single-unit production. (I have no idea if that's a $1 additional cost or $100 cost...)
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It is simply not profitable for the PCB manufacturers to do that. This is why prototype boards cost so much to have produced. Setup costs are paid by the customer along with production costs. IF setup costs are $200 and production cost is $2 per board, you will be paying $202 plus shipping for that single board and that's if they have the space in their schedule to set up for a single board run which would be a very low priority.
tbone321:
You are not allowed to view links.
Register or LoginWould PCB only coop's be a good idea, once you hit the minimum for a run.
I would like to see the coop managers lives to be simpler, and sorting and sending this stuff out has got to be a real challenge to say the least.
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We have done that in the past as well as offering PC board only option in other coops. While it does have some advantages there are also some issues with it as well. The primary issue is sourcing the components. There have been many times where one provider does not have all of the required components in stock or even available. This will require the person to source them from multiple vendors and pay the added shipping costs. Then there is also the issue of parts becoming obsolete on boards that were "put aside to build later" making them useless and a loss of money.
dmaccole:
Two observations:
*While a poll is a nice idea, it does not give you an accurate gauge of the level of interest. I may give one vote to an Aeon (I didn't, but hypothetically), but in fact I want 10 Aeon boards.
*On the scarce boards -- where RJ gets few requests -- he should consider requiring a minimum order. The $6 per board price for an MR16 is nice, but if I really need an MR16, I might be willing to pay $100 to get 10 and then sell the rest of the forum as time goes along. While he might not want to carry the inventory costs, maybe others would.
\dmc
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