In an effort to start development of my 65816-based SBC, I have cleaned out my parts bin and have some extra SBC-2 parts for sale. These include some V2.3 and v2.5 boards along with some video display components.

The link is here:
http://users.softcom.net/darylr/sale.html

Thanks!

Daryl

What features is your 'SBC 3' going to have?

I'm not sure at this point.

I'd like to keep it simple and small with the capability of expansion as needed. Beyond that, I'm still researching memory chips, basic IO support, and mass storage. I also want to get ahold of the new 65c51's from WDC when they are released.

I'm also weighing the use of DIP components vs. SMT devices. DIP provides easier construction but SMT would save lots of space and help increase speed.

So much to consider.

Daryl

SMT is hard to solder, i like PLCC my self for some reason.

You could use thru-hole PLCC sockets, save some room over DIPs, and have a board that's better-behaved at high speeds than it would be with DIPs. Actually PQFPs are much smaller, and easy to solder by hand once you get the hang of it. No socketing there though. Some kit builders would undoubtedly ruin at least a couple PQFPs before learning to solder them right.

Yes, I forgot to mention the PLCC's. Those look like a good compromise between ease and performance.

Thanks!

Daryl

Darryl, have you considered marketing your video text board? Someopne is already having one for basic stamps in nuts & volts for about 60 bucks, and it looks susiciously like your design except all in flat pack. Heck, sure wouldnt mind a kit of them, easy to sell, do it yerself assembly

_________________
"My biggest dream in life? Building black plywood Habitrails"

I considered it. I'd need to put enough money up front to buy in quantity and keep the cost down. To date, I have not had enough demand to warrant such an investment. If I ever finish the graphics version, or work out the color issues, I may revisit the idea.

Thanks!

Daryl

Even if you stayed with the black and white versions, your board looks small enough to get 2 to a board under Expresspcb (am hooked there now! .
Even as a black and white, methinks it is good for use as a text terminal or monitor output with such few parts.

Figure 2 to an expresspcb proto board, the cost is now $51 for 3, so this lets it down around 5 bucks a board, approximately. Add in parts, an instruction sheet for soldering it all together, maybe a 25-30 buck kit right there falltogether? Maybe serial inoput makes it easier ont he input stream instead of parallel? just thoughts here at 4 am...

_________________
"My biggest dream in life? Building black plywood Habitrails"

OK. I did the math. I don't want to bother with cutting PCB's so an order of 18 or more costs less (per board) than the miniboards. (You forgot to add the $8 shipping and for me, CA tax to the $51 price).

If I were to buy boards and parts to supply 20 kits, the total cost (using digikey, and not counting their shipping costs) would be $445, or $22.25 per board.

Now factor in the cost of advertising and figure how many I'd have to sell to just break even.

I'm not sure I'm ready to invest that much money in this project.

Daryl

I recently tried expressPCB.com and was very pleased. Note that the name is slightly different-- it's not the same as pcbexpress. ExpressPCB in Oregon lets you use your own CAD instead of requiring you to use theirs. The boards I got made were very irregularly shaped, which IIRC, was a no-no with pcbexpress in Santa Barbara. The whole process was really easy. I zipped the gerber and excellon files for them, filled out the online order form, and never talked to anyone. They got the boards out the next day, and I got the whole lot of 8 small boards for $112 including overnight shipping.

Garth,

I think you have the names reversed. I use ExpressPCB.com (Oregon) which requires you to use their software.

Still,

If you have the PCB design software, I'm sure other vendors such as pcbexpress.com are competitively priced.

Daryl

Doggone, you're right. I have the paper in front of me now. I keep getting the two names mixed up. Tony was talking about expresspcb in Santa Barbara. I used PCBexpress in Oregon. I had checked out the one in Santa Barbara first, but found you had to use their software. That would be ok if I weren't already familiar with my own CAD, but now I don't want to have to learn a new one unnecessarily and re-make all the library parts my way (which allows me to get more on a board).

I agree. Why learn a new program when you don't need to. If I had such a CAD program, I'd be happy to use another service. I hope that someday ExpressPCB adds an autorouter to their software. That would make it soooo much easier to design a board.

Daryl

The nice thing on the anta barbera crew is that their program seemed quite easy to learn. Never wanted to spend to get anyting else, and the price was right for the board for prototyping. We went for their production service for a chainsaw project (check out www.spookyprops.com for that one), and am pretty stoked, they do one GREAT job. I alkso sent for amuch larger board for rpototyping,. and the prices are competitive. So its not too bad on my side of things after all...


sigh, didnt realize the cost being up there for the text terminal. Seemed like a good idea though ....


Free the potted plants at LAX!

_________________
"My biggest dream in life? Building black plywood Habitrails"