[hpsdr] HPSDR New Board Production Status, 6 Aug 2009

[Scott Cowling]

Hi all,

Just a quick update on where we are with several new boards to help 
alleviate information vacuum syndrome and help get you through the 
dog days of August.

Pennywhistle:
All parts are on order. Estimated arrival of all parts except PCB and 
heat sink is Aug 21.

Heatsinks are 8 weeks out (they must be cut, drilled and tapped), or 
about the end of September.

The plan is to have the parts kits and PCBs ready to go so that we 
can begin shipping when the heat sinks arrive at the end of next month.

Production run will be 500 kits, so we held the cost to the original amount.


Excalibur:
Parts are being ordered now. I don't have an estimate yet for 
completion, but it is likely to be about a week after Pennywhistle, 
or the end of August.

If there are no long lead time items (I don't know of any), we should 
be ready to kit early next month and ship toward the end of September.

Production run will be 400 kits.


Alex:
I have not been able to get the toroids built in a cost effective or 
time effective manner, so you get the privilege of winding your own.

We will build the boards without the toroids installed. The boards 
will be partially assembled, either just the SMT parts or SMT plus 
relays and connectors, depending on how good a deal the CM makes us 
on the assembly. We will supply the cores and wire for you to wind 
your own coils.

We are in the process of re-costing Alex to determine if we need to 
adjust the price.  Unfortunately the raw cores actually cost more 
than the pre-wound ones that our Chinese CM promised (but could not 
deliver), so the price may increase slightly. I am trying to make it 
as inexpensive as possible, but be prepared.

If the cost increases significantly, we will do another show of interest.

I know that we are all impatient for Alex, and it has taken too long. 
Keep in mind that I am just as impatient as you are. :-)  We're doing 
the best that we can.

I'll post more info as I get it...

73,
Scotty WA2DFI
ex-Toroid King
ex-Toroid Queen
TAPR HPSDR production flunky



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