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Price on Propeller Proto Board # 32212 - Page 2 — Parallax Forums

Price on Propeller Proto Board # 32212

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Comments

  • Ken PetersonKen Peterson Posts: 806
    edited 2008-09-19 16:37
    hippy said...
    The Prop II only supports lower voltage I/O than the Prop I so even with same / close priced
    boards for each I doubt there will be a huge stack of Prop I ProtoBoards sitting on the shelves
    gathering dust.

    TBH, I'm not sure what market there is for hobby/home users with the Prop II. The de-facto
    there is 5V with people struggling over 3V3 and 1V8 will just leave them with jaws dropped smile.gif

    If Prop II is therefore more commercial / upper-end targeted ProtoBoards won't be so price
    sensitive.
    I thought the Prop II was going to have a 1.8V core with 3.3V I/O.· Two supplies needed but same I/O voltage as the Prop I.· Is that incorrect?

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    - Bjarne Stroustrup
  • hippyhippy Posts: 1,981
    edited 2008-09-19 16:58
    @ Ken : I believe you could be right, which would bring it back into the hobby / home 'safe zone'. Not 5V tolerant as such but easily fixed with the right R's as now.

    @ Drone : "One protoboard plus one prop-plug now costs $30+$20=$50 USD" - looking set to be $44+$40=$84 at equivalent UK prices.

    @ Mike_GTN : I don't think the UK distributor channel is fragile, just not well supported. Other distributors in the UK manage to sell US products at near the right US-UK exchange rate, but the official distributor doesn't.

    Post Edited (hippy) : 9/19/2008 5:06:42 PM GMT
  • Paul BakerPaul Baker Posts: 6,351
    edited 2008-09-19 17:01
    Rsadeika said...
    Since the new pricing for the proto board is $29.99, does that mean that the Prop II proto board will be $39.99, and $49.99 for the USB version, or maybe greater? I guess maybe a Prop 1.5 core duo, as mentioned in the previous post, might be something to consider. What would be a good price for a 1.5? $35.99.
    It is way too early to discuss pricing of the Prop II. Until the design is finalized, there is no way to calculate the true cost of production.

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    Paul Baker
    Propeller Applications Engineer

    Parallax, Inc.
  • Paul BakerPaul Baker Posts: 6,351
    edited 2008-09-19 17:08
    Drone said...
    Maybe it's time for a "Prop-Stamp". One 3.3V LDO, RS-232 programming, 0.1" board pin-out. Oh-yes, a reset button would be a luxury (maybe there's already one out there?)
    Hi David, you mean something like this? Or perhaps this? Or this?

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    Paul Baker
    Propeller Applications Engineer

    Parallax, Inc.

    Post Edited (Paul Baker (Parallax)) : 9/19/2008 5:47:49 PM GMT
  • trodosstrodoss Posts: 577
    edited 2008-09-19 17:53
    Paul Baker (Parallax) said...
    Drone said...
    Maybe it's time for a "Prop-Stamp". One 3.3V LDO, RS-232 programming, 0.1" board pin-out. Oh-yes, a reset button would be a luxury (maybe there's already one out there?)
    Hi David, you mean something like this? Or perhaps this?

    There is also the Prop Dongle from Hitt Consulting (Bean) that is also comparable (with USB instead of RS-232).

    Personally I would like to see something the size of the Prop Dongle (but use the 4-pin header instead of including USB/FTDI).· If you could just 'cut out' the center of the current Proto Board (like OBC has done, and shown in his Propeller Cookbook) and sell that part I know that is all I would need.· Not really a "stamp" per se, but a surface-mount chip, removable crystal, an EEPROM chip, just a little bit of prototyping space, (maybe a 3.3V regulator) and 4-pin header at around $20...I would be happy.

    Post Edited (trodoss) : 9/19/2008 5:58:51 PM GMT
  • heaterheater Posts: 3,370
    edited 2008-09-19 17:57
    Yes Paul like "that" and "that" for the Prop II.

    But WOW look at the prices of "that" and "that" compared to a DIP Prop I chip or compared to some ARM boards that are around now.

    I'm prepared for the Prop II chip to be almost twice as expensive but then I want it on an adapter board just so I can solder to it by hand. Don't even need the pins, just the holes. I can poke wires in where I want them.
    I guess it will need to have a crystal and voltage regulator on board, that's it.
    Or even, supply the chip and board separately. I'll figure out how to get it welded down.

    By the way: Could someone at Parallax goad ELFA in Scandinavia to carry the 24LC512 OR 24C512 ? ELFA supplies Prop chips but not this essential support chip, seems silly. I asked them about it but nothing happened yet.

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  • trodosstrodoss Posts: 577
    edited 2008-09-19 18:03
    Don't even need the pins, just the holes. I can poke wires in where I want them.
    I guess it will need to have a crystal and voltage regulator on board, that's it.
    Or even, supply the chip and board separately. I'll figure out how to get it welded down.
    @heater:·I thought I had understood what you were after.· Very similar to what I would like to see as well (and probably others).·

    I don't know that AVR/ARM boards are an exact comparison, but certianly they are a few in the price range of the Spin Stamp or the PropStick USB.·

    Post Edited (trodoss) : 9/19/2008 6:12:00 PM GMT
  • RobotWorkshopRobotWorkshop Posts: 2,307
    edited 2008-09-19 18:06
    Drone said...
    Maybe it's time for a "Prop-Stamp". One 3.3V LDO, RS-232 programming, 0.1" board pin-out. Oh-yes, a reset button would be a luxury (maybe there's already one out there?) I've touted the $20 protoboard wherever possible since it's introduction. But the $20 price of the prop-plug has always been somewhat of a barrier according to feedback I've received. At the new protoboard price - I don't think I'll be recommending it. But to be fair, I sort-of knew the $20 protoboard was too good to be true in the long-run.
    Rgds, David

    Well, there is one and I can make more if there is enough interest in them. The PCB would be well under $10 and you could build them up any way you want. The larger quantity the less they would be. It puts the Propeller in a 40-pin Stamp form factor.

    http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?p=632906

    It has a crystal tucked underneath along with a 3.3v regulator. I had the prototype at the Propeller Expo in August but I don't think everyone got a chance to see it.

    I just build these with my normal soldering equipment. Nothing special. It's all in the technique used to assemble them!

    Robert
  • trodosstrodoss Posts: 577
    edited 2008-09-19 18:25
    @RobotWorkshop - Very nice little piece of work.

    There is also the design for·Ken Peterson's·MiniProp:

    http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php?p=748169

    Same sort of idea, but·a little bit of prototyping space.· In realitity, I don't think reducing the PCB size, taking off the 5V regulator, power input, maybe going from 64KB to 32KB EEPROM, and on/off switch = $10 USD in price reduction on Parallax's part.· So is what I would want even realistic?· I think from their perspective it would be "Is it mass-marketable?" Probably not.· It would sure be nice though.·

    I have a lot of· little projects that I could use a "MiniProp" running on a 9-volt battery.··A "Basic Stamp 1 Project Board" for the Propeller.· Ok, I digress...


    Post Edited (trodoss) : 9/19/2008 7:05:41 PM GMT
  • Paul BakerPaul Baker Posts: 6,351
    edited 2008-09-19 19:27
    @heater, some user freindly format for the next chip will be availible. Anything in a stamp module format will be more expensive than a board style, it is a time consuming process to attach the legs.

    BTW, can we take all talk about the next Propeller to a new thread please, it is off topic for this thread. There is already a thread talking about the form factors for the next Propeller (buried somewhere, either use search.parallax.com to find it or start a new one) -Thanks

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    Paul Baker
    Propeller Applications Engineer

    Parallax, Inc.

    Post Edited (Paul Baker (Parallax)) : 9/19/2008 7:34:25 PM GMT
  • rokickirokicki Posts: 1,000
    edited 2008-09-19 19:46
    Don't forget, those ARM boards are cool, but making them do video + SD + keyboard is non-trivial.
    And the tool chain for the Prop is, in my estimation, *much* friendlier and accessible.

    I know I'm preaching to the choir, but don't forget what brought us here in the first place.
  • Mike CookMike Cook Posts: 829
    edited 2008-09-19 20:41
    Paul,

    Thanks for confirming the price increase! www.mouser.com came through! This aught to keep me busy for a couple of months.

    http://www.allsurplus.net/propeller/100_1144.jpg· tongue.gif

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    Mike
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2008-09-19 20:58
    Paul Baker said...
    Anything in a stamp module format will be more expensive than a board style, it is a time consuming process to attach the legs.
    Paul, I've always wondered about those legs. Just looking at them, it seems they'd be a huge pain to install. Plus they have to get soldered on both sides of the board. Any reason not to use through-hole pins? They wouldn't deprive you of any more PCB real estate. In fact, you might gain some. Is there more than aesthetics or historical precedent involved? (Obviously, you wouldn't use .025" square pins: they'd destroy the socket. But there are smaller, round pins available.)

    'Just curious...
    -Phil

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    'Still some PropSTICK Kit bare PCBs left!
  • Paul BakerPaul Baker Posts: 6,351
    edited 2008-09-19 22:16
    I don't know what the deliberations were/are about headers vs the pins we use. That would be something Ken is more qualified to answer.

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    Paul Baker
    Propeller Applications Engineer

    Parallax, Inc.
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,388
    edited 2008-09-19 23:12
    Phil, the choice of legs for Stamp modules is of high aesthetic importance. They look absolutely superior to through-hole legs. I also believe they make it easier to remove a module from a socket by providing a little less rigidity. They aren't really a pain to assemble at this point because we have tooling to do the job. One tool presses them on to a row of three modules and another sheers them off the reel. The soldering is done by dipping the PCBs on the edge.

    Ken Gracey
  • Mike CookMike Cook Posts: 829
    edited 2008-09-19 23:15

    Translation: Delicate, Pretty and ZIF socket friendly. Hazardous to the newbie with a big screw driver! tongue.gif

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    Mike
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2008-09-19 23:24
    Ken Gracey said...
    Phil, the choice of legs for Stamp modules is of high aesthetic importance.
    I thought that might be the case, but I wasn't sure. I'd be the last person to belittle aesthetics!

    -Phil

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    'Still some PropSTICK Kit bare PCBs left!
  • BamseBamse Posts: 561
    edited 2008-09-20 03:31
    Just ordered three from Mouser, they still had the old price of $19.95... cool.gif

    They are back ordered but I'm just happy I got the old price, I can wait... tongue.gif

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    Living on the planet Earth might be expensive but it includes a free trip around the sun every year...

    Experience level:
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] Let's connect the motor to pin 1, it's a 6V motor so it should be fine.
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] OK, I got my resistors hooked up with the LEDs.
    [noparse][[/noparse]X] I got the Motor hooked up with the H-bridge and the 555 is supplying the PWM.
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] Now, if I can only program the BOE-BOT to interface with he Flux Capacitor.
    [noparse][[/noparse] ] I dream in SX28 assembler...

    /Bamse
  • Ken GraceyKen Gracey Posts: 7,388
    edited 2008-09-20 03:40
    You guys are going to make my Sales Manager Jim Carey (yes, his real name) work to keep Mouser happy. I know if I didn't get my Parallax hardware for free I'd also go and order 5-10 of these from Mouser right now. Strangely, though, it seems that I never have enough boards at home for my next project.

    Ken Gracey
    Parallax, Inc.
  • AleAle Posts: 2,363
    edited 2008-09-20 06:04
    Migthor: I thought the capital of Denmark was Copenhagen and that of the Netherlands Amsterdam... but that may have changed... or ?

    Here a Propeller is almost 20 € a pop (Germany), what do you complain about again ?
  • MightorMightor Posts: 338
    edited 2008-09-21 07:12
    Ale,
    Ale said...
    Migthor: I thought the capital of Denmark was Copenhagen and that of the Netherlands Amsterdam... but that may have changed... or ?
    I'm afraid you were misinformed.

    What distributor are you referring to that has the Props for 20 euro? I've ordered stuff from Germany before and it always gets here pretty quickly.

    Regards,
    Xander

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    | To know recursion, you must first know recursion.
    | Current projects and ramblings: I'd Rather Be Building Robots
  • Oldbitcollector (Jeff)Oldbitcollector (Jeff) Posts: 8,091
    edited 2008-09-21 14:23
    Thanks to how awful the US dollar is right now, 20 euro isn't far from the actual price here now.
    (I'm starting to understand the international point of view.) [noparse]:)[/noparse]

    OBC

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    New to the Propeller?

    Getting started with a Propeller Protoboard?
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  • edited 2008-09-22 23:19
    As Ken already mentioned keep the feedback coming. We love to hear it. I know we use it when discussing prices.

    As an alternative, if your looking for a great deal and need a board with the Propeller Chip you may want to consider the QuadRover as we just lowered the price by nearly $500! Ok, ok end of sales pitch!

    Paul
  • Mike CookMike Cook Posts: 829
    edited 2008-09-22 23:30

    I wish ya'll would make these for $20.00! I get tired of cutting up proto boards!

    http://www.allsurplus.net/propeller/100_1152.jpg

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    Mike
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2008-09-23 03:48
    On the one hand, the idea of a "loss leader" is a tried and true method to get people "into the store". Here are some example "dev kits", most assuredly sold at a loss:

    ····TI's MSP430 USB Stick ($20), which was heavily advertised in the trades awhile back.
    ····Cypress Semiconductor's PSoC First Touch Starter Kit ($30), which is still advertised heavily.
    ····Silicon Labs' Tool Stick-EK ($11). $11?!! This smacks of desperation!
    ····Atmel's AVR Butterfly ($20), which even includes its own LCD screen, for heaven's sake!

    These are great for the companies offering them if each customer buys only one, and even just one in ten orders thousands of chips as a result.

    On the other hand, Parallax, as I see it, has a different sort of customer — at least historically. A Parallax customer, being clever and seeing a deal like this, will figure out a way to incorporate the dev kit itself into a product and buy hundreds of dev kits, each one putting Parallax further in the hole, profit-wise. I've learned from my own business: it's one thing to get your foot in the door; it's quite another thing to turn such an encounter into a profitable relationship!

    -Phil

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    'Still some PropSTICK Kit bare PCBs left!
  • Cluso99Cluso99 Posts: 18,069
    edited 2008-09-23 07:36
    Spot on Phil !

    In my opinion, the low cost entry for the newcomer is the Propeller Proto USB Board, not the Propeller Proto Board. So taking my personal "beanie" off for a moment,·I·think Parallax should concentrate on the cost of the Propeller Proto USB. This is where the·newcomer to the Propeller (if cost is an issue) will be most likely to start. So, maybe even provide a discount for one/two for first time sales only. I don't know how you do this. Also look at postage cost (mentioned before).

    I bought the PPB (USB wasn't out) just to try the Propeller·because it looked interesting. Now I am hooked. The price is no longer·that important. I didn't want to spend a lot of $ in the first place in case I didn't like it - that way I could throw it out.

    The Propeller Proto Board is being used by us in small volumes. We are already convinced so we don't need a subsidy, even though·we want it.

    Just a thought - if the PPB were discontinued, would the volumes increase enough to get the PPB-USB to the $30 (or close to it)·price point???

    PS Give me a Prop II-A with 16 cogs on a PPB with USB for $100 and I'll be extremely happy blush.gif
    ·
  • TubularTubular Posts: 4,656
    edited 2008-09-23 12:49
    If Parallax decided to plunge into the OEM market and make a cut down core like Mike Cook suggests:-
    1. could the existing components be relocated 'under' the pcb (closest to the host board)
    2. The newly exposed upper surface could have pads (only) for the OEM to add surface mount peripherals
    3. such as micro SD, regulator, prop plug pins etc

    Just a thought. I'll follow up later with a drawing to illustrate what I mean...

    tubular.
  • trodosstrodoss Posts: 577
    edited 2008-09-23 13:48
    I would agree with Cluso99 that the Propeller Proto USB Board is, right now, the low cost entry, and should be their focus. I don't know how they would do a "first time" discount, but could maybe have an alternative "Propeller Starter Kit/Jumpstart" with the Proto USB, a USB cable, a power source, and then provide a link to an online PDF of a manual (instead of a printed one) for ~50 USD.·

    Propeller DIP Plus Kit is 43 USD, and the Proto Board is 30 USD...?· The DIP Plus Kit would be another alternative (if it was priced lower) as an "entry level" kit.· If 20 USD is some sort of "sweet spot" for first-timers,·the DIP Plus Kit (or something like it) might work.· That is, unless the Proto Board components can be sourced, and the boards manufactured, for significantly less.

    Post Edited (trodoss) : 9/23/2008 2:13:10 PM GMT
  • hippyhippy Posts: 1,981
    edited 2008-09-23 14:09
    @ Phil : Note though that most of those evaluation kits have limited extension capabilities so would not be an ideal choice for 'low budget development'. The ProtoBoard is a very different animal. I consider it an over-sized DIP carrier, especially as it's cheaper than the genuine DIP carriers on offer. Large, but I can live with that, and I expect others do.

    I'm not sure those examples are actual loss-leaders although minimal profit certainly, but your point is taken. An equivalent Propeller product would be a PropStick but with only one leg or so brought out to an LED, the rest inaccessible. While fulfilling an 'evaluation only' remit, that's unlikely to cost much less than the ProtoBoard and would need a 'PropPlug on-board' or it would push the cost too high for what it offers. Maybe the solution is an evaluation board which can later be used as a PropPlug as well ?

    The evaluation module most attractive to me is the STM32. As previously noted, ARM plus 128x128 colour LCD. That is as cheap ( when I last looked ) as it is to buy such a naked LCD by itself in the UK and allows it to be use as a graphical LCD peripheral in its own right with relatively little extra effort.

    @ Mike : I'd like something like that, but I'd go DIP footprint and put the 3V3 regulator on-board as well. I believe a low-cost DIP carrier format would be great but historically Parallax don't seem to be able to make low cost DIP carriers ( yes, I know, Parallax has to make money to exist ).

    If Parallax won't offer such a board then this is an opportunity for a third-party, but Parallax do have the economies of scale and of being chip manufacturer.

    Ultimately it's asking for a ProtoBoard in a reduced footprint format and some things left off for 20 USD / 10 GBP / 14 EUR / 24 AUD. I don't see that as too unreasonable nor unachievable and it would certainly IMO help boost foreign markets. Unfortunately, with the current distributor model we will not see those prices in foreign markets unless Parallax ship at a loss and that isn't likely going to happen, and, while buying direct is possible, purchasers tilt towards buying from local sources.

    To save cost, I would not be adverse to an ( even over-sized ) DIP carrier which takes PDIP Propeller, Eeprom, crystal and regulator and comes as a self-assembly kit at the prices above. We're really talking PropStick, but without RS232/USB and at a quarter of the price.

    Added : I wasn't aware of the Propeller DIP Plus Kit trodoss mentions - Something like that but with a PCB and forget the wires and halve the cost -- Who would buy such a kit when you can get two ProtoBoards ( at the old price ) for the same cost ? It's impossible not to note that there's around $14 of core component parts in the DIP kit, with three-fold mark-up and more when a foreign distributor adds their own.

    Post Edited (hippy) : 9/23/2008 2:32:42 PM GMT
  • trodosstrodoss Posts: 577
    edited 2008-09-23 14:19
    @hippy -- as usual, you hit the "nail on the head" [noparse];)[/noparse]

    I know the Ardunio Pro Mini/Wee (looks like a·stamp without feet)·sells for a little less than 20 USD and would be about the same format [noparse][[/noparse]Edit: Not DIP though]. If Parallax did not want to manufacture something like that, possibly a company like SparkFun Electronics would want to do so?· For anyone other than Parallax most of the cost would be the Prop chip, so it would have to be mass produced to be viable.· Any volunteers [noparse];)[/noparse]

    Post Edited (trodoss) : 9/23/2008 2:36:09 PM GMT
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