Studio 8502 :verified: on Nostr: You see, the price of an electronics device, when you're not a horrible capitalist, ...
You see, the price of an electronics device, when you're not a horrible capitalist, is controlled largely by five factors:
• PCB size: the bigger the PCB, the more it costs.
• PCB layer count: More layers = more money.
• Parts count: Every part has its price.
• Special fees: Things like ENIG, or castellated holes, or an absurd number of vias, or the fee for each non-standard part type on the board, all that adds up.
• Production run size: The more you make, the less each unit costs.
If you want to keep the retail cost low, you minimize each of these factors. That can mean using technically non-optimal solutions for some things.
The most important thing is the BOM -- You want as few parts as possible. If you can do a job with one part instead of three, then you probably should, even if that one part costs a little more than the three, because it also reduces board size and complexity. But don't go crazy -- actually compare the numbers, to deliver the lowest retail price possible.
• PCB size: the bigger the PCB, the more it costs.
• PCB layer count: More layers = more money.
• Parts count: Every part has its price.
• Special fees: Things like ENIG, or castellated holes, or an absurd number of vias, or the fee for each non-standard part type on the board, all that adds up.
• Production run size: The more you make, the less each unit costs.
If you want to keep the retail cost low, you minimize each of these factors. That can mean using technically non-optimal solutions for some things.
The most important thing is the BOM -- You want as few parts as possible. If you can do a job with one part instead of three, then you probably should, even if that one part costs a little more than the three, because it also reduces board size and complexity. But don't go crazy -- actually compare the numbers, to deliver the lowest retail price possible.