Re:A working, transistor-scale replica of the MOS 6502 micro...
by DanBC on Sunday May 21, 2017 @06:25AM
(#14386604)
That board would have fitted fine in the old SMT pick and Place machine and solder reflow oven I used to use in around 1998 - 2004.
I think the cost is driven by this being a one off project. That makes one off costs (programming the pick and place machine; profiling the board in the oven; making solder stencil screens; PCB artwork etc) more expensive. I know the costs of these have dropped considerably since I was doing this stuff (2000), but they still add up.
It also means that you don't get economies of scale when buying components. It's usually cheaper to just buy reels of 5000 components than to buy a couple of hundred. (And it makes handling them much easier if you're using a machine to place them!!)
I think the cost is driven by this being a one off project. That makes one off costs (programming the pick and place machine; profiling the board in the oven; making solder stencil screens; PCB artwork etc) more expensive. I know the costs of these have dropped considerably since I was doing this stuff (2000), but they still add up.
It also means that you don't get economies of scale when buying components. It's usually cheaper to just buy reels of 5000 components than to buy a couple of hundred. (And it makes handling them much easier if you're using a machine to place them!!)