Hi everybody.
So, some updates. As pointed out, Sean and I have both been indisposed, and thatās paused things briefly.
Assuming things are correct with the latest PCB revision - we need to test one and confirm it fits our dummy alu panels - this is the point where I hand a lot of the work over to @shellfritsch, who is looking into manufacture, BOM sourcing, and ultimately, distribution. Thatās a lot of things.
I should note now that way back when, when I asked you if you were interested in something like a partially-assembled option, there was no guarantee thatād be an option. I think itās almost certain now that there will be no āpart assembled optionā; there will certainly not be a ākitā option. (Main reason is: assembly looks like it wonāt be as pricey as Iād originally envisaged).
We will definitely be offering assembled units. There may also be a PCB+metal option, but I am not in any way guaranteeing that. Our #1 focus is solving and fulfilling the run of built units. One of the key limits here is the faders: we have a three month lead time because weāre going to have to order them by the crate. The unit cost comes down, but itās three months from order to shipping. Obviously we can move a lot of the other components on whilst theyāre on order - getting BOMs together, boards and metal fabbed, packaging ordered. But thatās the big time-sink. Once they arrive, manufacture has to happen. We are being conservative by and large; not offering anything for sale until itās all locked down. Thatās why we havenāt just given you a price, taken money, and made yāall wait ages. We are getting there, though.
I will be honest and say: waking up to find people trying to groupbuy a thing you havenāt finished making or designing yet makes me a little sad. Especially when it comes down to offering groupbuyers a built version. It certainly dampens motivation somewhat. Iāll say right now that the BOM @jonnymon has posited isnāt quite right, especially when it comes to the panel - heās missing some drill holes, got the sizes of them wrong, itās far too thick, and the BOM doesnāt seem to include the second sheet of metal that is the base. I will say, however, his BOM costs are roughly - roughly - ballpark. But I find it a little strange to be positing a groupbuy based largely on guesswork, rather than anything thatās available.
As for price: really not ready to say anything until itās locked. What I will say is a bit about how weāre working on it. @bpcmusic has done some stellar work sharing a spreadsheet heās previously used: it helps us break down not only BOM cost, but also packaging cost, manufacture costs, fulfilmment costs, and adding appropriate margins through the processā¦ before helping determine a price that meets those margins. As estimates and pricing change or get locked down, we add them to the doc.
Margin is not profit. Margin is the percentage we add to handle BOM cost increasing when a component is temporarily unavailable, or manufacture cost altering, or anything changing its value. If we donāt spend it, thatās good, but if we donāt have it, we have very little wiggle room for anything to go wrong.
Anyhow, enough from me for now. I am chatting to @shellfritsch atm about next steps and I know heās working on metal-related things, and thatās how these things go.
