[sdiy] SMT vs. THrough Hole....

[Peter Grenader]

Can anyone share data which would indicate, on a SMALL QUANTITY
manufacturing cycle on a given product (let's say 75 of something within a
year period), that SMT would be either more reliable, less expensive and
more servicable over than  through hole product all things considered?

We're talking quantities that would not require the use of pick and place
automated assembly machines.

Looking at out of warranty service issues, repairability, troubleshooting,
cost of hand assembly vs. that of through hole manual assembly etc - it
would seem to me that if a manufacturer didn't have the luxury of automated
assembly and simply replacing a bad board with a good one, that
troubleshooting and repair would much more of an ordeal than if the circuit
was through hole.  I'm taking into consideration here the ease of id'ing
mislocated parts (via color codes), the relative ease of component
replacement, (especially with IC sockets), etc.

There is a gee-whiz factor, and yeah, there is something to be said about
that.  But at what cost does that come?

anyone?
anyone?

- Peter