> Kits are just no longer economically feasible. Soldering
> PCBs means through hole and that just isn't practical any
> more. New parts aren't being released in through hole
> packages and RoHS is reducing availability of many existing
> through hole parts. Future design will be SMT and I'm not
> going to solder those!
No offense intended, but IMNSHO SMT is really not a good reason to give up
on DIY. Have you actually tried it? I have; it's not that hard. It's
actually easier to solder an SMT IC than a through-hole DIP. Yeah, the
resistors and caps are tiny, but if you're doing your own projects you can
buy larger packages than the usual 0603 or 0402.
There is a good introduction to hand-soldered SMT here:
http://www.bdmicro.com/smt/I built one of his microcontroller boards as my first SMT project. It was
really straightforward, and the board worked the first time I powered it up.
I personally think it's a great time to be doing DIY synth modules. I can
have PCBs made for $15 each (in lots of 5, admittedly), including shipping
to my doorstep, using free software to do the schematic capture and PCB
layout. I can have beautiful CNC-machined one-off 5U panels made for ~$50,
again shipped to my doorstep, using free software. Via the web I have access
to an unprecedented wealth of information--everything from Moog schematics
to the data sheets of not-yet-in-production ICs, not to mention discussions
with other builders all around the world.
I submit that DIY isn't getting harder, it's just different than it used to
be. Same's true for a lot of things, eh?
--Adam