Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: MOTM

2010 was a ∗awful∗ year for me which really impacted my ability to finish up
all the MOTM backlog. From getting fired from my day job (the day my wife
and I returned from our first vacation together in 3 years), to getting
robbed to having dental issues - it was a nightmare.

So, I decided to actually ∗take off time from work∗ last week. Usually, I'm
working like mad 12 hours/day, and there have been years where I was laying
out pc boards on Christmas Eve. Not this time.

NAMM is also 1 week earlier than I expected, so what time I spent last week
was debugging modules to take to NAMM. That is over, I only have about 7
hours or so of time needed to be ready to go. If you can get it, drop my the
Analogue Haven booth in Hall E (somewhere).

I'm out of my 'funk' as we used to say in the '80s, so it's back to MOTM/day
job tomorrow AM. Besides, my 12 year old Weller iron just pooped out and
it's time for a new one (luckily Allied has 2 left in stock so they can ship
tomorrow and I'll have it Tuesday AM).

I do have lots of MOTM 5U modules in 'prep' meaning the pc boards are all
soldered (with pots) and they are tested and cal'd. I plan to ship these
before NAMM.

The other thing which I've tried to find the time to do but need to just sit
down and do it (on Monday the 17th which is US holiday) is the CA3280
testing for the MOTM-480s. Hopefully, this will not escalate into hunting
down CA3280s. This is why in 2011 one of the things I am considering is a
redesign of most every MOTM module to:

a) use SMT as much as possible
b) to use parts that I can get ∗now∗ versus parts I ∗could∗ get in 1999.

which if I do it right, leads to:

c) then I can crank out 5U modules in 15min versus 4 hours.

I'm not saying I ∗am∗, I'm saying I'm really thinking hard about it.

Anyway, to those who haven't bailed on me yet, thanks ans I'll get back to
work on some 2.0 orders (no solder needed!).

Paul S.