Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: MOTM

Any answer to my question below? If themodule is compelling enough, I have no problem with $400. I just don’t believethere’s enough demand at $400 to reach 100 units. And then we’re backto not seeing anything at any price.

 

Also, what happened to the notion of alittle production design, like designing the PCBs for ∗multiple∗ formats. Main module PCBs with astandardized connector for a format-specific daughterboard (yeah, a few bucksmore, but they could be standardized and end up cheap)?

 

If that’s too ambitious then just addpower connectors and whatever other pads are needed for MOTM to the oppositeend of the monolithic PCB. Have the MOTM power connector soldered on along withthe Euro hardware. Just make a run where you save $2.55 + the cost of pots andjacks by not having them do those operations. This is standard productionstuff and doesn’t really cost to have them do.

 

Worst case when we retro-fit a Euro moduleto MOTM, we cut off the Euro pots, jacks, etc. and solder wires the oldfashioned way to the proper pads. Bridechamber still gets to sell us MOTMpanels and parts.

 

-Greg

 

 

A 50 unit minimum looks to me like anawfully high bar to reach. Especially at $400 per. And the rest of the criteriaisn’t clear to me. Are you saying you need 50 MOTM AND 50 MU (going bythe $40,000 figure you throw out) before we’ve got a run? Regardless, Idon’t see how this is going to happen. Echoing Thomas’ sentiment,my MOTM ‘investment’ has not been pretty.

 

Greg James

 

 

Thisis sort of a 2-part MOTM issue

 

MOTM as DIY-based

 

Certainly since thefirst module the kits out-sold the assembled like 25:1. In some modulesprobably 75:1. Things went OK until the RoHS directive killed both theSwitchcraft jacks and the Spectrol pots at once. It took nearly 2 years to getthose parts back and running, only to have Vishay (that made the RoHS version)drive the price from $1.80 to $7.50. This clogged the pipeline, blew up thebacklog and it was not until BI came out with the P260 family that I couldfinally get going. This is just on the “business” side of things.

 

So, I decided tohave Scott at BrideChamber take over and I think he has done a great job. Theparts, kits, panels and pc boards are still there.

 

But what is missing?New offerings specifically for DIYers. (and some MOTM kits I need to ship out,more on that later).

 

I have not decidedyet if the ROI (return on investment) is worth it for doing more DIY-specificMOTM modules. Right now I am thinking not.

 

MOTM as Assembled

 

The current MOTMmodules were not engineered to be ‘quick’ to assemble, in fact (andyou know who you are) some folks think the longer it takes/the more parts thebetter the overall fun factor. Which is exactly what DIYers want but notexactly great for one-at-a-time assembly. It’s not that the ROI isn’tgood (it is) but the time required is a problem.

 

MOTM as a‘Hobby’

 

It started as ahobby and I want it to remain a hobby. I do NOT want to do this 100% as my‘living’. But since Jan. it has been (and hopefully next month willrevert back to full hobby status). I have focused on Euro because that is how Ihave to support my family. I have NOT ignored MOTM entirely but yes Euro has“stolen” the bulk of time because it is necessary to do so. I donot like doing this, it is not fair to 5U customers but it is just what has tobe done now.

 

I have interviewedtwice recently and feel at least 1 of them will result in full time, withhealth insurance benefits, employment. This will allow me to then go back to 5Umore and more. Note that I may have to physically move (again) so there will be3-4 weeks where not much will go on. May people take holiday/vacation in Augustso it’s a good time to move anyway. I will not know for sure until nextweek. But I am optimistic.

 

Will there ever benew 5U stuff?

 

Yes, but asassembled. And I will start with going to Kickstarter (www.kickstarter.com) in order to judgethe demand. In this way, no money exchanges hands until a goal is reached (indollars, but that is just a minimum number of modules). SMT tooling isexpensive, like $900. Each pc board run is $250 setup on the machines. Theprices will be “high” (say in the $400 range) initially. But withSMT assembly, I can go from the boards in front of me to a finished, calibratedmodule in about 9 minutes. The years of waiting are over, I can build 50modules a week in my spare time.

 

I think offering a50 module minimum run is fair and the way Kickstarter is set up I can ship morethan 50 but not LESS than 50. So if for example I offer a 5U and a MU CloudGenerator both at $400 with 50 of each and there is a dollar pledge over$40,000 then I would just make more and everyone that pledged gets a module. Ithink this is fair, I do not even have to buy parts until the goal is met,unlike the current way where I have to HOPE there is a demand. I could split itand say “as long as I get 80 modules of a mix of MU/5U we have ago”.

 

BUT….I willNOT do this until EVERY current MOTM user has their modules from me. I mighttinker on the CAD system beforehand but nothing ‘official’ untilthen.

 

And when will thisbe?

 

The honest answer: Ihave no idea. Will it be in 2012? Yes it will but not going to say ‘byOct 1’ or whatever. Because I never hit the dates anyway. So instead of awatch or calendar I’m looking at the leaves of tress JA LOT may happen in the next 6 weeks. I may not get a job offer and then the 5Utime is what it is now.

 

If people think MOTMis ‘dead’ or in a ‘death spiral’ or they feel‘abandoned’ they certainly have the data to point to that. Andit’s 100% on me. But as Granny liked to say, “The proof is in thepudding”. So, after I get the MOTM backlog  shipped, and I post themodules to KickStarter (there will be 3 of them) then the user base will decideMOTM’s fate.

 

Paul S.