MOTM

> Some people seem to have forgotten about the "Yourself" in "Do It
Yourself" ;)
> To them I say, go out and learn some new technology!

Hear hear. 

> Things like surfacemount are not hard, they're just 
> different. Anyone who tells you otherwise hasn't done it themselves. 

Yup. Some SMT assembly is actually easier than through-hole assembly, in my
experience. By following the suggestions on the following website I was able
to successfully build a SMT-based microcontroller board (also obtained from
the same site), with no prior SMT experience: http://www.bdmicro.com/smt/

I found these things today which look great for prototyping with a mixture
of SMT and through-hole packages: http://onepasinc.com/bonnie/smt/smt.html
They're about US$10 each. I just ordered some for my next project, which is
a sort of output-buffer module which combines two small mixers with balanced
output drivers. 

> Accurate panel cutting can be done with a inkject printer, a centerpunch, 
> and a drill.

...Particularly if you use the stepped bits that I think have been mentioned
on this list in the past. I'm still a big fan of Front Panel Express,
personally, but I tried those stepped bits recently and they really do work
well.

--Adam