MOTM

<<this is not about what you are thinking! >>

It dawned on me today that my pcb assembler has an old part sequencer. NOT a
music sequencer!
What this does is take resistors, caps, diodes that are on tape & reel and
sequence them from the individual
parts reels to a "master" reel. The "master reel" is then placed in the
auto-insertion machine where the parts
are stuffed on the pcbs before wave soldering.

Duh!

So, I am going to get them to quote me a "master reel" of the resistors for
EACH KIT! That way, you would receive
a continuous tape with all of the resistors on it *in order* as used in the
kit! Duh! I should have done this 2 YEARS
ago. What a veg!

Hopefully, the cost won't be too high to be more than the labor I pay now
(part-time tech school folks). I bet
for resistor-intensive kits (320, 300, 440) this will be a no-brainer. The
charge about 15 years ago was a $75
setup fee (the machine uses punched paper tape! How quaint) and 1/2 cent per
part + cost of the part. So
if I run 100 LFO kit sets, that's only $1.50 in "labor" which is what I pay
now, roughly.

I'll keep you posted.

Paul S.

synth1@... writes:

>>So, I am going to get them to quote me a "master reel" of the resistors for 
EACH KIT! That way, you would receive a continuous tape with all of the 
resistors on it *in order* as used in the kit!<<

Sounds beautiful.  When I start a kit I spend too much time sorting all the 
resistors into a bunch of piles by value.  And the coloring on some of them 
is so bad it just leads to possible errors.  Although if I had to pick 
between resistors on reel, or pre-bent resistor leads, I'd take the pre-bent 
leads if that is ever an option in the future.

-Elhardt

"Sequenced parts" is a GO! All new kits forward will have them, and as the
stock of older kits is used up,
they will appear there as well. Yippeeee!!!!

Paul S.


>
> Sounds beautiful.  When I start a kit I spend too much time sorting all
the
> resistors into a bunch of piles by value.  And the coloring on some of
them
> is so bad it just leads to possible errors.  Although if I had to pick
> between resistors on reel, or pre-bent resistor leads, I'd take the
pre-bent

> leads if that is ever an option in the future.
>
> -Elhardt
>
>
>
>

> Although if I had to pick
> between resistors on reel, or pre-bent resistor leads, I'd take the
> pre-bent
> leads if that is ever an option in the future.
>
> -Elhardt

Let's not get out of hand here, pre bent leads? If we have that happen,
there won't be much challenge left in building modules, we'll just have
to buy the assembled ones. Plus, if all the components are going to be
on the same "reel" this couldn't be done, the lead spacing is different
on the resistors, the axial capacitors and the ferrite beads. -Nate

nate@... writes:

>Let's not get out of hand here, pre bent leads? If we have that happen,
 there won't be much challenge left in building modules, we'll just have
 to buy the assembled ones. Plus, if all the components are going to be
 on the same "reel" this couldn't be done, the lead spacing is different
 on the resistors, the axial capacitors and the ferrite beads.<

No challenge left if leads are pre-bent?  It isn't a challenge to bend leads. 
 It's a big time waster and when a bunch of modules are done at once it leads 
to raw and aching thumbs.  Ferrit beads and caps don't need to be pre-bent, 
they number so few.  I have bought resistors in the past that were pre-bent 
and it sure it nice, but the downside is that it rules out putting them on a 
reel.  However, if they come on a reel maybe it will be easy to bend a bunch 
at once.

-Elhardt

Pual, I hope this helps you in the assembly of my assembles modules too!
evil laugh hehehehehehehehehe
Jim

Paul Schreiber wrote:

> "Sequenced parts" is a GO! All new kits forward will have them, and as the
> stock of older kits is used up,
> they will appear there as well. Yippeeee!!!!
>
> Paul S.
>
> >
> > Sounds beautiful.  When I start a kit I spend too much time sorting all
> the
> > resistors into a bunch of piles by value.  And the coloring on some of
> them
> > is so bad it just leads to possible errors.  Although if I had to pick
> > between resistors on reel, or pre-bent resistor leads, I'd take the
> pre-bent
> > leads if that is ever an option in the future.
> >
> > -Elhardt
> >
> >
> >
> >
>