SPIDriver fulfilled; I2CDriver gets real
After some delays, the last batch of SPIDrivers headed out the door yesterday, here's the final 130 waiting for their calibration and test. These are headed into retail, which is really satisfying. Thanks again to all the backers who made this happen. Lying on top is one of the prototype I2CDrivers, reading the ambient temperature from an I2C precision thermometer. This is for the temperature calibration of the SPIDrivers -- by measuring them just at the moment when they're loaded, their temperature sensor is corrected to within 1 degree C. There's nothing like the taste of real dogfood!
I've been talking about I2CDriver for a few weeks now. Its prelaunch page is now up on Crowd Supply, please help spread the word!
This week, I got PCBA quotes from the manufacturer who handled the SPIDriver boards (Boktech, they're great!). It looks like everything will be economic - if parts shortages don't strike us between now and the manufacturing run.
I also ordered cables from the custom cable service of dirty PCBs. SPIDriver just used split pieces of generic "dupont" hookup jumpers. This worked out at about $0.20 per SPIDriver. For I2CDriver I wanted to do something a little better. The "dirty cables" system is quite impressive - you build up the custom cable with a drag-and-drop interface, and see the quote live. The extensive information that comes with it helps a lot. The cables will look a little like this one from Sparkfun:
Why all the excitement about cables? Partly because it's another step towards making the SPIDriver and I2CDriver real products. Another is, frankly, the price. The above assembly sells on Sparkfun at $1.54 in qty 100, including shipping. Buy a hundred from dirty cables, and the price is $0.50 shipped. Considering that the I2CDriver will probably come with three cable sets, it adds up quite fast.
The rest of the time has been spent preparing the promotional video for I2CDriver. Videos take a lot time -- an excellent reason to keep the videos short and sweet. I'll post more on the photography process next week.