re: Smart box / Dumb box

Jeff,

Good points. Counterpoints snipped, inserted below.

>The smart box sounds good. I would like one. Alas, I can't afford
>one. I don't expect that to change. The existing smart box type
>products are all very expensive. They need to be. I don't think we
>can change that enough to make any real difference.

I disagree. The dynamic of this list is that many professionals give
of their time and advice in ways that would never happen 'outside'.
The actual parts cost of a 'smart box' is easily under $100. It's the
development cost, and its' necessary amortisation, which causes the
commercial boxes to be so expensive. Also that the feature-itis
necessary to stand-out in the hi-end competitive motion control
market skews the price even further...

We don't HAVE to play by ALL the same rules.

>A smart box design effort would be a very large project.

Really?! I know of at least three 2 member teams who have completed
this "project" in less than three months, with updates and
improvements since...

>The market for this sort of thing is not that large.

Several years ago, a major player in the low-end CNC market told me
that "the entire CNC market was only ever going to be about 500
units/year!" It's laughable now, and it was to me then also, but he
believed it!

>It follows then, that a large development expense (NRE) will have to
>be amortized over a small number of units. This requires a large per
>unit gross margin. The existing products of this type seem to
>validate this.

Again, true in the 'market' business model. And again, we can operate
outside some of these constraints. Many of us are already giving our
time freely to this forum. The box project is just a change of our
focus. We are not starting from 'scratch', as Ron G and Carlos have
pointed out. We have anumber of people who would use this for their
own ends, both personal and commercial, I'd imagine.

We are bringing a "hobby" mentality to a "commercial" endeavor. This
is the kind of situation that causes airplanes to fly around the
world unrefueled! (the voyager project was in NO way financially
FEASIBLE, but it got done!) And a lot of EXPERTS gave their time and
advice/skills to make it possible. IMO, There are a lot of 'Dilberts'
who would like to be part of something REAL, and lasting... There
are others who feel this may be the ONLY way they will ever get the
kind of CNC they imagine...

>If someone wants to develop a smart box for free and let us all build
>our own for the cost of the parts I'd be happy to jump on that
>bandwagon. I not holding my breath, though.
>Jeff

This is the thinking which will KILL the project! To do this so that
WE ALL CAN BENEFIT, will require people to step forward, and do at
least some PART of the total effort needed.

Let's make this happen!

Ballendo