by Bryan Bergeron, Editor
DE VELOPING
PERSPECTIVES
Economical Electronics
In the current economic downturn,
it may be difficult for you to
rationalize spending what’s left of
your dwindling disposable income
on electronic components, test
equipment, and other non-essentials.
However, your electronics avocation
needn’t be an all-or-nothing
proposition. There are numerous
ways of cutting costs without
diminishing your enjoyment. In fact,
if your focus is circuit design, then
you’ll probably find the engineering
challenge of getting the most
from affordable components more
rewarding than simply ordering and
using the latest generation chips.
And there are also options for
construction enthusiasts.
Doing more with less is nothing
new to those of us who work in
electronics. Most electronic
engineers face economic pressure on
a daily basis from both management
and the market. As enthusiasts, we
often have the luxury of working
at our leisure, of relatively flexible
budgets, and of over-engineering
circuit designs so to cover any likely
operating constraints. In comparison,
a five cent difference in the cost of a
component can destroy the profit
margin on a product run of 50,000,
and can make the difference
between commercial success and
failure. So what can you do, as an
electronics enthusiast, to minimize
cost? I suggest the following:
• Design With Cost in Mind
If you’re designing, for example,
an audio circuit, do you really need
the latest, ultra-low-noise op-amps?
Can you get by with an inexpensive,
somewhat older chip without a
discernable difference in quality?
Are the components in your design
available from suppliers in single
units? Do you really need a printed
circuit board, or can you achieve the
same results with an all-purpose
board? Are you over-embellishing
your design with marginally useful
LCD displays, meters, LEDs, and
switches?
• Shop Wisely
Use discount components and
enclosures whenever possible.
5 reflectance sensors on underside
battery charger
connector
piezo buzzer
4 AAA
batteries
(not included)
push-on/push-off
power button
reset
button
30:1 micro
metal
gearmotors
optional
power LED
ISP
programming
connector
removable 8x2
character LCD
user pushbuttons
robot diameter is 3π cm (~ 3. 7 inches)
8
September 2008