BOM Prices

[NZ0I]

The new KiCad schematic approach allows KiCad to generate CSV BOM files with a single click. Those BOM files can then be uploaded to DigiKey (and probably other parts suppliers) to get parts availability and prices. DigiKey has a BOM manager that not only supports uploading CSV files, but also allows one to multiply the BOM order for different quantities of assemblies. So it is easy to see how much it would cost for parts for a single Transmitter board or for 10 or 100 boards, etc. The price per board falls, of course, with higher quantity pricing.

Parts for 2-Band ARDF Mini-Tx  boards:

3 Boards: $137.24 (DigiKey) + $46.10 (OSH Park) = $183.34

10 Boards: $120.34 (DigiKey) + $27.66 (OSH Park) = $148.00

100 Boards: $95.15 (DigiKey) + $27.66 (OSH Park) = $122.81

Parts for Mini-Tx Power Supply boards:

3 Boards: $39.60 (DigiKey) + $23.05 (OSH Park) + (No Batteries) = $62.65

10 Boards: $33.62 (DigiKey) + $13.83 (OSH Park) + (No Batteries) = $47.45

100 Boards: $24.39 (DigiKey) + $13.83 (OSH Park) + (No Batteries) = $38.22

The prices above are still approximate and can fluctuate with tariffs and market conditions, and they do not include LiIon battery or Coin Cell battery, battery chargers, or antennas. But this is easily the closest-to-accurate cost estimate obtained thus far. There will be opportunities to bring the cost down by shopping for less-expensive sources for parts and boards. 

To summarize the approximate total cost per transmitter (Power Supply + Transmitter board):

3 Transmitters: $245.99 (plus batteries)

10 Transmitters: $195.45 (plus batteries) - 21% savings over 3

100 Transmitters: $161.03 (plus batteries) - 35% savings over 3

Another thing to note: This design replaces all the various transmitter types used in ARDF. It functions for Classic, Sprint, and Fox-O on both 2m and 80m. So, even the $246 price tag represents savings over purchasing all transmitters separately, and is much smaller, lighter, simpler to use, and hopefully it will prove more reliable to boot.