[sci.electronics] Pricing of DIPs vs SMTs

hillman@ucs.sfu.ca (Steve Hillman) (02/05/91)

I work for a small company and am involved in the building of a prototype
synthesizer. Since we don't have the money to go with large custom VLSI's,
most of our circuitry is off the shelf TTL circuitry. When it comes to
running off production boards, we'd like to go with SMT, as it would make
for MUCH smaller PC boards. Unfortunately, I have no information on the
differences in price between DIP packages and equivelant Surface Mount
Packages. Is there a large difference, or have the prices become quite
close, now that SMT use is almost universal? Our quantities would be quite
low - in the 100's.
 
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

-- 
Steve "Skillman" Hillman                "Everyone generalizes"
hillman@whistler.sfu.ca
skillman@tz.wimsey.bc.ca

jon_sree@world.std.com (Jon Sreekanth) (02/07/91)

In article <1991Feb5.024136.10349@ucs.sfu.ca> hillman@ucs.sfu.ca (Steve Hillman) writes:

   synthesizer. Since we don't have the money to go with large custom VLSI's,
   most of our circuitry is off the shelf TTL circuitry. When it comes to
   running off production boards, we'd like to go with SMT, as it would make
   for MUCH smaller PC boards. Unfortunately, I have no information on the
   differences in price between DIP packages and equivelant Surface Mount
   Packages. Is there a large difference, or have the prices become quite
   close, now that SMT use is almost universal? Our quantities would be quite
   low - in the 100's.

We're using SMT parts on one of our products that's just now going into
production. In 1000's, for common parts (TTL glue, TO-92 type 
transistors, low wattage resistors, low value caps), there's little
difference in price. I'm not sure about Canadian prices. Remember
also that assembly costs for SMT boards are less : per piece, the
cost of assembly of an SMT component might be half or better than
a through hole component. Even if the smt part is slightly more
expensive, you'll make it up in labor costs saved. Exotic parts,
mechanical parts (switches, connectors, leds, etc), EPROM's, etc
are still either unavailable or costly in SMT. Talk to a few of
the mainline distributors to get more specifics on your specific
parts. Make sure your pcb shop can handle smt. 

Regards, 

/ Jon Sreekanth

Assabet Valley Microsystems			Fax and PC products
346 Lincoln St #722, Marlboro, MA 01752		508-562-0722
jon_sree@world.std.com