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Electronics KITs.. Surface mount or Through-hole?

surface mount or Though hole

  • Surface mount

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Surface mount but only easy packages (SOIC, 1206, TQFP)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Through hole only!

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0
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ikalogic

Member
Hello,

I am starting a kit production/selling business here in france, but i shall be shipping worldwide via E-bay.

i am really having a difficult time deciding whether to offer surface mount kits or through hole?

I know i could do both, but with what should i start?

That's why i am kindly asking the community here to tell me, if you were to buy an electronic kit, which one would you chose?
 
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You need to supply both types of kits. Not both types for each project but surface mount when and where it is necessary.
Just remember this: Kit sales are less than one-hundredth of what they were 10 years ago.
I have over 350 kits and all kits have been designed by me. Sales are 1% of what they were some years ago and you need to design a kit that is completely different to anything on the market to get any sales at all.
The only problem with surface mount kits is you have to buy the components on reels of 1,000 to 3,000. I can help you with some surface mount components as you are not going to use 3,000 surface mount diode bridges or regulators. You also need to get panels of printed circuit boards to keep costs down. This is where you put as many boards as possible on a large panel.
Boards should cost you no more than 10 cents per square cm for single sided boards with solder mask, tinning and legend. That's why you need lots of projects to keep costs down.
 
You need to supply both types of kits. Not both types for each project but surface mount when and where it is necessary.
Just remember this: Kit sales are less than one-hundredth of what they were 10 years ago.
I have over 350 kits and all kits have been designed by me. Sales are 1% of what they were some years ago and you need to design a kit that is completely different to anything on the market to get any sales at all.
The only problem with surface mount kits is you have to buy the components on reels of 1,000 to 3,000. I can help you with some surface mount components as you are not going to use 3,000 surface mount diode bridges or regulators. You also need to get panels of printed circuit boards to keep costs down. This is where you put as many boards as possible on a large panel.
Boards should cost you no more than 10 cents per square cm for single sided boards with solder mask, tinning and legend. That's why you need lots of projects to keep costs down.

Interresting.. thanks a lot for sharing that...

I think nowadays kit buyers only buy kits to save money, to build things they need instead of buying finished units. i think the kits-for-fun market, as you said, is shrinking.

I believe, however, that i'll be deisgning kits with this aspect in mind, trying to target students and low budget projects, bringing them tools and device they need for a low price.
 
I would start with thru-hole. It is the easiest, and isn't as frusterating as the SMT parts. You can work your way up.
 
I would start with thru-hole. It is the easiest, and isn't as frusterating as the SMT parts. You can work your way up.

I need to start with a very interresting kit, to bring in new custoomers. i won't restrain myself to SMT or thru-hole. I think that colins55's view is the correct one :
You need to supply both types of kits. Not both types for each project but surface mount when and where it is necessary.
 
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