That moment when you suddenly realize that of the four distinct modules on your project, the LEDS/Drivers module is the most expensive one. So far they are about 3/4 the total cost of the whole thing.
Hrm, not that far off from my original guestimate a few months ago … little over $200 … each. Let’s say I add in the incidentals, things like getting the stencils made ($25-$50), solder paste, labor, few bits of wires … round it up and say $600 for a pair … that’s STILL cheaper than the current commercial one which now sells for $1,490/pair (it was less six months ago.) Not to mention the improvements I made. Now, if I knew how to figure out how much time I spent on coding, that’d be a different story.
And I’m already changing some things. While I focused allot on using small components, an 0805 at 25 cents beats an 0603 at 86 cents. In this case, I have the room to play with. That’s about $60 less right there.