[Coco] CoCo4! 50% done!

[billg999 at cs.uofs.edu]

> On Feb 5, 2014 5:04 PM, "Mark Marlette" <mmarlette at frontiernet.net>
>
>> Lets keep it simple....Little to no profit margin, 100 board run, $200
> target price which IMHO, is a GREAT deal. I personally do not think that
> price is obtainable. The reason I say that is because basically you are
> making a custom DE-1, some removes, some add ons. Just call it
> equal....That is what Terasic is selling their device for and they are in
> the market, with contacts and volume. Look at at least twice that for a
> good not going broke starting point.
>>
>
> Not to mention the dev boards like the DE1 are not a profit oriented
> product for Terasic.  They only make them as a way to build interest in
> their "real" products (the FPGAs themselves), that's why there is a
> massive
> educational discount.  They quite likely take a loss on the boards.

Sorry about that last one.  Hit the wrong button.

I do not think Terasic is taking a loss on anything.  I think
there is profit in the educational price and that means even
greater profit in the list price ones.  And then tehre is the
absurd shipping.  I have bought quite a few computer and
electronics items from China and have never seen shipping
charges that high.  Maybe, if there is someone interested in
trying this they could ask Terasic for a quote on a large number
of them.  While I think that $200 is a bit ambitous, I would
think $300 was easily doable.  And I would have gladly paid
$300  for a complete functional system.  Heck, I bought a DE-1
for $172 without even having a copy of COCO3FPGA core, just on
the (likely) chance I would be able to get it.  I would not have
balked for a second for $300.  And, I'm not nearly the COCO
fanatic many here are.  I just like the machine.  And I don't
play any of the games!!

bill