Group Buy - in3otd/Hermes-Lite2 GitHub Wiki

Makerfabs is currently running a group buy for the Hermes-Lite 2.0 Build8 and N2ADR companion filter board.

• Hermes-Lite 2.0
• N2ADR Companion Filter Card

This is a limited time group buy and will close on April 1. This group buy includes complete assembly of both boards. If you order the N2ADR filter companion card, the 20x2 female connector and small PCB to connect to the HL2 are included but you must solder and assemble those. The enclosure is not included, so you must purchase the recommended enclosure separately or find another way to properly heat sink the PA during transmit. A USB blaster to reprogram the gateware is not included, but the units will be programmed at makerfabs with the latest gateware image. See the Hermes-Lite 2.0 Getting Started page for more details.

This is the first time the assembly house is winding the TX balun on the HL2 and the power pickup on the N2ADR card for us. They may not do this correctly the first time around, so you should be prepared to rewind these. Also, you should be prepared to do minor surface mount repairs such as change out a 2 pin resistor or capacitor, although this hopefully will not be required.

The boards will undergo a screening test at makerfabs. This will test basic RX, TX and other functionality, but is not an extended burn in test. The arrangement includes sending me a free unit for every 5 units that are sold. These units are replacements in case of some catastrophic failure of a unit in the field. I will also eventually sell the remaining units. The profits go into a pool to pay for parts replacements and other minor repairs. After selling almost 100 units, this system has worked okay and the pool remains funded.

Payment is through the www.makerfabs.com site and appears to be PayPal or bank transfer. For safe internet purchases with credit card or bank, I recommend using a virtual number with time and amount limits. Your credit card or bank typically provides a virtual number through your online account.

Makerfabs is saying 4-6 weeks for production, starting from April 1. From past experience, I know it can take longer as sometimes specific part orders are delayed.

Makerfabsis a company in China's Silicon Delta that specializes in small batch assembly for open source and hardware projects. They assembled all the N2ADR companion filter boards (35 units) in the last two builds. I have worked with them successfully on other projects as well.