New to Beagle Board

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1

Hey everyone,

I'm new to Beagle Board but have been researching it a little bit
lately. I've been looking into building my own PCB using the Beagle
reference designs.

My biggest question is whether or not it would be cost effective to do
this if we only built/ordered parts in quantities of 100/200 at a
time. I know that the low cost of the Beagle Board is mostly due to
the quantities you are purchasing.

Is a BGA package for the main processor absolutely necessary? All of
the research I've done so far points to yes, but I just wanted to ask.
This may be a show stopper for me, unfortunately.

Thanks in advance for your help,

Joe

2

I guess it all depends on what you mean by cost effective. It will not be cheap. In fact, to get started may be very expensive ddepending on how many boards you end up building to get the process down based on who you pick to build your boards. One question is why you would want to only build 100 or 200 and whether or not there may be another way to get it done. Paying for SMT setup and paste screens, etc. alone will cost you money. Not to mention in those quantities, the PCB cost would be high.

So, what is driving the need to build your own at such a low quantity?

BGA is required for the processor. There is a larger BGA version that may be easier, but you still need a BGA.

Gerald

3

Gerald,

Thank you for your quick response.

I figured BGA was going to be necessary..

The reason we want to build our own at those quantities is to replace
a PCB that we've already been using and designed a housing for. The
Beagle Board as is won't fit and the connectors are obviously not
going to be in the exact positions we need. This is one of the options
we have, and it's probably the one I'm most interested in.

I don't know that 'cost effective' is the right word, basically I'm
wondering if I would be able to build my own at a comparable cost
(little less or little more) to what they're selling for. The board
size for mine would be larger, and I wouldn't need all of the
peripherals. I'd need Ethernet, USB, SD connector and the LCD
connector. I haven't worked with BGA packages and am not quite sure of
the extra costs involved with them. I know they are harder to assemble
and they need to x-ray the PCB to make sure the connections are
proper.

Thanks,

Joe

4

There are things you can do to cut cost and risk. Feel free to contact me direct and we can bounce some ideas around and see what we can come up with.

Gerald