04-02-2017, 01:45
Hi John
Welcome and thank your for your interest in the WeatherDuino Pro2 project.
By the contrary, the Pro2 PLUS RX is an almost fully assembled system, in which the user just have to add some very standard parts (RX / TX modules, their own choice of ATM, Temp / Hum sensor and a few pin headers). The chance of error in assembling a Pro2 PLUS is minimal.
Trying to reply to your question about the higher price of the Pro2 PLUS RX compared with the regular Pro2 RX.
Some aspects, as a bigger PCB, have already been explained by AllanG, but there are others:
- The Pro2 PLUS have more electronic parts than the Pro2. However is not only the cost of the additional parts that justifies its higher price, which most increases their price is the assembling cost of the pre assembled parts. The quantities of PCB I can buy at once aren't enough to justify assembling by a pick and place machine, so they are assembled by hand. The cost of manual assembling is higher.
- Development costs (hardware and software).
Despite now we have the Pro2 PLUS, we don't consider the regular Pro2 as obsolete or discontinued, by the contrary, it is a very capable system, and will continue to be available. Its only "problem" is the limited amount of memory of the Arduino Nano, which will limit adding new functionalities.
Welcome and thank your for your interest in the WeatherDuino Pro2 project.
Quote:RX+ is not more "prebuilt" than RX or anything obvious like that.
By the contrary, the Pro2 PLUS RX is an almost fully assembled system, in which the user just have to add some very standard parts (RX / TX modules, their own choice of ATM, Temp / Hum sensor and a few pin headers). The chance of error in assembling a Pro2 PLUS is minimal.
Trying to reply to your question about the higher price of the Pro2 PLUS RX compared with the regular Pro2 RX.
Some aspects, as a bigger PCB, have already been explained by AllanG, but there are others:
- The Pro2 PLUS have more electronic parts than the Pro2. However is not only the cost of the additional parts that justifies its higher price, which most increases their price is the assembling cost of the pre assembled parts. The quantities of PCB I can buy at once aren't enough to justify assembling by a pick and place machine, so they are assembled by hand. The cost of manual assembling is higher.
- Development costs (hardware and software).
Despite now we have the Pro2 PLUS, we don't consider the regular Pro2 as obsolete or discontinued, by the contrary, it is a very capable system, and will continue to be available. Its only "problem" is the limited amount of memory of the Arduino Nano, which will limit adding new functionalities.