Comment by nemik | Hacker News Reader

Comment by nemik | Hacker News Reader

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Very cool! But ATMega's can be pretty pricey as well as connectors like USB. Bluetooth LE would be a pretty good alternative especially since it's wireless.

Check out platforms like the mbed (http://developer.mbed.org/) which can work with Nordic's really nice nRF51822 chipset. This is the same one in the Estimote iBeacons and it's a very nice platform.

They even come in module forms that are pre-certified with the FCC to make integration with end-devices more friendly. Modules such as the PTR5518 can be pretty cheap (http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/PTR5518-Coin-size-nR...) and small, and they just could get soldered to your existing circuit. Best of all, the mbed source code you write for the firmware works directly in those modules too.

Good luck with the project!

>Modules such as the PTR5518 can be pretty cheap

Those are $8 each! That's way too expensive if they want to sell this thing for < $100. I'd think you'd probably want the total cost for making these to be ~$15 max.

I've also been looking into wireless connectivity options for consumer devices, and the options do not look too good for small companies or individuals. You can get NRF51822 chips for around $3 each in bulk, but then you are greatly increasing the difficulty level and making FCC certification potentially much more painful. (I mean, say you get it working but then it fails the emissions test. If you're not an Real Electronic Engineer, how are you realistically going to fix that?)

Also, not everything supports bluetooth LE, and consumers just know that their device has "Bluetooth" (if they even know that), and are going to get pissed if their Bluetooth device can't connect to your (ahem) dildo.

MicroUSB connectors aren't super expensive (less than $1 each in bulk).

Anyway, none of the frustration there is directed at you -- just ranting a bit.

Thanks! They are indeed pricey -- it's tough reading things like this (http://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?p=4297) talking about chips that are 40 times as fast, have 2 thousand times more memory and cost half as much as our Atmegas. :/

But I think you're definitely right -- things are moving towards BLE in general, and having fewer wires and ports is for sure a plus for something like a sex toy.

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