FTDI FT232RL Group Buy

I'm putting together a group buy of the FTDI FT232RL chips, as used in the Arduino. I'm trying to get enough commitments together to get up to at least 1 full reel of 2000 chips. The plan is for me to purchase the parts, and then distribute them to the end-users. I'm not going to make any money off of this...I'm just trying to get a good deal on some parts. :slight_smile:

If you are interested, drop me a line.

Thanks.

-Pete

Where are you getting them from?

A reel of 2000 units will cost about $4,700

More importantly who is going to solder them on PCBs?

:slight_smile:

The distributor has not been finalized yet. Might be one of the usual players like Mouser, etc. Any suggestions?

Yeah, a full reel is spendy. I personally only want like 50 or so. Soldering a few at a time by hand isn't too bad. Most of the folks who have expressed interest are shops who are producing products in commercial quantities...likely with solder stencils, pick & place machines, and reflow ovens. :slight_smile:

-Pete

Mouser Reel of 2,000: $2.35 each = $4700.00

Digikey Reel of 2,000: $2.65001 each = $5300.02

Yeah, if the decision was between Mouser and DigiKey, I'd be pretty hard pressed to find a $600 reason to go with DigiKey. :slight_smile:

Now you need to find someone who can beat mouser :slight_smile:

Digikey charges sales tax, if you don't provide the tax exemption form, so mouser is the best option.

One additional hint... if you purchase over $200 in mouser, select UPS ground and they will upgrade to UPS 2nd day for free.

Ah, very nice tip!

Ok, we're up to a full reel or so. I'm going to close the deal and place the order in the next couple of days. If you're interested, now's the time to speak up.

Thanks.

Hi Peter,

I left a message for you in another forum.

For guys in the UK or Europe or US you can get some
some cheap chips without buying huge reels from

Tronisoft Limited (P/N: 6210)

or

RS P/N: 406-580

Prices are very reasonable for small quantities

Best regards,

Clayton
:slight_smile:

We store FT232RL, and small qty is welcomed :wink:

how did this go? everybody get what they wanted?