hello,
I am making an Arduino project for school. we wanted to make a very cheap product. but we started wondering since we used Arduino software do we have to pay the full price Arduino for every product or can we just buy a chip were we put in the software code of the Arduino.
so more specific, we made an device that can measure heartbeat and oxygen. it costs about 6 euros without the Arduino, we have to calculate the produce price, so what it would cost to make 1000 of these. but we it would be a shame if Arduino would double the price.
Everything about Arduinos is open source and there are alternate vendors for Arduino compatible boards. You can buy packs of 10 for $US20 on ebay. Look for Arduino Pro and Pro Mini.
If you want to use this in a real life medical setting the cost of even a genuine Arduino board will pale with the cost of certification for your product.
If you want to make 1,000 of them, using an Arduino board is simply the wrong approach. That's the kind of volume that's calling for your own PCB, and probably your own enclosure.
Don't forget to add your development cost (the many many hours you'll spend developing it, the hardware for prototyping, the testing that has to be done to make sure your product actually works, etc) for a more realistic price point. The hardware is only a very small fraction of that at such low volume runs.
The OP has already explained quite clearly that this is not a device for a medical application. How did he explain this? Quite simply, he expressed a concern about cost - this immediately excludes a medical application.
Now he also mentions making these in quantity, 1000 is mentioned. Why would one want to make such a quantity? Presumably to distribute to schools as a learning aid (one per student in a Science class). Not a medical application, not required to pass medical standards but must be inherently safe, battery powered and no electrical connection to the person.
The UNO is of course, completely unsuitable for this application; you would be using a Pro Mini. Even at 1000, it is hardly practical to assemble these from component part when a Pro Mini clone from China costs less than two Euro.
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Now the other aspect of this project it that it is an exercise - essentially a kit - in students actually building these using Arduino systems (and presumably programming), since it is clearly not even remotely possible to do it at comparable price, let alone cheaper than the commercial product which this emulates.
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