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The MAX9814 is the microphone. Here's the BOM which shows the full breakdown coming in under $1. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.

The MAX9814 is the microphone. Here's the BOM which shows the full breakdown coming in under $1. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0238922 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal... (Table 1)

tyingq 6y ago
Just the BOM image so it's easier to read: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure/image?size=large&id=10.1371/journal.pone.0238922.t001 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure/image?size=... Also, I'm not sure where he's getting the prices. Prices for the MAX98306 and MAX9814 seem higher, even in high quantities, than what he's showing.
- kube-system 6y ago
  Interesting that they list the cost of raw PLA pellets for the "mass production cost" of the 3d printed case. This is starting to smell like an exercise in making an incorrect BOM to justify the result they were looking for. Nobody will 3d print you a case for $0.06. If what they meant was that they'd 3d print the case themselves, then it should be the filament or resin listed on the BOM. You probably can get a plastic part pretty close to that price, but not 3d printed, it would be injection molded.
  - dekhn 6y ago
    If you read enough of Nature and Science you will realize that skilled scientists are practiced in the art of misrepresenting many details of their work to get published. Note that the pricing in there is organized around the idea of a very massive custom purchase by a large company.
    - kube-system 6y ago
      I don't think there's anything wrong with them citing volume pricing per se. You'd expect something like a hearing aid to be mass produced. It's the incongruency of the materials listed with the actual materials that would be used in a mass production scenario that I find unscrupulous.
      - tyingq 6y ago
        You can find plenty of these "personal amplifier" devices for $15 or so. I doubt they are making $14 on each one. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=personal+amplifier&_sacat=0 https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m...
        deleted 6y ago
        [deleted]
magicalhippo 6y ago
> The MAX9814 is the microphone. It's the microphone amplifier. This unit still needs an external microphone, as well as headset/plugs.

tyingq 6y ago

Just the BOM image so it's easier to read: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure/image?size=large&id=10.1371/journal.pone.0238922.t001 https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/figure/image?size=... Also, I'm not sure where he's getting the prices. Prices for the MAX98306 and MAX9814 seem higher, even in high quantities, than what he's showing.

kube-system 6y ago
Interesting that they list the cost of raw PLA pellets for the "mass production cost" of the 3d printed case. This is starting to smell like an exercise in making an incorrect BOM to justify the result they were looking for. Nobody will 3d print you a case for $0.06. If what they meant was that they'd 3d print the case themselves, then it should be the filament or resin listed on the BOM. You probably can get a plastic part pretty close to that price, but not 3d printed, it would be injection molded.
- dekhn 6y ago
  If you read enough of Nature and Science you will realize that skilled scientists are practiced in the art of misrepresenting many details of their work to get published. Note that the pricing in there is organized around the idea of a very massive custom purchase by a large company.
  - kube-system 6y ago
    I don't think there's anything wrong with them citing volume pricing per se. You'd expect something like a hearing aid to be mass produced. It's the incongruency of the materials listed with the actual materials that would be used in a mass production scenario that I find unscrupulous.
    - tyingq 6y ago
      You can find plenty of these "personal amplifier" devices for $15 or so. I doubt they are making $14 on each one. https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=personal+amplifier&_sacat=0 https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m...
      - deleted 6y ago
        [deleted]

magicalhippo 6y ago

> The MAX9814 is the microphone. It's the microphone amplifier. This unit still needs an external microphone, as well as headset/plugs.