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#1
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The Curtis CD149 portable player
I recently purchased a cheap CD player in order to see what you can
get for $10. After noting that it sounds just like the other CD players I've purchased over the years, I took it apart and counted the components. As you read what's in there, keep reminding yourself that this player has a retail price of $10, and this is not a closeout or teaser price, since I can go back today and buy another one for the same price! There are 3 assemblies: 1. The case: 1. bottom with battery door 2. Top with 6 switch actuators and a window for the display 3. The pop-up lid with a plastic window whose sole purpose seems to be to allow you to watch the disc spin around. 2. The PCB: This is a single-sided epoxy-paper circuit board with parts mounted on both sides. The part numbers for each component are screened onto the side on which they are mounted. On the bottom: 31 chip capacitors 81 chip resistors 6 surface mount transistors 3 LSI integrated sircuits 1 MSI IC (a dual op-amp used to drive the headphones.) On the top: 6 metal film resistors 17 electrolytic capacitors 7 tiny inductors 8 switches 2 jacks 1 volume control pot LCD display attached by a flex strip a 10:1 divider whose purpose I can't fathom 21 bare wire jumpers 3 insulated wire jumpers 3. The laser assembly: The laser assembly consists of a plastic 'chassis' containing 2 motors, one to spin the CD and the other to move the laser sled back and forth on its steel rod. The motors are connected to the PCB through a 6 wire bundle, and the laser sled through a flex strip. I have not yet opened up the laser sled to see what's in it, but I will sooner or later (it's a one way operation; it will never go back together again.) The fact that one can make a pcb with 200 parts on it for $10 is a miracle. Adding in the laser assy and putting everything together--even by automatic machinery--is beyond my understanding. What could the factory cost of this player be? Norm Strong |
#2
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"normanstrong" wrote in message
... I recently purchased a cheap CD player in order to see what you can get for $10. After noting that it sounds just like the other CD players I've purchased over the years, I took it apart and counted the components. As you read what's in there, keep reminding yourself that this player has a retail price of $10, and this is not a closeout or teaser price, since I can go back today and buy another one for the same price! snip a whole bunch of unbelieveable stuff The fact that one can make a pcb with 200 parts on it for $10 is a miracle. Adding in the laser assy and putting everything together--even by automatic machinery--is beyond my understanding. What could the factory cost of this player be? Norm Strong Hi Norm, my brother in law was a QC engineer for RCA/GE/Thompson/Whatever it is this week he he. I remember him talking about the complete circuit boards from China for the 21 inch and 25 inch television sets. I'm not sure they ever used these in production sets, but the vendor would supply the boards fully assembled and tested for less than 22 bux each in quantities of 100,000 or more. If you bought a lot of them, the price got down into the mid teens. I too am absolutely amazed by the portable CD players. The out the door factory cost has to be less than two or three bux. Or maybe they are selling these as loss leaders, hoping you will buy a cd or two while you're in the store. They truly are disposable, if ANYTHING goes wrong, but as long as you don't drop 'em, I think they will play for many years. My daughter had a Lennox Sound portaable cd player we bought her 10 years ago, it is still working, although I don't consider its sound to be nearly good enough for critical listening. Britney Spears, however, comes thru loud and loud. Tom |
#3
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"normanstrong" wrote in message
... I recently purchased a cheap CD player in order to see what you can get for $10. After noting that it sounds just like the other CD players I've purchased over the years, I took it apart and counted the components. As you read what's in there, keep reminding yourself that this player has a retail price of $10, and this is not a closeout or teaser price, since I can go back today and buy another one for the same price! There are 3 assemblies: 1. The case: 1. bottom with battery door 2. Top with 6 switch actuators and a window for the display 3. The pop-up lid with a plastic window whose sole purpose seems to be to allow you to watch the disc spin around. 2. The PCB: This is a single-sided epoxy-paper circuit board with parts mounted on both sides. The part numbers for each component are screened onto the side on which they are mounted. On the bottom: 31 chip capacitors 81 chip resistors 6 surface mount transistors 3 LSI integrated sircuits 1 MSI IC (a dual op-amp used to drive the headphones.) On the top: 6 metal film resistors 17 electrolytic capacitors 7 tiny inductors 8 switches 2 jacks 1 volume control pot LCD display attached by a flex strip a 10:1 divider whose purpose I can't fathom 21 bare wire jumpers 3 insulated wire jumpers 3. The laser assembly: The laser assembly consists of a plastic 'chassis' containing 2 motors, one to spin the CD and the other to move the laser sled back and forth on its steel rod. The motors are connected to the PCB through a 6 wire bundle, and the laser sled through a flex strip. I have not yet opened up the laser sled to see what's in it, but I will sooner or later (it's a one way operation; it will never go back together again.) The fact that one can make a pcb with 200 parts on it for $10 is a miracle. Adding in the laser assy and putting everything together--even by automatic machinery--is beyond my understanding. What could the factory cost of this player be? Norm Strong You've just defined "dumping". |
#4
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#5
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On 17 Aug 2004 22:57:42 GMT, "Harry Lavo" wrote:
You've just defined "dumping". Maybe, but I wouldn't bet on it. "Low wages" for certain, but it may also come down to companies that do not have bloated and highly overpaid executive structures that seem to be becoming more and more prevalent among corps in the US. |
#6
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On 16 Aug 2004 23:06:45 GMT, "normanstrong"
wrote: I recently purchased a cheap CD player in order to see what you can get for $10. .... I've been amazed by precision electro-mechanical goods prices I've seen for quite a while. 200 GB disks for $200 ? But you may want to run an objective test or two on that CD player before judging it to work well. I bought a very cheap portable CD player a while back and played a test disk on it, one with a series of tones. It mangled everything above 6K or so (I don't remember the exact starting point). |
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