MOTM

a) I am still having delays and issues with my metal supplier about the '650. I 
am hoping to put this to bed by Friday and get 75 front panels ordered. I am 
still amazed that in this day and age, I can't find a reliable sheet metal 
vendor that can read a drawing. Maybe if I was Dell or WalMart I could get 
better results (shrug). 18-layer pc boards with 0.005 mil lines shipped in 24 
hours? No problem! Buy 5,000 SMT resistors for $12 bucks? ZZzzzz..... Order a 
flat piece of metal with 20 holes drilled in it....errr....we'll have to get 
back to you on that one.

Honestly, there is a 50-50 chance I will be shipping MOTM-650s this year. I 
can't express how frustrating it has been this month dealing with these people. 
And this is the *6th* company I've tried since MOTM started. For the Frac-Rack 
panels, I'm NOT using them unless it's a very last resort. In fact, I may by the 
wholesale minimum (100 pounds) and have them shipped to me in standard panel 
sizes (about 1033 of 3 x 5.5 panels) undrill/unpainted (cost is <$1 each).

b) I am getting *very low* on most CEM ICs and I will be raising *some* prices 
next week. I still have 3340s/3320s but all the others are gone or will most 
likely be gone shortly.

c) Paul H. is still traveling and kit shipping will resume on the 22nd. We are 
running low on some kits, I have ordered more pc boards (takes 2 weeks to 
arrive).

d) There is a strong possibility (more testing needed) that kits that use 
tempcos will have a new 'style' of tempco beginning in late Feb. It is smaller 
but has the same specs (again, I have to test this) and I would be buying a 
lifetime supply :) The leads are smaller diameter, so the soldering is a little 
"clunky" on the current pc boards (next year I can change the drill holes for 
the smaller leads). This is not final, just a FYI. The current supplier is also 
a pain to deal with (missed the 3 last ship dates by 2-4 weeks). I can't ship 
stuff if my suppliers can't.

That's all for now, back to work!

Paul S.