09-06-2022, 10:33 AM
Custom IC's versus discrete logic is the reason for the higher chip count in the Microbee.
As a relatively small computer manufacturer, and less volumes than the likes of Commodore, Acorn, Sinclair etc.,
we just didn't have the budget to implement custom IC's.
It was a bit of a catch-22 though - custom IC implementation would have saved a lot of cost and made the machines
even more price competitive, however, the up-front R&D costs then had to be amortised across lower volumes pushing the
price back up.
The other drawback is that a new model (with new features) means another go at custom chips, and more Non-Recurring
Engineering costs.
That said, Custom IC implementation was considered back in 1986 but didn't go ahead for the reasons mentioned.
As a relatively small computer manufacturer, and less volumes than the likes of Commodore, Acorn, Sinclair etc.,
we just didn't have the budget to implement custom IC's.
It was a bit of a catch-22 though - custom IC implementation would have saved a lot of cost and made the machines
even more price competitive, however, the up-front R&D costs then had to be amortised across lower volumes pushing the
price back up.
The other drawback is that a new model (with new features) means another go at custom chips, and more Non-Recurring
Engineering costs.
That said, Custom IC implementation was considered back in 1986 but didn't go ahead for the reasons mentioned.