Build an EconoPET
⚠️ Warning: Rev A is not perfect. Before ordering, review the currently known issues and understand that new issues may be discovered over time.
Building an EconoPET requires ordering PCBs from a manufacturer, some basic soldering skills and flashing firmware to a microcontroller. It is recommended that you read through all steps before ordering parts to ensure you are comfortable with the full process.
Build Process
The steps to build an EconoPET are:
Cost
The total cost to build an EconoPET fluctuates. The best way to get an accurate estimate is to follow the steps in Ordering PCBs from JLCPCB and Ordering parts from Mouser up to the point of checkout, where you can see an up-to-date total before placing the order.
But as a rough guideline, the table below breaks down the per-board cost of my most recent order, which was placed in February 2025 (prior to the recent import tariffs going into effect in the US).
| Item | Cost | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| TH DIP ICs | $48.45 | 36.61% |
| TH Other Components | $23.09 | 17.45% |
| PCBA Global Sourcing (FPGA) | $15.99 | 12.08% |
| Tax | $12.25 | 9.25% |
| PCBA Components | $8.06 | 6.09% |
| Shipping from JLCPCB | $7.57 | 5.72% |
| PCBA Loading Fee* | $4.80 | 3.63% |
| Shipping from Mouser | $3.26 | 2.47% |
| Tariff | $2.35 | 1.77% |
| PCB | $2.16 | 1.63% |
| PCBA SMT Assembly | $1.63 | 1.23% |
| PCBA Setup Fee* | $1.60 | 1.21% |
| PCB Engineering Fee* | $0.80 | 0.60% |
| PCBA Stencil* | $0.30 | 0.23% |
| PCBA Special Component Fee | $0.03 | 0.02% |
| Total | $132.34 |
Items marked with * are one-time fees that will ammortize towards zero with higher volume orders.
Getting help
If you have questions, please open a GitHub issue. You can also find me in the Commodore PET/CBM Enthusiast group on Facebook.