[rescue] let's revisit the whole FC-AL thing

[George Adkins]

> > > I'm still looking into it, but the problem is 1. I'm not a competent
> > > enough PCBer.
> > is the PCB really even needed?  not really i don't think, it might be
> > possibly to live without it.
> It's not that simple.  For the design I was going for the PCB is required,
> though if you'd like I can provide the pinout, it's a public spec, and you
> can attach a total of ~10 wires.  4 tx/rx, a few power, and whatever ID
> etc you require.  

This guy is getting paid for his work, it just happens that he's asking to 
get paid well, that's all.
I can fab PC boards (have done small production runs of 10 or 12 before.  And 
was actually thinking of trying to get this particular project going myself.

> > > 3. the SCA connectors run 5$ a pop, 
> >
> There are minimal electronics required, (~30$ total) 
I'm all for the idea myself, I don't have a source for the connectors though, 
does anyone else here know where to get them?

> SCA connectors the next third, and the power supplies (my current thought
> is three ATX power supplies on sleds to make them hotswap) the last.

The hotswap power supplies is the trickiest of them all, because you have to 
load-balance them.  If you do not, then the weakest supply (voltage wise) 
ends up supplying all the current, until it's maxed out, then the next one 
starts taking load, etc.etc.  Burns out power supplies fast.

You'd need to engineer a load-balancing board (I started to look at doing 
this, but stopped when I didn't have enough expertise to spec the proper 
parts) and plug the supplies into that, although for drives, all you really 
need is +12V and +5V, which simplifies things.

George