As we start to get the SPE boards locked into our production baseline we had a few questions for you:
I noticed that the revision of the board is now at Rev F. Are there any planned updates for these boards coming in the near term?
Nothing planned, we’ve been on revision F since Novemer 2022 with no changes. Generally we’ve settled on this version because engineers like the screw terminals for ease of installation. Any further revisions to this board will be very minor, and only undertaken in the form of part swaps due to stock issues. Nothing will change mechanically.
Is there any plan to change any of the mechanical/electrical interfaces to these boards as part of future updates?
Nothing planned. We do make a custom version for one of our customers that uses the Harting T1 connector, but that’s not something we plan for general release. FYI, our MoQ is 30 pieces for connector changes.
Do you have any insight on EOL dates?
Our minimum is guaranteed for 5 years from release date. That puts us at November 2027. Realistically we’ll probably extend the life for longer, as SPE is a nascent industry and continues to be good business for us. As with all our boards, if EOL life becomes an issue, we are open to signing an agreement that provides customers with the manufacture files if we EOL the board.
Is there a plan to get these boards stocked at a distributor (mouser, digikey, Newark, etc…)?
SPEBlox is available for purchase via Digi-key, but it will still ship from us in the UK. We are considering bringing Digi-key on as a distributor such that they keep the boards and ship out on our behalf. Is this preferable for you?