Brainstorm: less functionality per device, more devices

[Attila Csipa]

On Tuesday 03 July 2007 10:31, Jonas Meyer wrote:
> Disadvantages:

You forgot the most important disadvantage: bulk. It's not uncommon in modern 
devices for the connectors (especially if they need to be good for thousands 
of insertions) to be a major problem in layout design because of the space 
they take up. I'm aware that you probably were thinking using BT as a 
backplane, but that does only include the additional problem you already 
mentioned - checklists in order not to forget parts home or someplace else. 
Another disadvantage not mentioned in the list is cost - a monolithic device 
will usually cost less with the same functionality (since you have one 
mass-produced item and not small series addons, no separate packaging, etc). 
In the end, a device that does little on its own but has a myriad of addons 
does not necessarily mean it would be cheaper to produce :(