Donations

[Dal]

A few people have asked if there is a way for members to contribute to the running of the forum. For years the site has run totally free of charge to users and with no advertising banners and we'd really like to keep it that way.

I felt it was therefore a good idea to think about a system that works for the site and the community as a whole. So, after a discussion with the other admins, I'm now pleased to announce we have the starting point for a funding system.

The plan is pretty simple:
1. Donations will be collected into a single, stand alone paypal account (i.e. not linked to anyone's bank account). This account is accessible by all Admins.
2. We will not be adopting a subscription based approach - think of it as an honesty box. If you have a little bit of spare cash at the end of the month, maybe a couple of quid/euros/dollars/rupees/etc, then consider pinging it over to repay the community that helped you get that latest 'mod' working or helped you write that excellent assembler/GFA program that you're about to unleash to the world.
3. Funds will go directly towards the cost of funding the site (hosting and domain name). The host we have is very reasonable; costing a mere £120-ish for a three year unlimited package. However, 250host was costing a lot more and that was being paid for silently by Silver Surfer so a huge amount of Atari-love to him!
4. I would hope there will be some surplus funds (surely?!?). From this, I propose to send a percentage (TBC) over to Silver Surfer and Brume for their contributions over the years as a 'Thank You' and keep a bit back in case the hosting fees inflate in 3 years time!

To give something back to those who donate, I plan to ensure there is a percentage (TBC) being saved - how much depends entirely on everyone's generosity. But, this could potentially grow into an amount that can be used to subsidise Atari-based software/hardware development projects. We will know who has been donating, so can offset the subsidy against a special price for the 'product' to those members. That way, developers can get a bit of help getting those boards produced and donating members see a real return with reduced prices for new mods and software products. I won't know until we start looking at how much funding is raised. If we get to that stage, I'll canvass opinion on how best to handle appeals for funding.

All donations will be acknowledged in a post on this board where we will list the names of all members who have donated (unless they wish to remain anonymous). There will be regular statements every month to show a summary of money in, money out and balance so we all know what's happening. Detailed account details will remain within the Admin's domain.


Please send donations via paypal to: donate@atari-forum.com
Please ensure you put your Atari-Forum username in the reference field so we know who its from. If you leave this blank, we will assume you wish to remain anonymous!

[PaulB]

Oops...

Just donated, but forgot to add my user name. I'm fairly sure you could guess that though from my real name that you'll see in the transaction

[majere]

Very good idea.

I have just donated

[rocket-dog]

I have just made a withdrawal to cover some of the costs of my UltraSatan, etc. which I didn't know I needed until I came to this evil, evil place. ........

[kristjanga]

great
i will donate as soon as i have some to spare

[wongck]

Wonder why this topic and the Thank you topic is in every section, not only in the website discussion or Announcement section

[Dal]

Because it is set as a global announcement (it should also appear in your control panel). I figured not everyone is always checking the website discussions forum. Also the thank you thread is a locked topic that I edit each time someone donates - as I'm not actually adding a new post, it doesn't show as 'unread'.

[Frank B]

I donated. Thanks for keeping the forum up and running.

Frank

[simbo]

there is now a levy of 8% total cost
of rom's updates etc
i can provide to members
this all goes to board funds


as it was before now

i allowed for roms etc at £2 -2.50 per ic depends on machine needs for a fast load
judgment too needs

and i took a 2.50 for a pint + post

ill wave this and provide at £3 per ic plus post
flat rate

and donate 8% to atari forum

i have about £110 to donate ill work this back to paypal and send it

you can rest assured 8% of the total cost - post

goes to pay for the forum we all use.. and is HERE!!!!
who needs a pint

its summer ill collect the flowers add sugar and brew my own!!!!

[Frank B]

Hey Simbo. When I'm back from Paris I can try some of yer home brew

Frank

[Dal]

Cheers sim - very appreciated. Funding is already looking healthy - any ideas on areas that would benifit from investment would be appreciated. Perhaps a small European stock of custom IC's or a worthy hardware/software project.

Let me know what people would like to see and I'll look into what's possible

[wongck]

i have about £110 to donate ill work this back to paypal and send it

goes to pay for the forum we all use.. and is HERE!!!!
who needs a pint

Thanks Simbo. Very noble indeed.

[dhedberg]

Just donated as well. Thanks for keeping this excellent forum up and running!

--Daniel

[RA_pdx]

I have donated too some days ago.

Thanks for this great forum!

[Scottinnh]

If I may... what is the likelihood of such a fund being used to procure a batch of UltraSatan PCBs (inc some extras), which could be sold to members?

(Or is there a good source for just the PCB? I only ask because it's been mentioned... if it's OT feel free to PM me the answer to keep the thread clean).

If I use the site more (or get my ST up and running) a donation would already be in the cards.
If I could buy PCBs for UltraSatan, I'd buy 3 right now (I can think of 2 ppl to give them as gifts to.. assuming I don't mess up SMD..).
Guessing a 50 board run comes out to under $7, but could be sold at $10-$12 so the operation is sustainable.

[Scottinnh]

OK, I donated anyways (I''ve been lurking a while here, and it's good to see an Atari forum even if my ST isn't actually running).

Still, see my PCB questions above. I'd love to see a good run of this part... it's the PCB availability holding me back (yes I know I can etch at home, but I have reasons not to).
Cheers!

[Mug UK]

Still, see my PCB questions above. I'd love to see a good run of this part.

Ahem .. my fault for not keeping up to date with the posts held in moderation for new users (i.e. your first 3 posts)

[Dal]

If I may... what is the likelihood of such a fund being used to procure a batch of UltraSatan PCBs (inc some extras), which could be sold to members?

(Or is there a good source for just the PCB? I only ask because it's been mentioned... if it's OT feel free to PM me the answer to keep the thread clean).

If I use the site more (or get my ST up and running) a donation would already be in the cards.
If I could buy PCBs for UltraSatan, I'd buy 3 right now (I can think of 2 ppl to give them as gifts to.. assuming I don't mess up SMD..).
Guessing a 50 board run comes out to under $7, but could be sold at $10-$12 so the operation is sustainable.

Can you PM me with your figures worked out (including fabrication, components, cases, labour etc). Give me an idea of cost per unit based on £150 investment.

There is definitely a Market for affordable UltraSatan's, but the quality has to be good. If you're confident you can do it, we'll consider investing.

[Scottinnh]

No, what I meant was I'm expecting that a pcb only run could be done on the cheap, in volume.
A store of pcbs if you will, that would be up for sale to members, just pcb.

If the cost of pcb is brought down, I think there will be more builders. To me, ordering ONE of a pcb from say batchpcb etc would be discouragingly expensive. Etching at home is not an option for me either.

So for example I build kits from the adafruit site, and usually I only buy their pcb and then I source everything from mouser. I give some builds away as gifts but it is just a hobby. I would love to buy just 3 Of pcbs - one for me, one for a friend, and one spare in case I toast it heh.

We can all do a single or 5 run at a pcb house, but it gets significantly cheaper at 25 to 50. That is all I should say, because what I know is from reading not manufacturing experience.

If we poll pol to see what is the MOST pcbs they would buy to support a batch, that will get us closer to actual numbers. I want 3 boards but could buy 5 if they're cheap enough. $50 worth if it gets me 3 to 5 pcbs for example. This all hinges on how many total we can get.

also-
This is not a beginners project, but it could be more approachable if someone photographs their build progress and blogs it, like the Adafruit or Sparkfun tutorials. ok that's another topic...

If I may... what is the likelihood of such a fund being used to procure a batch of UltraSatan PCBs (inc some extras), which could be sold to members?

(Or is there a good source for just the PCB? I only ask because it's been mentioned... if it's OT feel free to PM me the answer to keep the thread clean).

If I use the site more (or get my ST up and running) a donation would already be in the cards.
If I could buy PCBs for UltraSatan, I'd buy 3 right now (I can think of 2 ppl to give them as gifts to.. assuming I don't mess up SMD..).
Guessing a 50 board run comes out to under $7, but could be sold at $10-$12 so the operation is sustainable.

Can you PM me with your figures worked out (including fabrication, components, cases, labour etc). Give me an idea of cost per unit based on £150 investment.

There is definitely a Market for affordable UltraSatan's, but the quality has to be good. If you're confident you can do it, we'll consider investing.

[wongck]

We can all do a single or 5 run at a pcb house, but it gets significantly cheaper at 25 to 50. That is all I should say, because what I know is from reading not manufacturing experience.

There is a bunch of us who cannot solder well.
So just PCB alone will not work very well.

[Scottinnh]

We can all do a single or 5 run at a pcb house, but it gets significantly cheaper at 25 to 50. That is all I should say, because what I know is from reading not manufacturing experience.

There is a bunch of us who cannot solder well.
So just PCB alone will not work very well.

If you were to buy an ultrasatan from someone, wouldn't you agree that their asking price is based on their cost and their time?

Well, both of those things become less costly with a real batch run.
Viewed that way, how well you can solder is irrelevant.
I can solder well, but can not hand make pcbs and I haven't the confidence to contract my own batch of a small run.
We would both benefit from a store of pcbs. It will encourage more builders and sellers.

[Nikolas]

Im donating my hardware posts some of them are really good.

Ty to ppl who donate so i can can use this site.

[deepblue69uk]

I've donated now. Currently a poor student so donated what I can for now. Will donate more in the future. Thanks to everyone that keeps this forum running.

[skeezix]

I put a bit into the kitty now as well

Least we can do for putting up with us cranky folks!

jeff

[1024MAK]

Damn, did I just click on that send money button
That's another note that has blown into the cloud...
And a big thanks to Dal and of course the efforts of everyone involved in keeping Atari-Forum alive

Mark