Bill of materials
Description
This is the parts list for the Phase 3 production kit described in the product description and shown in the 3D model. Costs are rough per-unit estimates in EUR at about 100 units, before assembly labour, VAT and shipping. Replace them with quotes before pricing the product.
| Subassembly | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Scale mechanics: wood case, load cell, rails, connector, internal harness | €90–150 |
| Electronics pod (2–4 cells) | €32–58 |
| Solar landing board, probe and packaging | €27–42 |
| Total, base kit | ≈ €150–250 |
| Solar wing bracket + under-base lead (panel moved off the entrance) | + €5–8 |
| Lid panel option | + €12–18 |
| Spare battery cartridge | + €10–20 |
Scale mechanics
| Part | Specification | Qty | Unit cost | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Load cell + brackets | AP62AFB single-point, 200 kg (350 kg option), with two aluminium weighing brackets | 1 | €30–45 | Alibaba AP62AFB | Currently used. Verify dimensions, deflection and cable on delivery. |
| Deck | 18 mm film-faced birch plywood (anti-slip mesh face), 560 × 510 mm, CNC-cut, sealed edges, M8 threaded inserts; 40 × 20 mm thermo-pine skirt | 1 | €15–25 | Local joinery shop; plywood from Riga Wood / Metsä dealers | Film face keeps rain out of the weighed deck. |
| Base | 12 mm exterior plywood floor, 22 mm thermo-pine board walls 60 mm high, drain holes, bay cut, M10 inserts for feet and stops | 1 | €12–20 | Local joinery shop | Not weighed, so moisture does not matter. |
| Hive locators | 3D-printed ASA corner blocks, 20 mm high | 4 | €0.3–0.5 | In-house FDM printer | Screwed to the deck. |
| Overload stops | M10 × 90 stainless hex bolt, lock nut, spacer tube | 4 | €0.8 | Fastener wholesaler | Set with a feeler gauge at assembly. |
| Levelling feet | M10 × 40 stud, 40 mm rubber pad | 4 | €1.2–2 | Amazon levelling feet search | Removed for the Robotic Beehive. |
| Side bumpers | EPDM pad 40 × 14 × 4 mm, adhesive | 4 | €0.25 | Local rubber supplier | |
| Bracket fasteners | M8 stainless bolts, washers, thread lock | 1 set | €3–5 | Fastener wholesaler | Torque per cell datasheet. |
| Bubble level | 18 mm round vial | 1 | €1 | AliExpress, Amazon | Pressed into the skirt. |
| Pod bay sleeve | 3D-printed ASA sleeve with guides and dock holder, fitted into the wall cut | 1 | €2–4 | In-house FDM printer | |
| Dock connector | Keyed, gasketed 12-pin board-to-board pair (e.g. Molex Micro-Fit sealed, or custom) | 1 pair | €3–5 | Mouser, DigiKey | Mates as the pod slides in. |
| Accessory rails | Aluminium angle, front 440 mm, back 440 mm, sides 400 mm (right one split around the bay), thumb-screw nuts | 4 | €2–3 | Cut from standard angle | Front modules on the front; the solar wing on any side. |
| Front-module connector | M12 8-pin A-coded panel socket, IP67, facing down | 1 | €5–8 | Mouser M12 connectors | Robot harness and Observer use the same socket. |
| Internal harness | Shielded 4-core (load cell), 8-core (front connector), 4-core (SHT40), crimped to the dock | 1 set | €4–6 | Harness shop | Stays inside the base. |
| Ambient sensor pocket | SHT40 on a small PCB behind louvres in the left base wall | 1 | €2.5–4 | LCSC | |
| Transport lock | Captive quarter-turn M8 cam bolt, printed ASA knob, red mark on the skirt | 1 | €1–2 | Fastener wholesaler + printer | On the service side next to the pod. |
Electronics pod
| Part | Specification | Qty | Unit cost | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCU module | ESP32-S3-MINI-1-N8 | 1 | €2.8–3.5 | LCSC, Mouser | Pre-certified radio. |
| Weight ADC | HX711 (SOP-16) | 1 | €0.4 | LCSC | NAU7802 as the alternative. |
| Charger | TI BQ24074 | 1 | €1.8–2.5 | LCSC, DigiKey | TS pin wired to the pack NTC. |
| Input selector | TI LM66200 dual ideal diode | 1 | €0.8 | LCSC, DigiKey | Front VIN + USB-C VBUS. |
| Display | 0.96″ OLED 128 × 64, SSD1306, I2C | 1 | €2–3 | LCSC, AliExpress | Behind a polycarbonate window. |
| Button | IP67 sealed tactile switch, 12 mm | 1 | €1–2 | Mouser (e.g. C&K, E-Switch) | |
| USB-C | 16-pin USB-C receptacle + silicone flap | 1 | €0.8 | LCSC | 5.1 kΩ CC resistors. |
| Fuel gauge | Analog Devices MAX17048 | 1 | €1.2–1.6 | LCSC, DigiKey | |
| 3.3 V buck | TI TPS62840 | 1 | €0.9 | LCSC, DigiKey | |
| Sensor load switch | TI TPS22917 | 1 | €0.3 | LCSC | |
| Passives | — | 1 set | €1.5 | LCSC | |
| Carrier PCB + assembly | 4-layer, 72 × 62 mm, SX1262 footprint | 1 | €4–7 | JLCPCB, PCBWay | Price per board at 100 units. |
| LoRa module (option) | SX1262 module, 868 MHz | 0–1 | €4–7 | LCSC, Ebyte | Fitted for the gateway SKU and the Robotic Beehive. |
| Enclosure | ASA tub, lid and face, 150 × 38 × 76 mm, silicone gasket, quarter-turn latch | 1 | €5–10 | 3D printed (pilot), injection moulded (≈ €5–9k tool) | Honey yellow. |
| Pressure vent | ePTFE membrane vent | 1 | €1.5 | Mouser vents | |
| Battery cartridge | Keyed sled for 4 × 18650, 1S contacts, 10 kΩ NTC, grip | 1 | €3–5 | 3D printed / moulded + Keystone contacts | Slides out of the pod face. |
| 18650 cells | 2500 mAh Li-ion, low-temperature rated (e.g. Samsung 25R, Molicel P28A) | 2–4 | €2.5–4 | Authorised battery distributor | Buy matched cells from one lot. |
Solar landing board and field parts
| Part | Specification | Qty | Unit cost | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar landing board | 6 V 2.5 W ETFE panel, 440 × 155 mm, textured surface, aluminium frame, printed hinge brackets and hooks | 1 | €12–18 | Custom-size ETFE panel suppliers (Alibaba, Voltaic) | Bee-safe textured ETFE, not glass. |
| Landing-board electronics | M12 8-pin lead (0.3 m), DS28E07 ID chip, probe socket, auxiliary panel input | 1 set | €5–8 | LCSC, connector house | |
| Hive probe | Stainless DS18B20 on a 1 m semi-rigid 2.5 mm lead with an insertion mark, plug for the board socket | 1 | €5–8 | Probe manufacturer | Goes in through the entrance. |
| Labels, manual, box | Serial and calibration label, quick-start card, flat box 580 × 530 × 140 mm | 1 set | €5–8 | Local print shop | |
| Plain landing board (accessory) | White HDPE, same size, printed hooks and hinge | 0–1 | €6–10 | Plastic fabricator | With a solar wing, a lid panel or the Entrance Observer. |
| Solar wing bracket (accessory) | Printed ASA hinge brackets for 50° tilt, 1.2 m lead routed under the base to the landing board | 0–1 | €5–8 | In-house printer | Hooks on the left, back or right rail. |
| Lid panel (accessory) | 6 V 2.5 W panel, lid bracket, 1.2 m lead with corner clips | 0–1 | €12–18 | Solar supplier | Plugs into the landing board. |
Robotic Beehive variant
Remove the feet and the landing board. Add a LoRa module and a robot harness with an M12 8-pin plug: 5 V from the robot's fused logic rail, UART and WAKE to the Jetson. The pod stays in the scale's side bay. See Robotic Beehive integration.
Factory equipment
| Item | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Calibration weights, 20 kg and 100 kg (M1 class) | 3-point calibration and the corner-load test. |
| USB-C test station | Flash firmware and run the board self-test through the pod's USB-C port. |
| M12 test plug | Front-module loop-back test (VIN, 1-Wire, UART, WAKE). |
| Feeler gauge set | Set the overload stops. |
| Pod leak tester (vacuum decay) or dunk tank | IP67 check before shipping. |
Selection rules before ordering
- Each critical part needs at least two acceptable suppliers or an approved substitute.
- Measure the delivered AP62AFB before releasing deck and base drawings.
- Check enclosure, connector and cable diameters together, not separately.
- Load-cell capacity must cover the hive at peak honey, a leaning beekeeper and an overload margin.
- Document battery chemistry and cell source for safe shipping (UN38.3) and service.
- Record the PCB and frame revision in telemetry metadata.
Supplier examples to compare
These are research links, not approved suppliers: