Ordering one helmet

Everything to buy for one exocortex, from whom, and every option on every order form: $11,784.14 all in.

Every figure here is read from out/sourcing/cost.json, which uv run python -m exo.cost writes from the boards as built. Add --refresh to re-fetch every JLC and LCSC price and stock first. Prices are as of 2026-10-28. This page is regenerated by uv run python -m exo.order_doc.

The script reads:

• out/pcb/poly/placement.json: the contact boards and controllers.
• The panels from exo.pcb.panel.
• The hub and camera BOMs.
• out/sourcing/bom.json: the price catalog, with every URL.
• out/sourcing/fees.json: JLC's fee schedule, with sources.

What it costs

JLC assembles at least 2 of every panel. The cheapest legitimate order for one helmet therefore buys parts and assembly for two sets of boards, and the second set is your spares.

If you build two helmets from the same order, the spare set gets used and only the loose items double. Each helmet then costs $5,975.05.

The biggest lines, by what you pay:

Not included:

• shipping and import duty/VAT on every order
• JLC's consignment pre-deposit (duty + VAT + handling) on the PAT9125
• X-ray (optional)
• JLC's monthly $8 PCBA coupon
• the shell print's electricity and the printer

Not exact: each of these lines has a reason in its note in cost.json.

• PCB price: the bare-board price per panel is computed from JLC's published prices. JLC shows the real price only after the Gerbers are uploaded.
• Prices from search results: the PAT9125 (WPG Americas), the beanie and the M2 × 8 screws come from search-indexed listings, because those sites refuse automated fetches.
• Hardware: stocked M2 screws are pan heads, not ISO 7380 button heads. The spacer listing is 2 mm thick, not 1.5 mm.
• FPC lengths: these use the older routes until the shell report lists its links.
• Inputs this run used: the FPC data came from out/shell_v1_report.json fpc, and the hardware counts from out/shell_v1_report.json hardware.

The pin

Mill-Max 0919-0-15-20-89-14-11-0 goes on every contact and on the hub's REF and BIAS contacts.

• Dimensions: 9.63 mm free and 6.63 mm at the 3.0 mm hard stop. Mill-Max recommends 0.76–2.54 mm of working travel.
• Force: 25 g at the initial height, 85 g at mid-stroke, 127 g at 2.54 mm.
• Shape: plunger Ø1.07 mm with a hemispherical tip, barrel Ø1.50 mm, base Ø1.83 mm.
• Pad: Ø2.2 on the boards. Mill-Max asks for at least Ø2.08.
• Packaging: bulk only, so JLC hand-places the pins at $0.017 each and reflows them.
• Supply: DigiKey ED10766-ND has 10,710 in stock.

1. JLCPCB

Order the parts JLC doesn't stock (9–20 business days)

1. Global Sourcing. Go to Parts Manager → Order Parts → Global Sourcing Parts and search each MPN: - 0919-0-15-20-89-14-11-0 × 2,610 (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/result?keywords=0919-0-15-20-89-14-11-0) - DF40C-10DP-0.4V(51) × 128 (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/result?keywords=DF40C-10DP-0.4V(51)) - Pay within the hour. The parts then appear under My Parts.
2. Consignment. Order 136 PAT9125EL-TKMT from WPG Americas by phone (1-888-974-8881). - Have them shipped on cut tape to the Hong Kong address that JLC's Consign Parts form gives ("Outside Mainland China"). - Enter the tracking number, a unit price of $5.64 and the HS code, then pay the deposit.

The files

If out/pcb/poly/panels/ doesn't exist yet, build it first: PCB_OUT=out/pcb/poly uv run python -m exo.pcb.panel. Each panel already has its rails, fiducials, tooling holes, mouse-bite tabs and per-board designators (T01_U1).

The order form (once per row of the table)

PCB options:

PCB Assembly options:

Then, for each order:

1. Upload the BOM and CPL.
2. On the parts page, check every line against cost.json: same LCSC number, stock green.
3. Tick the My Parts entries for the Mill-Max pin, the DF40C-10DP and the consigned PAT9125.
4. In the placement preview, check these: - pin 1 of every QFN (ADS131M08, RP2040, 74AHC138); - the SC70 op-amps and buffers; - DF40 polarity and the FPC connectors; - that every Mill-Max pin sits on the scalp face.
5. Compare the quote with the row for that order below.

Per-order fees ($), from cost.json → panels:

How the fees are built:

• Setup: $51.12 per order on double-sided Standard PCBA, plus the same again for each extra design in a panel. A panel of n designs therefore costs n setups, so panels save stencils, fabrication and the per-order fees, not setup.
• Stencil: $16.42, plus $4.20 for a self-panelled stencil with 5 or more designs.
• Loading: $1.53 for each unique part.
• Joints: $0.0016 per joint.
• Hand-placed pins: $0.017 per pin.
• Other: confirm placement $0.45, packing $0.50 + $0.00003/cm², and fixtures $16.42.
• PCB: 6-layer panels are priced at $2 up to 25 cm², rising linearly to $35.10 at 100 cm², then in proportion to area above that. The 4-layer hub uses $2 rising to $9.55. All of these are for 5 pieces.
• Global Sourcing: $20 inspection per part type.

Sources: assembly price, extra charges, panelization, ordering, PCBA capabilities, minimum qty, Global Sourcing, consignment, 6-layer.

2. LCSC (cart)

Go to lcsc.com → BOM Tool, upload a CSV with the columns LCSC Part #, Quantity from the table below, check that every row matched, then check out.

About the FPC jumpers:

• Every link is Type B (contacts on opposite sides at the two ends), because both ends use the same bottom-contact connector wired pin to pin (see the shell report's FPC type note).
• F01–F04 and their controllers use 16-way cables. The rest are 12-way.
• The 400 mm 12-way cable (C55509681) is labelled type B in its model number but "Same Side" in LCSC's description. Check the photo before you order it.

3. Other suppliers

Things to know before you buy:

• Battery: Li-po 1S 3.7 V 2000 mAh, 54 A continuous, 70 x 45 x 9 mm; order with a JST-PH lead (MaxAmps (USA), Lipo-2000-1S-Pack-10). Price $51.00 from the listing as recorded 2026-10-28 (a live re-fetch was rate-limited). 54 A continuous against the hub's 3.33 A average / 3.79 A peak with all five cameras streaming; the shell's pocket is sized for it (72 x 47 x 10 mm inside). Choose the JST-PH 2.0 lead; the hub's 3-pin S3B-PH (BAT+, NTC, BAT-) takes it with a 10k resistor (or NTC) on the TS pin.
• Camera module: the price is converted from INR at the rate stored in bom.json → fx.
• Spacers: no stocked spacer is 1.5 mm thick with a 2.2 mm bore. Print the spacers in PETG, or change the DF40 stack height.

4. The shell print

1. Print out/stl/EXO-140.stl … EXO-144.stl in PETG on an Ender-3 V3 SE: 0.4 mm nozzle, 0.2 mm layers, 6 walls, 5 top and bottom layers, 20 % infill, 240 °C nozzle, 80 °C bed, 60 mm/s, 40 % fan, a brim.
2. The parts are already in print orientation. See docs/shell.md for the times and grams.
3. Heat-set the 4 battery-cover inserts.