I am happort to report back that there is sufficient interest in a new batch of CPU chips, and thus have initialised the process one more time. Delivery will probably start over the summer.
No firm price set at present, but I believe the CPU parts supplied by me can see a further cut in price. On the other hand, the pricing on Nikon spare parts continue to increase. Thus, the final price reduction might not be entirely what I had hoped for. But I do my best.
The CPU chips will be programmed to mimic the host lens as closely as possible in focal length(s) and aperture range. The EXIF specification allows providing a lens aperture to within 1/12 stop, although most EXIF read-out software round this to the nearest 1/6 stop and the camera itself might go one step further by using 1/3 or even 1/2 stop. Thus a lens can be programmed to for example 100 mm f/1.5, but the camera might show f/1.4 or f/1.6 on the display. The data read out by EXIFTool or similar will most likely show f/1.5. All of this stems from the adaptations of the aperture scale to be "human" instead of strictly mathematical precise. Thus, we all think of f/5.6 as obtained by multiplying f/1.4 by four, but the real value should be rounded to f/5.7 since f/1.4 really is f/1.414... Hence software read-outs might be f/5.6 or f/5.7 depending on how rounding is handled, whilst a camera will display f/5.6. Both representations are "correct" seen in the appropriate context.
There are so many ways of modifying a lens and some of this depends on the parts one has available for the modding project. Thus it might not be necessary to get the original Nikon replacements. If you buy contact blocks from sources such as USCamera.com (ask for the one for 12-24 DX, not those for the 18-55 kit lenes) or from eBay sellers, be aware of the distinction between various block models as not every host lens can deal with them. It is best to contact me directly by PM to discuss details.
I will add a separate thread in which the actual modifications and any questions about these can be dealt with.
