Questions tagged [manufacturing]
The manufacturing tag has no usage guidance.
243
questions
6
votes
1
answer
848
views
How do PCB fabrication houses make PCBs?
I know the different ways of making PCBs at home, but I can't seem to find a lot of information on how board houses professionally make their PCBs. Is this how they do it?: http://www.youtube.com/...
- 4,546
18
votes
5
answers
17k
views
Plated Through Hole at home?
Is it possible to make PTH (Plated Thorugh Hole) at home?
Can somebody explain the procedure?
- 315
2
votes
1
answer
765
views
Custom Boards With Custom Programmed Microcontroller
I have built a prototype for a project that I'm trying to manufacture. The prototype uses an arduino, but I'm unsure how to get that produced on a larger scale. If anyone has any suggestions, please ...
- 153
17
votes
6
answers
913
views
How can I evaluate or speculate on a part's production lifetime for long term part sourcing?
Suppose I have an idea for a product, where if it were successful, would be in production for 5-10 years. How can I make decisions on what parts to use now such that they will still be available to ...
- 4,258
14
votes
5
answers
5k
views
Why are rare earth metals important for electronics?
I've been hearing a lot in the media about how important rare earth metals are (from the economic standpoint of China limiting their export), but what do some of them actually do that makes them so ...
- 243
12
votes
4
answers
849
views
When Does Lead-Free Matter?
When shopping for components it's common to find a lead-free or RoHS-compliant version of the part along side one that is not. Under what circumstances does it matter that I chose exclusively lead-...
- 22.8k
15
votes
4
answers
1k
views
How can I go from prototype to commercial product?
I have made many designs that I would consider "professional grade", but in reality they are still just prototypes. I have used professional board fabs and professional population, but what I haven't ...
- 17.6k
5
votes
3
answers
474
views
How much of an extra cost premium is paid for assembly in the USA or UK?
Okay, here's the situation: Currently, I am making a small batch of 100 boards of my project. This is a small order, so start up costs are about 10% of the final cost, and the factory charges $50/hour ...
- 31.9k
9
votes
2
answers
12k
views
Rounded corners in Cadsoft Eagle
I am sending off a pcb for manufactering, but it would be nice to round off the corners for them to mill off.
How can I make nice rounded corners? I have used the three point arc thing before but I ...
- 375
195
votes
11
answers
127k
views
How much does it cost to have a custom ASIC made?
I have browsed several ASIC manufacturer's webs, but I haven't found an actual number.
I assume there would be a fixed cost associated with creating masks and such and then there will be a cost per ...
- 3,236
13
votes
3
answers
7k
views
How does E-Test at a PCB Fab work?
I always see the option for E-testing when sending PCB's off to a fab house. I gather it is an electrical test to test all the connections. But how do they do it? They don't have my schematic! Only ...
- 3,834
49
votes
13
answers
10k
views
How to go from newbie to manufactured?
I'm a software guy who wants to get into the hardware side of things so I can enjoy the same creativity from software design in the physical world.
I've found plenty of posts here regarding how to ...
- 593
1
vote
1
answer
213
views
how to find NTE part numbers
Can you please tell me how to find part number of the particular chip.
I was trying to find max232 chip locally, and I have been told that I need to provide NTE part number. I searched google, but ...
- 33
6
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Copying evaluation board PCB layouts
On the one hand, PCB layouts are considered copyrighted information, and copying them verbatim is a bad idea for legal reasons.
On the other hand, the PCB layout of an evaluation board is pretty much ...
- 28.9k
18
votes
9
answers
2k
views
How can I successfully make a PCB at home?
I have tried several times, unsuccessfully, to manufacture a PCB at home. A lot of the other questions are about improving PCB performance and such, but I can rarely, if ever, even get the ink to ...
- 1,201