Wondering if PCBA is an option for me?

Hardware
2

@Vitesze,

I went through this exact same process. I am not sure if this works for you but here is what I did once I had a working prototype:

  1. I designed a carrier board and sensor boards to reduce soldering and sent them to OSHPark for the boards and OSHStencil for stainless steel stencils. This was relatively cheap and easy and it significantly reduced assembly time.
  2. I refined my designs to reduce to an absolute minimum the through hole parts.
  3. I started sending my EAGLE files to MacroFab and was able to get my boards populated and assembled. They are very affordable even when you are only ordering a handful. They differentiate between prototype (1-50) and production (50+) service but your unit price is fairly constant throughout.

To answer your questions:

  1. Yes, it can be as easy as cut and paste and that is not a bad place to start. See my carrier board for an example: Electron Carrier Board
  2. Yes, take a look at MacroFab but there are likely other options too which I am sure you will get from other replies to this post.

Hope this helps.

Chip

5 Likes