On 5/13/20 5:56 AM, Bob kb8tq wrote:
Hi
There are a number of free ( = there is no license fee ) pcb layout programs
out there.
One of the many is KiCad. It’s not that hard to use. It is very popular. There
are a lot
of YouTube videos and blogs detailing how to do this or that with it. Laying
out a board
to mount an OCXO on is a pretty good starter project.
Once you get going, a board is a weekend project. Indeed, a simple board might
be an
evening project. There’s not a lot involved.
Once you have your layout, it goes off to any of a number of outfits. Seeed
Studio is
one that many people use. WellPCB is another that comes with a lot of
recommendations.
As long as you stick with < 100 mm x < 100 mm parts a number of places will
sell you
boards for 50 cents each.
Shipping does cost $20 to $30, so doing more than one board at a time is a
pretty good
idea. If you are laying out five boards a week, batching them up isn’t the hard
part :)
While most don’t seem to use it, many board houses also offer assembly / pick
and place
services. On a board that uses simple parts, that might take out the whole
assembly
process. No idea (yet) how well that part goes ….
I've used several assembly services (in Oregon, as it happens) for small
boards at work (<100mm square, although that's not a requirement for the
service) and had relatively good luck. One of the nice things is that
some services will actually order and kit the parts for you - you send
them a board design, with a parts list from digikey, and a couple weeks
later, you get your boards back.
It's not super cheap, but it sure is convenient.
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