[time-nuts] OT stuffing boards: was GPS interface/prototyping board

[jimlux]

On 6/23/16 2:56 PM, jimlux wrote:
> On 6/23/16 12:28 PM, Bob Stewart wrote:
>> One more related question before this topic dies, if you don't mind.
>> What about the other side of building: stuffing the boards.  My GPSDOs
>> have about 120 parts per board, plus some custom work on the SMA
>> connectors.  Is there a service out there that will populate boards
>> with SMT components for small orders at a reasonable price?  Small is
>> 10 boards.
>>
>
> I've used Screaming Circuits in Oregon as an assembly house. They've
> done ok for us, but I have no idea if they are inexpensive in your context.
>
> The biggest boards I've done with them have been 4x6", but they have SMA
> and MMCX connectors, maybe 100 components, mostly SMT, but a few DIP
> carriers.
>
>

I went and looked up some typical quotes from Screaming Circuits.. we're 
typically doing a 4-20 boards, and to place <100 parts runs us about 
$20-50 per board (if I had to guess about their "setup vs each" pricing 
based on the different volumes I had quoted for the same board, I'd say 
setup is in the $250-300 range, and assy is in the $15-20/board range.

Not everything on these boards is machine placeable, and there's some 
hand assembly required (like soldering pins into a carrier, and then 
soldering the carrier onto the board).  There's also some shielding cans 
that may or may not be machine placed and soldered.