4 ms·

I can do a basic bread board, but that's about it. The product is a spin on an existing product (no IP issues I know of, as it's a product that is manufactured

I can do a basic bread board, but that's about it. The product is a spin on an existing product (no IP issues I know of, as it's a product that is manufactured and sold under many forms by many companies). As far as volume is concerned, I'd like to get a prototype in hand first, and then produce a run of 100. It's electronics are minimal (a timer/clock, about 10k of memory), but need to be put in space about 1-2 cubic cm. Power will be external to this small space, as will a few other components that the electronics will control. It will require both molded plastic and machined metal. I'd love to give more details, but I'm really surprised no one has jumped on the idea yet.

sparky 17y ago
Your best bet is going to be teaming up with somebody who does this sort of thing (electrical/mechanical prototyping) for a living (there are a few individual consultants and small consulting firms, some of them suggested elsewhere in this thread). 1-2 cm^3 is going to seriously limit the consultants who will be able to help you, and the manufacturers who will be able to produce the thing. The consultants specialize in low-volume designs, which typically mean that size and efficiency are not first-order concerns. Likewise, quick-turn PCB houses are not likely to make you 1 or 2 of something this small, as their tooling is not set up for it (not the common case for their market), and I would imagine similar constraints are present on the mechanical/assembly side. If you feel comfortable learning PCB design, at least to do the non-space-critical "other components", these are some good resources: http://www.alternatezone.com/electronics/files/PCBDesignTutorialRevA.pdf http://www.alternatezone.com/electronics/files/PCBDesignTuto... http://www.pcbdesign.org/ http://www.pcbdesign.org/ http://www.smps.us/pcb-design.html http://www.smps.us/pcb-design.html As far as software, you can try PCB123's (http://www.pcb123.com/ http://www.pcb123.com/) free software if (and only if) you want to use them to manufacture your boards. Otherwise, I'd go with Altium Designer (http://www.altium.com/products/altium-designer/en/altium-designer_home.cfm http://www.altium.com/products/altium-designer/en/altium-des...) (used to be Protel) personally, but other options are gEDA (GPL EDA suite), Orcad, PADS, and Eagle. Other than gEDA (obviously), the for-pay CAD packages are pricey, though there are usually student discounts if that applies to you.
- FEBlog 17y ago
  I am looking for ways to do this kind of prototyping in small volumes 2, 3 or 5 cm3 and I might need to use flexibel PCB how much harder would this be?
asmithmd1 17y ago
Check out the thread currently discussing idea vs. execution. I have no clue what your idea is but I am sure it is just about worthless - as almost all raw ideas are. It sounds like the hard work is in how you will pack it into such a small space. It will pay you MUCH more to spread your idea to as many people as possible that way you have a chance of connecting with someone else who is excited about the idea also and get the benefit of other peoples thinking

sparky 17y ago

Your best bet is going to be teaming up with somebody who does this sort of thing (electrical/mechanical prototyping) for a living (there are a few individual consultants and small consulting firms, some of them suggested elsewhere in this thread). 1-2 cm^3 is going to seriously limit the consultants who will be able to help you, and the manufacturers who will be able to produce the thing. The consultants specialize in low-volume designs, which typically mean that size and efficiency are not first-order concerns. Likewise, quick-turn PCB houses are not likely to make you 1 or 2 of something this small, as their tooling is not set up for it (not the common case for their market), and I would imagine similar constraints are present on the mechanical/assembly side. If you feel comfortable learning PCB design, at least to do the non-space-critical "other components", these are some good resources: http://www.alternatezone.com/electronics/files/PCBDesignTutorialRevA.pdf http://www.alternatezone.com/electronics/files/PCBDesignTuto... http://www.pcbdesign.org/ http://www.pcbdesign.org/ http://www.smps.us/pcb-design.html http://www.smps.us/pcb-design.html As far as software, you can try PCB123's (http://www.pcb123.com/ http://www.pcb123.com/) free software if (and only if) you want to use them to manufacture your boards. Otherwise, I'd go with Altium Designer (http://www.altium.com/products/altium-designer/en/altium-designer_home.cfm http://www.altium.com/products/altium-designer/en/altium-des...) (used to be Protel) personally, but other options are gEDA (GPL EDA suite), Orcad, PADS, and Eagle. Other than gEDA (obviously), the for-pay CAD packages are pricey, though there are usually student discounts if that applies to you.

FEBlog 17y ago
I am looking for ways to do this kind of prototyping in small volumes 2, 3 or 5 cm3 and I might need to use flexibel PCB how much harder would this be?

asmithmd1 17y ago

Check out the thread currently discussing idea vs. execution. I have no clue what your idea is but I am sure it is just about worthless - as almost all raw ideas are. It sounds like the hard work is in how you will pack it into such a small space. It will pay you MUCH more to spread your idea to as many people as possible that way you have a chance of connecting with someone else who is excited about the idea also and get the benefit of other peoples thinking