Building Products - Low Volumn Construction

• Easy PC Boards from Al Williams
• Surface Mount Devices
• Solder Pots

Try drilling the holes first. Then all you have to do is connect the dots if you are using a Dalo Pen. It's also easier to line up any artwork.

Make soldering as easy as possible and allow easy access to the pins to be soldered by:

• If you have components that need soldering on both sides but you cannot, on IC sockets for example, try creating a via as close to the component as possible. Just use a small piece of tinned copper wire and solder it on both sides of the board.
• Keeping a component raised off the board slightly so you can solder the top side
• Use a wire wrap socket with long pins.
• Bending IC socket pins at right angles to solder on the top side.
• Mounting components underneath the board.
• Create a through hole socket out of machined IC pins.

Device Programmers@

PCBs@

Panels@ Cases@ Mounts@ Enclosures@ Cables@

CAM@ CNC@ Mills@  Laser Cutters  Position Sensors@

Casting@ Vacuforming@

Plexiglass@, Metals@

See also:

• http://www.kent.net/~boucher/ Bill's Homemade Hobby Electronics Emporium
• http://members.stratos.net/lawrencemazza/98/3/smd.htm Practical Surface Mount - ideas on mounting standard components using surface mount methods

Questions:

• James Asks "What is a cost effective way to label OTP devices, giving them a professional look?"
   
  "Basically you need a pad printer. These can be quite expensive, but I don't know why it wouldn't be possible to use a ladies fashion finger nail printer like the DESIGN A NAIL by Dee Cosmetics to do small items like chips."
   
  See also:
  • PICList Thread '[OT]: Engraving/hot stamping knobs?'