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what company should I use to make my custom strobe light circuit board?

Former Member

I am trying to make a cheap signalling device for fun. I want to use two AAA batteries in series (to get 3 volts) and two XP-E2 LEDS (they are really surface mount diodes). I think I will need a 555 board as I need the lights to be able to flash like a strobe. I will also want a ON/OFF button which acts as a way to toggle between the lights being on all the time, off all the time, and strobes (blinking on/off).

 

Does anyone know of a company that can help me get all of this onto a circuit board? I am happy to pay fair money for prototypes ($30-$100) per board, I just need them fast and done right.

 

I was working with Custom Circuit boards and they wanted $3,000 before one was ever even built....

 

thoughts? excited to hear what you all think! Thanks for your help. image

  • I think the going rate is 50GBP+tax (about 75USD maybe) for putting one surface mount device on a prototype board. So already you may be at $150USD for a single prototype if there are two SMD devices per board. I could be wrong, I've not asked for a quote like this. But it sounds like you may need someone to design the circuit for you, plus create the PCB and place the parts? If so, that will add up of course...

  • If you're doing this "for fun", step 1 is to learn to solder.  Soldering is fun if you do it right and have a decent soldering iron (or "heater" if you like Film Noir).

     

    Then you can have a few PC boards made cheap and solder the components on yourself: http://www.element14.com/community/thread/5197

     

    Or, if you really want to save money for a few prototypes, get a prototyping board that's already laid out for typical SMT devices and solder them together with AWG 30 wire-wrap wire.  Here's a nice board from SchmartBoard: http://www.schmartboard.com/index.asp?page=products_sm&id=2

  • Thank you both very much for the help. I really appreciate it. My skillset is simply not there. What I need is a company I can pay some bucks, tell them the exact components i want, and they make it happen.

     

    two batteies, two Surface mount diodes, 555 board to make the light flash, on/off button. what company can i get to make that? happy to pay $200 for a prototype. Now i just need a name..... thoughts?

  • in reply to Former Member

    I don't think you'll find a company (in the usual sense of the word) who will work on that basis but you might well find someone on E14 who has the skill and needs the pocket money. I used to do that kind of thing when I was at school but not any more (I still do similar stuff but more complex now and unfortunately out of your price range).

     

    From your posts I guess that you are in the US so you should be able to find an E14er nearby who could help - $200 would have interested me when I was a student - serious under the counter beer money.

     

    MK