Hi - I can recommend Meritronics, in San Jose, California.  Email Tam @=20
tnguyen@meritronics.com.  I realize you are in the UK, so it may not be=20
cost effective / fast enough, but they have no problem with small=20
quantity.  I use them for all my designs.  Tnt.com is fast and cheap=20
international shipping, from california to the UK is 3 days.

Just a thought.
J


Philip Pemberton wrote:
> Hi guys,
>
> I've just finished prototyping and initial customer testing for one of
> my designs, and I have about a dozen beta-testers who have signed off on
> it -- "this is what we want, we like it". The hardware design is proven,
> the bugs have been found (and eliminated) and I want to move on with the
> project.
>
> The catch is, it's currently taking two DAYS to make a single one of
> these boards. I just can't make them quick enough. Ramping up production
> would involve buying some seriously expensive kit... pick-and-place,
> solder paste placement, SMD ovens... you get the idea.
>
> So what I want to do is outsource the manufacturing. The problem is,
> I've yet to find a reputable supplier who will even talk to me. The
> responses I've gotten so far basically fall into one of several categorie=
s:
>
>     * "We don't deal with SMEs or freelance consultants." (shockingly
> common, even with an offer to pay up front via BACS or credit card)
>     * "We're not interested in any less than<x>-off qty" (where x is
> between 1k and 10k units)
>     * "We're already making a product for someone else that's similar to
> yours, and we don't want them to throw a hissy fit."
>     * Utterly insane prices (=A31800 per board if I supply PCBs and parts=
,
> no through-hole parts mounted, 100off qty, no discount for higher qtys..
> I could buy a P&P machine and DIY it for less than that)
>
>
> The board specs are:
>
>     Two QFPs -- one 0.4mm-pitch 144pin FPGA, one 84pin 0.6mm pitch PIC.
>     One QFN -- a TI TPS75003 power management chip
>     About 50 passives, mostly 0603, one or two 0805. Only a couple of
> different values though; most of these parts are 10n and 100n decoupling
> caps.
>     Four through-hole parts: a 40pin R/A IDC header with latches, a
> Switchcraft DC power connector, a resistor array and a B-type USB socket
> (the square one listed in the USB spec as "for target devices").
>     PCB -- 160x100 double sided 1oz FR4, 7/7 thou track/space. Gold
> Phoenix design rules, EAGLE or Gerber/RS274X+Excellon format source files=
..
>
> Does anyone know of any reputable manufacturers who could assemble
> something like this at a reasonable price?
> Target quantity is 25 to 50 to start with (initial production run).
> Final intended quantity is around 250 units if sales go as projected...
>
> Thanks,
--=20
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