There's a lot of information in the forums here about where to get PCBs made. I'm wondering about completed boards with the components placed and soldered.

Where can you get that done and what would you expect to pay? (Assume no unusual parts.) I know I've seen it mentioned here from time to time but has anyone compiled a list? Any favorite shops you have experience with?

References for PCB shops:
http://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/blog/pcb-board-houses.475/#comment-1198
http://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/t...ole-plating-solder-masks-and-low-cost.105214/
http://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/threads/pcb-outsourcing.112524/#post-871195

 

There's a lot of information in the forums here about where to get PCBs made. I'm wondering about completed boards with the components placed and soldered.

Where can you get that done and what would you expect to pay? (Assume no unusual parts.) I know I've seen it mentioned here from time to time but has anyone compiled a list? Any favorite shops you have experience with?

References for PCB shops:
http://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/blog/pcb-board-houses.475/#comment-1198
http://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/t...ole-plating-solder-masks-and-low-cost.105214/
http://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/threads/pcb-outsourcing.112524/#post-871195

I use Advanced Circuits for prototype boards, but they also do assembly with as short as a 1 day turn. They'll quote a job for you.

 

Ballpark cost for a small (5cm square) board? 1-10 pieces

 

Personally...
I've never gotten a quote on full assembly services but I buy all my raw PCB's through itead (for prototypes/personal use)..
https://www.itead.cc/open-pcb.html
Great quality/super low cost (about 2-3 weeks delivered to my door)..

Professionally...
I use GIC http://www.gicltd.com/assembly.cfm

 

Ballpark cost for a small (5cm square) board? 1-10 pieces

The two places I looked at recently had a $1000+ minimum for populated board projects.

 

Well that would explain why there's not much talk of it here in the forum. Not bad for industrial prototypes but not what a typical hobbyist is looking for.

 

Well that would explain why there's not much talk of it here in the forum. Not bad for industrial prototypes but not what a typical hobbyist is looking for.

If you consider the capital investment, support staff, and overhead required to build random assemblies, plus the economic requirement to run continuously at close to 100% utilization (thus to effectively absorb the overhead), very short "hobbyist" runs are necessarily not amenable to such things.

 

A friend has used this company and was satisfied:
https://macrofab.com/

They are a turnkey operation meaning that they order the PCB and all of the parts and then assemble them. They do not do through hole parts.

 

Well that would explain why there's not much talk of it here in the forum. Not bad for industrial prototypes but not what a typical hobbyist is looking for.

Try itead.. I would bet money they aren't anywhere near that..
They are targeted towards hobbyists..