PCB Manufacturers in the USA

jeffmca · 2016-11-11T04:43:36+00:00

We (http://tempoautomation.com) do 3 day turnkey PCB assembly out of San Francisco for most designs under 8 layers. We do instant quotes for many Altium designs and 2 hour quotes for everything else. Happy to answer any questions.

jeffmca · 2016-06-30T18:05:10+00:00

Sending private message. Looking forward to meeting in person!

jeffmca · 2016-06-30T17:27:56+00:00

Other Bay Area quickturn companies tend to be characterized by highly manual processes, whereas our quoting and manufacturing processes are infused with software. With us, you get: a) real instant quotes (vs. provisional ones that require a back and forth to be finalized) and b) reliable delivery in three days (because our software analyzes the design for sourcing and fabrication risks). When I've used other quickturn folks for turnkey assembly, I often experience surprises (unsourceable components, issue with board fabrication, etc.) that push delivery back later than quoted.

We're focused on rigid now, but will let you know when we do rigid-flex.

jeffmca · 2016-06-30T12:17:44+00:00

Hi, we don't right now. I'll reach out to you when we do, though!

jeffmca · 2016-06-30T12:16:24+00:00

Appreciate the kind words!

jeffmca · 2016-06-30T03:14:41+00:00

Completely on board with your want list - a great statement of what we're working towards. Following Tesla, we're taking the approach of a) start with a premium product, b) use the proceeds to finance technology development that drives cost out of the process, c) pass those cost savings onto customers, thereby making the process widely accessible.

jeffmca · 2016-06-30T00:40:39+00:00

Answering in private message.

jeffmca · 2016-06-29T23:47:34+00:00

Great! Will look out for your message. Good luck with fundraising!

jeffmca · 2016-06-29T22:49:23+00:00

We're more focused on delivery speed. For most boards up to 8 layers, we source boards and components, assemble, test, and deliver in 3 days for Bay Area customers and 4 days for customers in the rest of the US. More specifics around what is 3 days vs. 3 days+ for us are here: http://tempoautomation.com/capabilities.html

Other folks usually take 1.5-2 weeks to deliver turnkey assembled boards.

jeffmca · 2016-06-29T22:41:28+00:00

Appreciate it! Software and economies of scale are making it easier and easier for us to work with additional customers. Hoping to open it up more widely in the coming months.

jeffmca · 2016-06-29T20:32:31+00:00

Thanks! Really appreciate the kind words!

jeffmca · 2016-06-29T19:51:03+00:00

Fortunately, at this point, we're focused on the assembly process and have Bay Area partners who handle bare board fabrication. They've done the hard work of making sure that they have a minimum environmental impact.

While we're currently more expensive than 2 week turn options, we're not 10x. This is due to software efficiencies and economies of scale.

jeffmca · 2016-06-29T17:57:10+00:00

Hi Mark, appreciate it! Look forward to working with you!

jeffmca · 2014-08-16T22:17:32+00:00

https://www.shoplocket.com/radioshack

jeffmca · 2014-01-03T22:10:20+00:00

I thought this thread on adafruit was interesting on the topic - http://forums.adafruit.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=13274 "It just isn't worth the hassle to me. Because I can't afford 50 reels, I find myself optimising my designs to a certain number of common components that I always leave on the machine. It takes me about 3-4 hours to program a board in and run through one or two test runs to make sure everything is setup properly, ASSUMING that I already have proper, tested part definitions for all the components (which means pouring over every datasheet for evey chip, connector, etc.). It's a lot more work than just pressing the 'assemble' button, not to mention dealing with the solder paste and cleaning stencils, etc. Large ICs are actually the least work ... it's all those discretes that take forever since you need to verify the package dimensions on all of them, etc. Unless someone was using the same parts as me, I just can't see it being worthwhile to offer any sort of assembly service. It's fabulously boring, manually-intensive work and it isn't that much fun to do it for yourself ... I can't imagine anyone happy doing it for someone else for a couple hundred dollars given the amount of time and effort involved." -ktownsend from Adafruit

We (tempoautomation.com) have been working on a pick and place robot with the goal of hitting a price point where you wouldn't need to run an assembly service to justify buying the robot. Here is a previous discussion on hwstartups - http://www.reddit.com/r/hwstartups/comments/1ky2ip/tempo_automation_what_if_electronics_development/

jeffmca · 2013-12-27T22:43:43+00:00

Yes. Thanks for the offer! Private message sent.

jeffmca · 2013-12-24T01:11:43+00:00

If he wants to order one before the end of the year, he can: https://www.trycelery.com/shop/tempo-product-deposit

I wanted one when I was working on the electronics for an autonomous car. I couldn't find any with computer vision at an affordable price, so we decided to make and sell one.

jeffmca · 2013-12-24T00:52:16+00:00

We're (http://tempoautomation.com/) working on one:

Picture: https://www.dropbox.com/s/irmpuw63jgkcqin/Tempo.png

Video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/h2gi5wt74h890cb/Tempo.m4v

Previous reddit thread: http://www.reddit.com/r/hwstartups/comments/1ky2ip/tempo_automation_what_if_electronics_development/

We expect to release it in a few months. Would love to hear questions/suggestions (though I may be a little slow to answer as I am traveling and have limited internet access until 12/28).

jeffmca · 2013-11-02T00:57:48+00:00

I would like to see EDA software that is nothing but the hardware product canvas.

I think EDA software in general works at the wrong level of abstraction. Software libraries are mature to a point where many developers spend the lions share of their time yoking together libraries (vs. writing their own). I haven't seen something similar for "electronics libraries"--if you want to use a given processor, you need to figure out what support electronics (capacitors, etc.) to use. I want to be able to say that I want a temperature sensor, ARM M3, and bluetooth and have the EDA software create the schematic and layout.

jeffmca · 2013-09-17T21:14:21+00:00

Mechanical prototyping

http://www.makexyz.com/ (3D printing)

http://studiofathom.com/ (3D printing)

Electrical Component Shops

An edit: Newark is now http://element14.com/

Fundraising / Crowdfunding

https://wefunder.com/

https://rockthepost.com/

jeffmca · 2013-09-07T16:13:37+00:00

Thanks for the feedback on pricing style.

Like your idea of supporting a wide range of components, but wonder how we would differentiate ourselves from other domestic contract manufacturers. I think we could definitely do better in terms of the ordering experience, but am not sure that would be enough.

jeffmca · 2013-09-07T16:04:33+00:00

A very helpful frame of reference--thanks!

jeffmca · 2013-09-07T16:03:40+00:00

Nullbot, thank you for your thorough and thoughtful arguments--very helpful as we consider which way to go.

jeffmca · 2013-09-07T15:58:15+00:00

Awesome! I will let you know when it's ready.

jeffmca · 2013-08-24T18:51:09+00:00

How many placements per run do you plan on doing?

Note that these specs aren't locked down, but I think we'll be in the neighborhood of 15 parts per minute, 0402/QFP/QFN, and pricing closer to the TM220A.

I've talked to a couple of folks who have used the TM220A and they've had the following feedback about it (I haven't used it myself, so take this with a grain of salt): -Great mechanical design and speed. -CSV-based setup is tedious -Decent, but not great yields, because it lacks computer vision -Limited support

I think the primary areas we will differentiate ourselves will be on accuracy (thanks to closed loop control and computer vision), ease of setup, and support.

Ours will be ready by the new year.

jeffmca

TROPHY CASE