Looking for a good company to produce & populate small PCBs

[Triode]

I have never had circuit boards produced in quantity before. I'm looking for recommendations for a good company to go to for production of populated PCBs. They would be small, about 0.5x1.5 in, this estimate may change but they would likely have 2 16 pin ICs, 3 smt transistors, 1 mini usb port, and maybe 10 smt caps and resistors. I would be looking at a sample/test run of a few followed by a production run of 300 to 1000. I am in the US, in Milwaukee Wisconsin specifically, but the company can be anywhere as long as their turnaround time isn't too high, by which i mean over a month or so. I have searched a few of these on google, but can't find any real reviews of them to compare. What kind of ballpark range should I expect for the small run samples and for the larger runs? If I want programmed PIC chips installed on the board how does that work? do I order them programmed from microchip to the producer?

 

[KeepItSimpleStupid]

I know of this company: https://www.sunstone.com/ Never used them.

A friend had a large 4-layer PC board made, but not stuffed from these guys: **broken link removed**

 

[ronv]

I think I would look around locally for a small shop.

 

[Triode]

I've checked, but I can't find any local shops. I'm in milwaukee wisconsin. I found one in chicago, but their price for 1000 was almost the same per each as their price for 4, so they would not be a viable high volume producer. But I would like to avoid one of these chinese shops, which have extreem lead times and no way to know their quality.

How does it generally work with places that will build boards for you, including adding parts? Do you order the parts to them, or give them a BOM for them to order and get a quote?

 

[jbeng]

What you want is commonly called a "contract manufacturer".

Our company uses one in central Illinois, only a couple hundred miles south of you. They're called ACC Electronix and they make a quality product. I don't have any idea what they would charge you for your finished assemblies though.

Here's a link if you'd like to check them out: www.accelectronix.com

 

[DerStrom8]

I've had some boards made by TBS Circuits in the past. They're some great guys over there, the board quality is excellent, and they're cheap and quick. I ordered a batch of PCBs from them on a Monday, and I had the boards by Thursday, so I highly recommend them. You can find their website here: **broken link removed**

I'm not sure if they populate the boards for you, though. That's the only downside. You can ask them--their customer service is very good, and you can usually talk with them personally, so they might be able to work something out for you. It's worth giving them a call, at least

 

[Triode]

I guess since I can't tell without diving in I'll just have to pay the premium for a small run and see how it turns out.

 

[jbeng]

Did you contact the folks I told you about? All you have to do is a request for quote (RFQ) and they will let you know how much it costs to build your assemblies. You'll have to provide them with some info -- a bill of material (BOM), pcb board layout files and the quantity of finished units you're interested in having made. Pretty simple.

 

[OlPhart]

Howdy, there's a shop in Wayland MI that I know others use. My stuff hasn't gotten to the volumes to justify them, but I know folks who do. I can't pull the name, but Wayland isn't big. If you still can't find it, I can ask & forward. Congrats on a volume project... <<<)))