Manufacturing hardware
There are two parts that you will need to manufacture:
- The PCB
- The Enclosure
Let’s consider these in detail.
PCB fabrication
There are a large number of PCB fabrication providers and you can pick any one, depending on where you live. If there are none within your geography, then you may look to Asia. You will need to send the fabricator a file that it will use to print out the PCB. Most fabricators accept Gerber files.
Most PCB fabricators will only manufacture the PCB. This will require you to solder the components yourself. This could be a problem if you make use of tiny SMD components. Some fabricators can solder these components for you and send you the finished board. This is called PCB assembly.
You can find PCB manufacturers online. Here is a list of a few that might interest you:
- JLC PCB
- PCB Way
- Seeed Studios
- Sparkfun Electronics
With your PCB done, let’s consider enclosures.
