Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange
Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [manufacturing]

225 questions
188
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11 answers

How much does it cost to have a custom ASIC made?

I have browsed several ASIC manufacturer's webs, but I haven't found an actual number. I assume there would be a fixed cost associated with creating masks and such and then there will be a cost per unit. Note: that I don't actually want to have an…
avakar
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Why don't we make CPUs with 1000s of layers to make use of space in the third dimension?

I am wondering why don't we make processors such as CPUs with 1000s of stacked layers to make use of space in the third dimension now that we have three-dimensional transistors. To be clear I'm referencing making something of a rectangular-prism…
Ethan
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13 answers

How to go from newbie to manufactured?

I'm a software guy who wants to get into the hardware side of things so I can enjoy the same creativity from software design in the physical world. I've found plenty of posts here regarding how to get "up and running" in the electronics world, but…
DJ_R
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7 answers

How do I make sure my electronics design is good from manufacturing perspective?

I am a beginner in electronics design. I have some experience with fairly complex PCB design. I want to design a product that will hopefully sell a lot. How do I ensure that the design is inexpensive from manufacturing perspective? I mean not for a…
superczan
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35
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2 answers

What's the purpose of this checkerboard pattern?

This gigabit Ethernet NIC has a checkerboard pattern out of copper etched on the PCB: Each square is electrically isolated. What's the point of adding these? I guess that the PCB isn't filled with a copper plane due to cost concerns, but why don't…
Catherine
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31
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4 answers

Why are most COB LEDs physically yellow?

Many "LEDs" found on devices nowadays appear to be yellow where the light comes from (when the device is off). Why yellow? I put LEDs in quotes because COB leds can consist of many individual LEDs in an array/grid. In my example photo below, you can…
Bort
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24
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6 answers

Writable area on a PCB

I would like to create an area on my PCB where you can write on with a pen. Is this possible, and if so how should I do it?
Tim Jager
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23
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4 answers

Environmentally sustainable electronics

I am part of my company's work to become more environmentally friendly and sustainable. On a high level for the company that means pursuing ISO certifications (such as ISO 14001) and working according to other standards. But I'm trying to figure out…
Lars Petersson
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21
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2 answers

How are vias made commercially?

How are or were vias made commercially? Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_(electronics)) mentions "The hole is made conductive by electroplating, or is lined with a tube or a rivet" Can anyone provide more details on these processes, with…
orangenarwhals
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20
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5 answers

Why are MAX-, AD-, LT- parts (among others) so expensive?

I'm curious why some IC manufacturers like Maxim, Analog Devices, and Linear Tech's parts are so expensive? I know they are much higher quality (better electrical characteristics, etc), but for some parts it still doesn't make sense. For example: SD…
Shubham
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18
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9 answers

How can I successfully make a PCB at home?

I have tried several times, unsuccessfully, to manufacture a PCB at home. A lot of the other questions are about improving PCB performance and such, but I can rarely, if ever, even get the ink to adhere to the copper board. I even bought the special…
samoz
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5 answers

Plated Through Hole at home?

Is it possible to make PTH (Plated Thorugh Hole) at home? Can somebody explain the procedure?
Patrik
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17
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6 answers

How can I evaluate or speculate on a part's production lifetime for long term part sourcing?

Suppose I have an idea for a product, where if it were successful, would be in production for 5-10 years. How can I make decisions on what parts to use now such that they will still be available to order in the future? I'm not old enough to know,…
Jon L
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6 answers

Why are we still using resistors with %5 tolerance while they can even manufacture a 14.318182MHz crystal?

Year is 2012 and I can only find %5-tol resistors in the local market. They can make transistors at molecular scale, they can manufacture 14.318182MHz crystals, they can place trillions of flip-flops inside a memory chip. Then why don't they start…
hkBattousai
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How do you find high-quantity prices for ICs?

I know of findchips.com, oemstrade.com, octopart.com, and the like. But even the lowest prices on these sites are still higher than the prices on BOMs I get from China. How do you realistically estimate the cost of an IC purchased at high…
endolith
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