5-Hour PCB Prototyping: Nea Ɛma Ɛyɛ Yiye

Atwerɛ

December 17, 2021

Wɔtaa ka prototyping a wɔyɛ no ntɛmntɛm ho asɛm sɛ ɛyɛ line ahoɔhare ho asɛm. Obiara a watu mmirika ayɛ build nim sɛ twɛn dodow no ara si wɔ baabi foforo — wɔ approvals mu, wɔ material mu, wɔ replies mu.

Woretwɛn Nneɛma, Ɛnyɛ Line no

Ka rapid prototyping ho asɛm na nnipa dodow no ara yɛ fast line ho mfonini. Wɔ nneyɛe mu no, dan a wɔtaa yɛ no gye nnansa kosi ason na bottleneck no ntaa nyɛ mfiri bere: da koro anaa abien ma quotation, da koro a wɔde si BOM no so dua, nna abien anaa abiɛsa a wɔde twɛn ma nneɛma no kit, afei nhyehyɛe ne sɔhwɛ. Ebia nhama no ankasa bɛtu mmirika wɔ kyerɛwpon bi mu wɔ simma du du mu. Bere a atwam no mu dodow no ara kɔ so twɛn sɛ wobesi so dua, afã horow, mmuae.

Enti sɛ wobɛmia ɔdan bi so ayɛ no nnɔnhwerew anum a, ɛnyɛ mfiri ahorow no so mfi ase. Efi ase denam twɛn a woyi fi hɔ no so. Ɛsɛ sɛ wɔde nsɛm a wɔafa aka no hyɛ anim, ɛsɛ sɛ nneɛma no wɔ shelf no so, na ɛsɛ sɛ line no hyɛ w’ankasa wo tumi ase. Sɛ saa nkɔnsɔnkɔnsɔn no fã biara da so ara retwɛn abɔnten so apontow bi a, nnɔnhwerew anum yɛ asɛm hunu. Ɛno nti na adwumayɛbea pii ntumi mfa dodow no nka — wɔn nnwinnade no yɛ ntɛmntɛm sɛnea ɛsɛ, wɔn gyinaesi nkɔnsɔnkɔnsɔn no nyɛ saa.

Quotation first: gyinaesi bi a wɔde fi nna mu kɔ biako so

Nnɔnhwerew anum dan a edi kan no ne nea wɔafa aka. Wode mfonini anaa nhwɛsode ahwehwɛde bi mena, na ano aduru ne bo san ba wɔ nnɔnhwerew aduonu anan mu. Biribiara a ɛbɛba wɔ ɛno akyi no gyina anammɔn yi so. Sɛ quotation bi gye round abiɛsa wɔ nna abien biara mu a, line ahoɔhare dodow biara mma ne nyinaa yɛ tiaa.

Sɛ wode asɛm a wɔafa aka no hyɛ anim a, ɛsakra biribi foforo nso: ɛhyɛ adwumayɛbea no ma wɔkenkan ɔkwan a wɔfa so yɛ no yiye ntɛm. Nneɛma bɛn na wɔde besi ananmu, sɛ ebia board no wɔ ɔhaw ahorow a ɛfa adwumayɛ ho, sɛnea ɛsɛ sɛ wobue stencil no — ne nyinaa yɛ nea wosiesie no yiye wɔ mfiase sen sɛ wobehu wɔ line no so. Bere a wɔkora so wɔ nnɔnhwerew anum dan mu no fã pa no, wɔkora so ankasa wɔ quotation stage no mu.

Nneɛma a ɛto so abien: afã horow a wɔde asie ne nea ɛma ɛyɛ nokware

Block a ɛto so abien no yɛ nneɛma. Sampling yɛ brɛoo bere a wɔtɔ afã horow ad hoc — hwehwɛ obi a ɔkyekyɛ, twɛn courier, hwɛ sɛ ɛyɛ nokware. Nnwumayɛbea ahorow a wɔyɛ adwuma dɔnhwerew biara no de nneɛma a wɔtaa de di dwuma no sie, woyi fi adekoradan so, na wɔsan hyɛ mu ma bere a wɔawie adwuma no. Biribiara nni hɔ a ɛyɛ nwonwa wɔ ɛno mu, nanso ɛkyekyere kapital na ɛde asiane a ɛne sɛ stock bɛkɔ dedaw bere a part numbers kɔ so no soa.

Ɛfata sɛ yɛka ɔhye no ho asɛm nokwarem. Stocking ntumi nkata biribiara so. Ɛsɛ sɛ adwumayɛbea biara twɛn mfiri a ɛyɛ hu ankasa anaasɛ wɔayi no adi foforo. Enti nnɔnhwerew anum dan wɔ baabi a wɔakyerɛkyerɛ mu: nnua a wɔtaa de di dwuma, afã horow a wɔtaa de di dwuma, adeyɛ a ɛho akokwaw. Sɛ adwini no yɛ soronko a, akwanhwɛ a ɛyɛ nokware ne nnɔnhwerew aduonu anan, na ɛnyɛ anum. Sɛ wodi kan de saa ɔhye no si hɔ a, ɛmma wonsɛe bere pii sen sɛ wobɛkyerɛkyerɛ mu wɔ ɛno akyi.

Bere a saa nnɔnhwerew anum no nya wɔn keep

Hardware akuw te ahoɔhare so mfaso nka kɛse wɔ bere pɔtee bi mu. Anadwo a edi aguadi ho ɔyɛkyerɛ bi anim, bere a ɛsɛ sɛ wɔde ade bi si ananmu no. Wɔ adetɔfo wɛbsaet bi so no, akansifo board bi a wɔde toto ho. Anɔpa nnɔn abien, a wɔregye anyinam ahoɔden ho adwene bi atom. Bere a stakeholder bi pɛ sɛ ohu hardware nnɛ. Wɔ saa mmerɛ no mu no, ɔdansi kyinhyia no yɛ adwuma no kyinhyia, na nnɔnhwereɛ anum ne nnansa nni ɔfa korɔ no ara mu.

Botae a emu dɔ ne iteration pace. Nsakrae abiɛsa a wɔyɛ wɔ da koro mu no kyerɛ sɛ bere a afoforo da so ara retwɛn obi a ɔde nneɛma bɛkɔ no, wo nhwɛsode a ɛto so abiɛsa no wɔ adetɔfo bi nsam dedaw a wɔresusuw. Hardware akansi no taa gyina nea odi kan de data ankasa teɛteɛ adwini no so — akyiri yi nea otua ho ka bere nyinaa. Yɛn adwumayɛbea no kɔ so gye nhwɛsoɔ, batch nketewa ne dodoɔ a wɔyɛ wɔ adwumayɛbea baako mu, ɛsan de ano aduru ne nsɛm a wɔafa aka wɔ nnɔnhwereɛ aduonu nnan mu, na ɛtumi yɛ nhwɛsoɔ wɔ nnɔnhwereɛ anum mu. Fa mfonini ahorow anaa nhwɛsode ahwehwɛde bi mena na hwɛ baabi a nhyehyɛe no gyina ankasa.

Fast Ne Sloppy Ɛnyɛ Ade Koro

Sɛ checks koro no ara da so ara wɔ hɔ nkutoo a, ntease wɔ turnaround a wɔde nnɔnhwerew susuw no mu. Ɔkwan a ɛyɛ nokware a wɔfa so mia nhyehyɛe bi so ne sɛ wobeyi twɛn afi hɔ, na ɛnyɛ checks: ntonto biara nni hɔ mma afiri bi, wɔrenkura mu anadwo biara mma batch bi boaboa ano, wɔrenkyɛ shift a ɛto so abien. Nea ɛnsɛ sɛ wɔde mia ne nhwehwɛmu a wɔde aniwa hu, anyinam ahoɔden sɔhwɛ, ne dwumadi a wɔde hwɛ netlist no so. Sɛ supplier bi hyɛ ahoɔhare bɔ na ɔsan nso skips inspection, nea ɛba no nyɛ prototype, ɛyɛ ambiguity a afei ɛsɛ sɛ wo debug w’ankasa.

Bisa nea ɔkwan a ɛkɔ ntɛmntɛm no huruw pɔtee. Nnɔnhwerew anum a wɔde si dan no taa da so ara ka solder paste a wɔde tintim, reflow, ne anyinam ahoɔden sɔhwɛ titiriw; nea entumi nka ho ne nneɛma a atwa yɛn ho ahyia a wɔhyew a edi mũ anaasɛ bere tenten a wɔde hwɛ sɛnea nneɛma gyina pintinn. Sɛ wo adwini no hia saa nneɛma no a, yɛ nhyehyɛe ma nea ɛto so abien sen sɛ wobɛhwɛ kwan sɛ board ahorow a edi kan no bebua. Yɛn adansi a ɛkɔ ntɛmntɛm no ka anammɔn a wɔfa so hwehwɛ nneɛma mu a ɛka nsakrae no ho, na baabi a wɔayi check bi afi mu ankasa no, ɛka saa wɔ krataa so.

Ahoɔhare a Wɔde Nnɔnhwerew Sua no Sesa Ɔkwan a Wɔfa so Yɛ Adwuma, Ɛnyɛ Dɔn no Nko

Nnɔnhwerew anum nsakrae te sɛ nna a wɔkora so, nanso nea ɛsakra ankasa ne sɛnea kuw no yɛ adwuma. Sɛ nsakrae bi gye awia biako a, suban ahorow dan fi bere a edi kan a wobenya no yiye so kɔ sɔhwɛ a wɔbɛsɔ ahwɛ ntɛmntɛm na wɔateɛteɛ so. Wɔ hardware fam no, ɔkwan a ɛto so abien no taa yɛ nea ne bo nyɛ den: sɛ́ anka wode nnansa gye akyinnye wɔ pad pitch ho no, fa nnɔnhwerew anum susuw.

Ɔkwan a ɛkɔ ntɛmntɛm no hwehwɛ sɛ wosiesie wɔn ho pii, na ɛnyɛ kakraa bi. Ɛsɛ sɛ mfonini ahorow no yɛ nea ɛteɛ bere a edi kan no na BOM no wie, efisɛ obiara nhyɛ wo rework no ntonto mu. Akuw a wɔyɛ foforo wɔ adansi a wɔyɛ ntɛmntɛm mu no sua eyi wɔ ɔkwan a ɛyɛ den so: anammɔn biako a ɛnteɛ wɔ gerbers no mu ne nnɔnhwerew anum dan no bɛyɛ nna abien ne fã dan bere a asan aba ntonto no mu no.

Adeyɛ a ɛfata ne ma designs a wɔasiesie na ehia honam fam si so dua nkutoo — anadwo a edi aguadi ho ɔyɛkyerɛ anim, benchmarking build wɔ customer’s site, bench check wɔ anadwo fã. Bere a adwini no da so ara abue no, di kan yɛ nhwehwɛmu na mfa prototyping nni dwuma sɛ sketchbook. Hwɛ nea ɔyɛe no nneɛma ho nsɛm