Hi guys, I need some advice.
The fellow I raved about for my pc board design ultimately had a few flaws in it. Long story short he agreed to fix it for free, which is what I expected, but still nice that he offered nonetheless.
Now the new design comes back and while he got nearly everything right, there is still a major flaw that will prevent me from ordering the boards until it is fixed. I have written him this morning, but do far no reply. I have the Gerber files, so if he doesn’t reply, am I at square one, or can a board designer do something with them?
Can I ask him for all the related libraries an his files of he is unwilling or unable to make or right?
I am willing to pay him something more, but at this point, is it better to go with someone new, or double-down with this guy?
Send me your eagle files and whats wrong and I will fix it.
If the error was the designers and not your design/description, tell them you want your money back.
Ive asked him for that, or to fix it. All I have now is the latest Gerber files.
I’m not sure I can reverse-engineer from the Gerber.
What does your circuit do?
It’s a small board 55mm x 29mm, but complicated by the fact that one "component"is an arduino pro mini, and another is a battery management pcb mounted to the back side. I’ll wait for his reply to see if he well finish it, or send me the files I need to get someone else to do it. I’ll keep you posted.
No worries. It actually sounds quite simple, compared to what I’ve made before. I’ve got one that uses a pro mini, esp8266 and lipo, with inbuilt charging circuit and micro USB with TTL.
There is no question, I’m a hack. The design works, but I’m a little concerned that I’m relying heavily on Chinese manufactured components. I could contract out for a better hardware design, and even manufacturing, but right now, I’m not sure of the market potential. I’ll see how many sell locally at my much higher prices, then if I can’t keep up with demand I’ll know that I have something.
I don’t know if at small lot sizes that route would be less expensive than what I can make it for.
By the way since we first talked the designer apologized and said he needed a couple days to get some schoolwork off his plate, then he could correct the problem, so I’m hopeful. One thing is for sure, my next contract will include the source files, not just the Gerber files as deliverables.
One last question: On your project with the Lipo, did you find a source of the batteries, or did you just buy them off ebay like I am doing?
I live in SE Asia - everything comes from Aliexpress.
@Roger_Kolasinski , if you still need help, let me know. For what it’s worth, all of my board designs are done in China and I’ve never had issues. Components are all Asian made so it’s not like you’re going to get any better.
@Mike_Thornbury I live in the UK, and everything comes from aliexpress 