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Online Vendors with Cool Tools for Builders?
fwc asks: "I've been using ExpressPCB for quite a while to make smaller printed circuit boards various projects. They provide a free (beer) schematic capture and PCB layout software which makes it very easy to design your board and order it online. There are of course other vendors that do this for PCB's as well, along with vendors which make stencils for Surface mount devices, Front Panels and foam inserts for plastic cases. Recently a friend told me about eMachineShop which has a very cool design tool which allows you design, price, and order almost anything a machine shop can build - brackets, gears, molded products, etc. - and out of almost every material you can imagine. What other cool resources of a similar nature are out there?"
After reading this article in MAKE I found out about Big Blue Saw, which is similar to eMachineShop. They'll take a DXF file and will produce machined parts in a handful of materials (plastic, steel, etc) and thicknesses. They even provide & promote links to a bunch of Open Source CAD software. Good stuff.
The eMachineshop was on here a long time ago. Cool stuff, but very expensive to have done even for a simple bracket.
After I submitted this article, I also discovered protocase which is specifically for equipment cases.. I haven't had a chance to play a lot with the software, but I do see ITX cases on their website.
Hyperkore does some nice laser etchings for pretty cheap.
The first thing to realise there are plenty of technology related hobbyists around the world, although most are not high profile and some may be different very different demographics than yourself.
= tools
Some (hobby) groups to consider looking towards for ideas and help include: woodworkers, metalworkers (hobbyists using micromills and mini-lathes from TaigTools and Sherline, etc.), model railroads, model aircrafts (static and RC), robotics, amateur radio (ham), 2600, LUGs, and Artist Run Centres/Communities
Random list of some I use or know of:
Make magazine http://www.makezine.com/
Instructables http://www.instructables.com/
ARRL http://www.arrl.org/
http://www.sparkfun.com/ (check out their tutorials)
http://www.fpga4fun.com/ / http://www.knjn.com/
QRP-L http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/qrp-l/>
GQRP http://www.gqrp.com/
http://www.pololu.com/ (cheap stencils laser cut, e.g. 3x4 for $32)
http://www.diyaudio.com/
http://www.digikey.com/ (if you're still buying electronics from Radio Shack, get these 3 catalogs now!)
http://www.mouser.com/
http://www.jameco.com/
the ton of various surplus/NOS dealers online
http://www.frontpanelexpress.com/
http://www.seattlerobotics.org/
http://www.chibots.org/index.php
DorkBot
http://eyebeam.org/production/production.php?page
MIT CBA FAB http://fab.cba.mit.edu/
http://www.leevalley.com/
http://www.smallparts.com/
http://www.danssmallpartsandkits.net/
http://www.wmberg.com/
http://www.acklandsgrainger.com/
http://www.grainger.com/
http://www.onlinemetals.com/
http://www.amqrp.com/
http://www.princessauto.com/
http://www.sherline.com/
http://www.taigtools.com/
Once you've got a design that you like, and want to do short runs, you'll want to have a low cost injection mold... These guys look really interesting: www.protomolds.com