Show HN: InstaPart – Build circuit boards faster with instant parts • Hacker News Board

Re: Show HN: InstaPart – Build circuit boards faster with instant parts

#21

Post by natashabaker » Sat, Sep 24, 2016, 4:48 PM UTC

LAMike wrote: post #20

Is this where people should go to make a production level PCB's for products that are prototyped on something like a raspberry pi? Or is it serving a different market?

Yes, exactly. It's for people designing custom PCBs. That includes people who have something prototyped on a Raspberry Pi/Arduino, etc. and want to migrate to a custom board that's ready for production (ie. to get cost, form factor down).

Re: Show HN: InstaPart – Build circuit boards faster with instant parts

#22

Post by necdetalpmen » Sat, Sep 24, 2016, 4:49 PM UTC

Looks great, someone had to do this :-) Can't wait to give it a try!

Re: Show HN: InstaPart – Build circuit boards faster with instant parts

#23

Post by necdetalpmen » Sat, Sep 24, 2016, 4:50 PM UTC

Sounds great, someone had to do this :-) Can't wait to try!

Re: Show HN: InstaPart – Build circuit boards faster with instant parts

#24

Post by pmorici » Sat, Sep 24, 2016, 5:03 PM UTC

Seems like an interesting service. I'm kind of confused by the site though.

On the landing page it says, "Get any schematic symbol and PCB footprint delivered in 24 hours. Just $29." Then I did a search for a part and clicked request and, after signing up for an account, it said that to get it in 24 hours I need to pay $79 and $29 was for 5 days service. I also somehow ended up on a page at one point that said that you could request any part for free. So which is it really?

I also found the social network aspect of the site off putting particularly since there was no mention of that and then after I signed up for an account to give the request a part service a try I see my user name plastered on the sites front page in a feed of recently signed up users and deactivating my account doesn't remove that.

Re: Show HN: InstaPart – Build circuit boards faster with instant parts

#25

Post by honkhonkpants » Sat, Sep 24, 2016, 5:06 PM UTC

I think your footprints should be shown with dimensions, because before I drop hundreds or thousands of dollars on a run of PCBs, I'm going to have to check your footprints to make sure they are correct, and that could actually take me longer than drawing them from scratch.

Re: Show HN: InstaPart – Build circuit boards faster with instant parts

#26

Post by Tom1971 » Sat, Sep 24, 2016, 5:07 PM UTC

I just created an account with the LinkedIn login option.

When I get back to the front page, it shows for everybody to see with my full name that I just joined snapeda.

Why???

Re: Show HN: InstaPart – Build circuit boards faster with instant parts

#27

Post by natashabaker » Sat, Sep 24, 2016, 5:10 PM UTC

pmorici wrote: post #24

Seems like an interesting service. I'm kind of confused by the site though. On the landing page it says, "Get any schematic symbol and PCB footprint delivered in 24 hours. Just $29." Then I did a search for a part and clicked request and, after signing up for an account, it said that to get it in 24 hours I need to pay $79 and $29 was for 5 days service. I also somehow ended up on a page at one point that said that y…

I think you must have been on the 3D model tab, which cost more than the 2D. (The 2D models are $29 for InstaPart.) And if the parts are already available they're free. We'll figure out how to make this more clear... Thanks for the feedback

As for the social media aspect, good to hear that as well. I talk with my team and see if we can add an option to suppress that, or re-design that page.

Re: Show HN: InstaPart – Build circuit boards faster with instant parts

#28

Post by FreedomToCreate » Sat, Sep 24, 2016, 5:13 PM UTC

As a designer, this looks like a great convenience since making a symbol and footprint usually takes a half hour on average. The 3D feature is the most useful part as a proper model takes much longer but at $79 dollars it could be expensive for people like me who design boards with many ICs and and unique components. With that said, in a very time constrained project with a lot of new components which we have no symbols for, if I could select and buy everything I need in a packaged deal, that would be appealing.

Re: Show HN: InstaPart – Build circuit boards faster with instant parts

#29

Post by natashabaker » Sat, Sep 24, 2016, 5:13 PM UTC

Tom1971 wrote: post #26

I just created an account with the LinkedIn login option. When I get back to the front page, it shows for everybody to see with my full name that I just joined snapeda. Why???

Thanks for the feedback. Will share this with my team and see what we can do about a re-design of that.

Re: Show HN: InstaPart – Build circuit boards faster with instant parts

#30

Post by natashabaker » Sat, Sep 24, 2016, 5:17 PM UTC

FreedomToCreate wrote: post #28

As a designer, this looks like a great convenience since making a symbol and footprint usually takes a half hour on average. The 3D feature is the most useful part as a proper model takes much longer but at $79 dollars it could be expensive for people like me who design boards with many ICs and and unique components. With that said, in a very time constrained project with a lot of new components which we have no symb…

Good to know. You can actually download unlimited 3D models with the Premium version ($99/month). It is custom 3D models that cost $79 for 24-hour turnaround, and $39 for 5-day turnaround. (Although symbols & footprints available on the site are free, 3D models are currently Premium only.)