Would you be interested in an assembled Tiny Engineer Main Board?

[jamro]

I'm working on an integrated Main Board for Tiny Engineer that replaces most of the separate electronics modules and wiring with a single PCB.

The board integrates:

• PCA9685 servo controller
• MAX98357A audio amplifier
• USB-C
• power distribution, filtering and protection
• servo, OLED and speaker connections
• a socket for the ESP32-C3-Zero
• extension port with ESP32 GPIO, power rails and I2S

The idea is to make the electronics side of the build much simpler: plug in the ESP32, connect the servos, OLED and speaker, and you're ready to go.

You can see the board and the technical details in #46 (rev2) and #66 (rev3).

The board is ready

The Main Board has now been manufactured and tested successfully.

The hardware design and manufacturing files are available in the repository, and you can already order the board yourself.

I’ve added a step-by-step guide here:

https://github.com/jamro/tiny-engineer/blob/main/docs/hardware/order-main-control-board.md

The guide currently documents ordering through JLCPCB, including PCB fabrication, BOM, component placement and assembly options.

The main downside of ordering individually is cost. Small PCBA runs have relatively high fixed setup costs, and JLCPCB currently requires a minimum order of 5 PCBs even if you only need one.

For context, a small assembled batch is roughly:

around $75 for 5 boards with single-sided assembly, plus shipping

or:

around $150 for 5 fully assembled double-sided boards, plus shipping

So the board is available today, but ordering a single Tiny Engineer this way is still more expensive than I’d like.

Interested in an easier / cheaper option?

👍 React to this post if you would consider getting a fully assembled Main Board for around $15–20 + shipping.

This is still just an interest check — not a preorder and no commitment to buy.

I’m exploring ways to make individual boards easier and cheaper to obtain, including alternative manufacturers, shared-project ordering and community group orders.

If interest becomes large enough, there may also be other options worth exploring later, such as larger production runs or working with a hardware manufacturer/distributor that could take care of production and fulfilment.

For now, though, the important part is: the board is ready and you can already order it yourself using the guide above.

[danpillay87]

I'd be interested in an assembled Main Board, and I'd also love a complete pre-built Tiny Engineer. Are finished units something you might offer, or do you know someone who could assemble one from your design? I'm in the UK and happy to cover parts, build time and shipping.

[larrylay80-netizen]

Also, Id be interested in purchasing a couple right now! 😁

[Calst54]

No problem for me to buy two or three assembled boards. (Switzerland)

[decriptor]

I'd be interested. I was thinking about ordering the double sided boards in the 5 bundle. (I'm in the US)

[VRFins]

Super interested, I'm not very crafty, and this would help a ton!

[ceponatia]

I'd be interested in an assembled Main Board, and I'd also love a complete pre-built Tiny Engineer. Are finished units something you might offer, or do you know someone who could assemble one from your design? I'm in the UK and happy to cover parts, build time and shipping.

Agreed. There's basically 0 chance I'm going to have the time / will to build one of these myself, but I love it and would purchase one.

[jamro]

Quick update on the Main Board availability.

I’m currently validating PCBWay as an alternative manufacturing and assembly provider in #63. The goal is to make sure the current board can be produced there reliably, including the BOM, placement data, component sourcing and assembly flow.

If that goes well, the next step is to test PCBWay Shared Projects in #65. In the best case, this could give the community a much simpler way to order a single assembled board directly from PCBWay, without having to prepare manufacturing files or buy a larger batch.

Individual orders are already possible today and the full process is documented here:
https://github.com/jamro/tiny-engineer/blob/main/docs/hardware/order-main-control-board.md

The main downside is cost: small PCBA orders have relatively high fixed setup costs, and with JLCPCB you currently need to order at least 5 PCBs even if you only need one. So this path works and remains supported, but it is not the most economical option for a single Tiny Engineer.

I’m also keeping this interest check open. If interest continues to grow, there may be other options worth exploring later, such as larger production runs, better repeat-manufacturing pricing, or working with a hardware manufacturer/distributor that could take care of production and fulfilment. I don’t want to promise any of those yet, but stronger real demand would make them much more realistic.

Regional PCB Group Orders

In the meantime, the response here already looks strong enough that regional group orders may work well. Thanks to @jtruland for suggesting the idea of smaller regional group orders.

I’ve added a new Regional PCB Group Orders category in Discussions (#74), where people in the same country or region can find each other and independently organize a shared batch.

---

That gives us a few parallel paths:

• individual orders using the documented JLCPCB process
• direct single-board ordering, if PCBWay Shared Projects works well
• community-organized regional batches to reduce per-board cost
• potentially larger-scale manufacturing later, if demand justifies it

Thanks everyone for the interest so far... it’s very helpful in figuring out the simplest way to make the board accessible without adding unnecessary complexity.

[larrylay80-netizen]

Sure, I'll take 4

…

On Sun, Oct 11, 2026 at 5:18 PM Fins ***@***.***> wrote: Super interested, I'm not very crafty, and this would help a ton! — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#50?email_source=notifications&email_token=CQSTXWPUT4CI34HKPSSYKTL5TQPOVA5CNFSNUABIM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2ENFZWG5LTONUW63SDN5WW2ZLOOQXTCOBYG4YTEMJQUZZGKYLTN5XKOY3PNVWWK3TUUVSXMZLOOSWGM33PORSXEX3DNRUWG2Y#discussioncomment-18871210>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/CQSTXWP6U4DVYWXQXGWOSUL5TQPOVAVCNFSNUABJKJSXA33TNF2G64TZHMYTGNBRHE4DMNJQGQ5UI2LTMN2XG43JN5XDWMJQHEYDANBVGKQXMAQ> . Triage notifications, keep track of coding agent tasks and review pull requests on the go with GitHub Mobile for iOS <https://github.com/notifications/mobile/ios/CQSTXWK54EWN76TK6L77WFL5TQPOVA5CNFSNUABIM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2ENFZWG5LTONUW63SDN5WW2ZLOOQXTCOBYG4YTEMJQUZZGKYLTN5XKOY3PNVWWK3TUUVSXMZLOOSVGM33PORSXEX3JN5ZQ> and Android <https://github.com/notifications/mobile/android/CQSTXWKAMAYCDEHKAKXAZCT5TQPOVA5CNFSNUABIM5UWIORPF5TWS5BNNB2WEL2ENFZWG5LTONUW63SDN5WW2ZLOOQXTCOBYG4YTEMJQUZZGKYLTN5XKOY3PNVWWK3TUUVSXMZLOOSXGM33PORSXEX3BNZSHE33JMQ>. Download it today! You are receiving this because you commented.Message ID: ***@***.***>

-- Best Regards, Larry Lay (503) 901-1969

[aeliayousaf]

Can we order your premade boards yet - if so i am ready to order!

[jamro]

Thanks for your interest! The Main Board is already available, but there isn't a simple single-board purchase option yet.

Currently, you have two options:

1. Order directly from a manufacturer like JLCPCB using the manufacturing files and instructions provided in the repository. The downside is the minimum order of 5 boards.
2. Join or organize a regional PCB group order to share manufacturing costs with other community members.

More details here: #50 (comment)

I'm also looking for a manufacturing partner who could produce and sell assembled boards at a better price, ideally with the option to purchase just one.

I'll keep everyone updated as this progresses!

[jamro]

Quick update: Looking for a Main Board manufacturing partner!

Thanks everyone for the continued interest in assembled Main Boards! It's great to see how many people would like to get one. 😄

While it's already possible to order boards directly from manufacturers or organize regional group orders, I'd really like to make this simpler and more affordable.

I'm currently looking for a manufacturing partner who would be interested in producing and selling Tiny Engineer Main Boards directly to the community.

Ideally, this would mean:

• Single-board purchases — no need to order 5 boards or organize a group order.
• Better pricing through larger-scale manufacturing.
• Fully assembled and tested boards ready to use with Tiny Engineer.
• Direct ordering and shipping handled by the manufacturer or distributor.

Nothing is confirmed yet, but I'm exploring potential partnerships and will keep the community posted.

If you're interested, please give the original post at the top of this discussion a 👍 reaction! It helps demonstrate real demand and makes it easier to approach potential manufacturing partners.

And if you know a manufacturer or distributor who might be interested in collaborating on this, feel free to reach out!

Thanks for all the support! 🤖

[mobyjames]

Also interested in prefab main boards. Personally I’d pay up to $50 for one if it was easy to order and I knew it would work out of the box. Of course cheaper is better :)

[jamro]

Quick follow-up: some good news! 😄

I have found a manufacturing partner, and we are moving forward with production preparations, including quality testing to ensure the boards are ready for the community.

We still need to finalise a few details before I can share ordering information, but things are progressing well!

In the meantime, you don't need to put existing PCB orders or group buys on hold. I will share more once we are ready.