How to order assembled PCBs
OMOTE is an open-source DIY project and is currently not officially for sale. However, you can use the files in this GitHub repository to order your own assembled PCBs. This guide explains how to order from JLCPCB, but various other manufacturers like PCBWay also offer assembly. JLCPCB has the advantage that they have direct access to the components from LCSC, so you don't have to worry about procurement. In any case, ordering assembled PCBs in small batches is very expensive. You can try to order 5 or more PCBAs and resell spare PCBs to the community (Discord) to make some money back.
Go to https://cart.jlcpcb.com/quote and upload the file gerber.zip. After uploading, the website will show a preview. Layers and dimensions are automatically selected. You can choose the number of PCBs in steps of five. The PCB thickness should be left at 1.6mm or else the 3D-printed case won't fit right. The solder mask color can be chosen freely and only affects the manufacturing time slightly. For the surface, you can choose between HASL (tin) and ENIG (gold). ENIG is more expensive and gives the PCBs an even, gold surface. HASL is the budget option, but should also work fine in this case. Optionally you can have the JLCPCB order number remoted from the board.
Click on the toggle button on "PCB Assembly" and a new set of options appears. Select standard as the PCBA type and choose Both Sides for the assembly. JLCPCB will add their own rails to the board, which can later be snapped off. Make sure to select "confirm parts placement" so you can confirm the placement before manufacturing. There are some ways to reduce costs: You can select to populate only a few (2 minimum) PCBs. You can also solder the buttons yourself and have JLCPCB only assemble the top side. Press confirm to continue.
In the new window, click next to continue to the bill of materials. Here you need to add two files: The BOM contains the part designators and their LCSC order numbers. The CPL file contains the positions and rotations of these parts. You can use the ready-made file from the production folder in the OMOTE repository:
Click "Process BOM & CPL" to continue. Now you should see a list of all parts, their cost and their availability status. It might happen, that a part is temporarily out of stock, like here:
In this case, LCSC offers this diode from different manufacturers. You can simply click on the part, select "search part" and pick a replacement.
The IR-LED (D2) is special as it is a through-hole component and must be assembled by hand. You can buy it separately and solder it yourself or choose the "BOM with D2.xlsx". In that case, someone from JLCPCB will ask you how they should assemble this part, which might lead to some delays.
After clicking next, you will see a 3D preview of the assembled PCB. The CPL.csv should already contain the correct part positions and rotations. You can still double-check the preview and compare it to the KiCad layout.
On the next page, you can check the cost and finally add the PCBA to your shopping cart.
After ordering your assembled boards, a technician looks at your files and you will have a last chance to confirm the data before it is manufactured. If there are no questions or issues, the boards should be ready to ship after a week.