Assembly Service For Surface Mount IC's

[glnc222]

Some of the most interesting IC's are available only in these industrial type ultra miniature packages. They can be inexpensive, 3$ for a part with a thousand transistors -- all devoted to a single analog output.
Found service which supplies the smallest surface mount IC packages, some only an 1/8" with 16 pins, soldered for you onto adapter boards with pins for.1" prototyping breadboards or one-off perfboard construction. Interesting because orders the part for you from Digi-Key supporting personal projects, with huge catalog, and delivers the finished package. Also takes your IC's sent to them. $8 service charge plus inexpensive adapters. They use machines for assembly.
http://www.proto-advantage.com/store/icsoldering.php

Spark-Fun provides a similar service, but their adapters didn't look as compact. Proto offers both wire-wrap and round pins for example.

[added: another service, California. One day turn-around. http://www.epboard.com/eproducts/icsoldering.htm

A web search may show many such services. Adapters and prices vary. ]

Funny there are clamping sockets for these tiny IC's priced at $100 a piece, for such a trivial connector for a 3$ component. Must be hand made of carved ivory.