I think that's solved now though, at least for a few ICs and toolchains, via things like MyHDL and/or rhea (tldr; Python wrappers) and websites like fpga4fun.com
I wrote a tool like this for big high-performance test boards at work, the input was a spreadsheet, and I automatically generated (visual) schematics after assigning the netlist using a constraint solver. The analog guys review and debug using the graphical schematics, their design doc, and lab tools. I started the visualization end after thinking about how tumblr packs images onto a webpage pretty well, turns out 2d and 3d shape/box packing is a rich academic field.
I do part time work packaging FIBbed gizmos, the 'machinist' has done at best a 50nm diameter aperture in metal film (from what I recall, maybe it was 100nm) using a beam diameter of 10nm. This is on a machine that was new 20 years ago (newer machines are probably 5 to 10X better in terms of hardware these days, maybe 50X in software). Also, ASML is researching multi-beam electron steppers and getting more traction lately: http://semiengineering.com/multi-beam-market-heats-up/ (from 2 months ago)
So, what's involved in packaging them? I'm thinking along the lines of me coming up with a custom circuit that I print onto silicon, package into a chip, and put that sucker on a PCB. I figured the packaging would take similarly, specialized equipment given it's so tiny. Is it built into FIB equipment? Extra? How easy is it to use?
I always see articles on the ebeams and FIB showing how they work. Nothing on packaging.
Oh, by 'package' I meant heat-seal in plastic bags. 'Packaging' a silicon chip for electrical use should be pretty similar regardless of the production technique, given chemical compatibility, stress/strain of the chip and how packaging would add/affect that. There's wirebonding which is basically soldering wires from the silicon to some larger package-scale traces/larger-wires (often embedded in the package structure). There are a few ways of getting the actual FIBbed gizmo onto something macro-scale. Sometimes the thing you start with is large enough to handle easily, sometimes you bring in a CNC manipulator, use FIB to solder your gizmo to the manipulator, move the manipulator elsewhere and then 'tack weld' down your gizmo there and mill away the connection to the manipulator. Some systems have micro/nano vacuum manipulators. I bet on the high-end piezos are used to move things, but I am sure at some relatively larger scale mechanical movement wouldn't be too hard to use (depending on how cheap you need things to be, and how many times you want to repeat doing such connections).
spectruino's ADC isn't fast enough to capture all the data from a CCD data frame, thus to get an entire spectrum one needs to sample multiple times and shift the ADC sample clock... or deal with not having all the pixels. This method would be fine if your samples aren't changing, but for something like enzyme kinetics this non-simultaneous method will likely yield poor results. For applications that can use a monochromator, this method should be fine (albeit with lower spectral resolution since monochromators usually have quite high spectral resolution)
I'm still yet to find an actual use for the thing, regardless of constraints/limitations. The fact is, until we have a use of the hardware which allows average-person to gain some advantage, we have little progress.
Very good point, I would think before making a fancy case and adding useless colorful LED rings, you would try to prove the actual detection concept, which hasn't been shown by the maker.
