Best low cost PCB fab

[Rob Martin]

I know this topic has been discussed, but could I have a few current
opinions on the most cost-effective PCB manufacturer for the following
type of work.

EagleCAD files, standard glass substrrate, double sided, drilled,
mulitple small (avg. 40x60mm) layouts on one sheet.

Basic service only. No plate throughs, screens, gold, overlays, etc.
required.

How does the following company rate? Any others to recommend?

http://www.custompcb.com/

Thank you,

Rob Martin

 

[[email protected]]

I know this topic has been discussed, but could I have a few current
opinions on the most cost-effective PCB manufacturer for the following
type of work.

EagleCAD files, standard glass substrrate, double sided, drilled,
mulitple small (avg. 40x60mm) layouts on one sheet.

Basic service only. No plate throughs, screens, gold, overlays, etc.
required.

How does the following company rate? Any others to recommend?

http://www.custompcb.com/

Thank you,

Rob Martin

Man, if you're going bare-bones you can try Alberta Printed Circuit
although I don't know what you mean by double-sided drilled if there
are no plated through holes.
Congratulations on not trying to make your own PCBs, you know the value
of your time!

 

[Jan Panteltje]

Man, if you're going bare-bones you can try Alberta Printed Circuit
although I don't know what you mean by double-sided drilled if there
are no plated through holes.
Congratulations on not trying to make your own PCBs, you know the value
of your time!

You are so right, them PeeCeeBees polute the environment too,
this is a better DIY way:
front:
ftp://panteltje.com/pub/s/z80_board.jpg
back:
ftp://panteltje.com/pub/s/wiring1.jpg

 

[DJ Delorie]

http://www.custompcb.com/

pcbpool or olimex are cheaper.
pcbpool has smaller line/space too.

My last panel was from pcbpool, mostly 8 mil rules with some 6, 2
sided down to 01005 caps and 0.4mm pitch ICs. No problems with the
boards so far.

 

[John B]

You are so right, them PeeCeeBees polute the environment too,
this is a better DIY way:
front:
ftp://panteltje.com/pub/s/z80_board.jpg
back:
ftp://panteltje.com/pub/s/wiring1.jpg

I just love that pinhole camera that you use. The chemicals used to
develop the glass plates must have been more polluting than making your
own PCB.

 

[RST Engineering \(jw\)]

If you don't want through-hole plating, silkscreens, gold, and all that
stuff, print out your circuit on photo gloss paper, iron the circuits onto a
pcb using drilled holes for alignment, toss it in a bath of aerated muriatic
acid, and viola.

Jim

 

[Rich Grise]

On a sunny day (14 Nov 2006 14:36:15 -0800) it happened
[email protected] wrote in


You are so right, them PeeCeeBees polute the environment too,
this is a better DIY way:
front:
ftp://panteltje.com/pub/s/z80_board.jpg
back:
ftp://panteltje.com/pub/s/wiring1.jpg

Did you put the top side all out of focus to protect your design from
us reverse-engineering it?

And I haven't seen a capacitor straddling a chip since when I was doing
it! ;-)

Thanks!
Rich

 

[Joel Kolstad]

And I haven't seen a capacitor straddling a chip since when I was doing
it! ;-)

I always liked the IC sockets with the built-in decoupling cap across pins 14
and 7...

 

[JeffM]

[...]toss it in a bath of aerated muriatic acid, and viola.
Jim

Just so you know...
http://www.google.com/images?q=viola
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=voila

 

[budgie]

I know this topic has been discussed, but could I have a few current
opinions on the most cost-effective PCB manufacturer for the following
type of work.

EagleCAD files, standard glass substrrate, double sided, drilled,
mulitple small (avg. 40x60mm) layouts on one sheet.

Basic service only. No plate throughs, screens, gold, overlays, etc.
required.

How does the following company rate? Any others to recommend?

http://www.custompcb.com/

Hi Rob.

Assume you are on the east coast (oz).

I've tried CustomPCB and found the results fairly disappointing. Also their
silver finish left me yearning for the HASL finish I'm used to in non-ROHS
boards. It was YUKKY to solder.

Have a look at www.futurlec.com. I have used them on and off for quite a while,
and am fairly happy with the result and the price. They take Eagle format too.

If you trawl aus.electronics with google groups, you'll see this is an oft-asked
question. Unless you want quantities, for us aussies Futurlec is hard to beat.

They charge a "setup" fee PER DESIGN, so if you want multiple designs on a
board/panel without paying this N times over, set them all up as a panel with
internal routing lines and specify "DO NOT SEPARATE". They will deliver a board
with all your gems held in place by breakout tabs, so cleaning up is fairly
straightforward.

If you do choose them, post back and I can give you a few more tips.

 

[Jan Panteltje]

Did you put the top side all out of focus to protect your design from
us reverse-engineering it?

No it is the Mustek DV9300 mpeg4 video camera I bought recently (only 120 Euro),
it has a fixed focus lens, I could not focus up close.
On the wiring side I just had an other lens in front.
But that camera records almost an hour mpeg4 25 or 30fps on a 1G SD card,
and fits a shirt pocket.
For the rest that camera is crap.

And I haven't seen a capacitor straddling a chip since when I was doing
it! ;-)

Yea, this board if originally from the 1980ties, I changed it for some
32kB static RAMS some years later, that is why 2 colors flat cable.

It is part of a series of many, serial IO, display controller, modem,
ramdisk, audio, eprom programmer, floppy controller, all fit on the same
backplane.

Thanks!
Rich

You are welcome

 

[YD]

Late at night, by candle light, "John B"

I just love that pinhole camera that you use. The chemicals used to
develop the glass plates must have been more polluting than making your
own PCB.

I have made sharper pics with pinhole cameras.

- YD.