Interesting PCB manufacturer feedback to customers

[Leon]

I'm having a couple of prototype PCBs made by PCB-Pool and they have an
interesting new technique for keeping customers updated with progress
on their board: as each stage is reached one gets an email showing how
one can see details of the board production process. Here is the latest
missive:

"We have prepared a graphic illustration of the production stages Tin
Strip of your PCB for you."

"To view the current status of your order, please log in to the "My
Orders" section on our website. Here you can click on the link, "Order
Tracking", and choose the desired order."

"In the Information section of the order tracking area you will see a
small thumbnail of your circuit board. Clicking on this picture opens a
new window containing a detailed shot of your PCB, scanned with a
resolution of 300dpi."

The first one showed the photoplots for the top and bottom copper and
the top and bottom solder mask. That was useful, as I'd mistakenly
specified identical solder mask on both sides; I could see that they
had sorted it out for me, saving me having to contact them about it.

It would be nice if other PCB suppliers did this, as well.

Leon

 

[martin griffith]

I'm having a couple of prototype PCBs made by PCB-Pool and they have an
interesting new technique for keeping customers updated with progress
on their board: as each stage is reached one gets an email showing how
one can see details of the board production process. Here is the latest
missive:

"We have prepared a graphic illustration of the production stages Tin
Strip of your PCB for you."

"To view the current status of your order, please log in to the "My
Orders" section on our website. Here you can click on the link, "Order
Tracking", and choose the desired order."

"In the Information section of the order tracking area you will see a
small thumbnail of your circuit board. Clicking on this picture opens a
new window containing a detailed shot of your PCB, scanned with a
resolution of 300dpi."

The first one showed the photoplots for the top and bottom copper and
the top and bottom solder mask. That was useful, as I'd mistakenly
specified identical solder mask on both sides; I could see that they
had sorted it out for me, saving me having to contact them about it.

It would be nice if other PCB suppliers did this, as well.

Leon

interesting, I wonder if McDonalds could do the same, showing how they
prepare the meat for a hamburger


martin

 

[Robert Baer]

I'm having a couple of prototype PCBs made by PCB-Pool and they have an
interesting new technique for keeping customers updated with progress
on their board: as each stage is reached one gets an email showing how
one can see details of the board production process. Here is the latest
missive:

"We have prepared a graphic illustration of the production stages Tin
Strip of your PCB for you."

"To view the current status of your order, please log in to the "My
Orders" section on our website. Here you can click on the link, "Order
Tracking", and choose the desired order."

"In the Information section of the order tracking area you will see a
small thumbnail of your circuit board. Clicking on this picture opens a
new window containing a detailed shot of your PCB, scanned with a
resolution of 300dpi."

The first one showed the photoplots for the top and bottom copper and
the top and bottom solder mask. That was useful, as I'd mistakenly
specified identical solder mask on both sides; I could see that they
had sorted it out for me, saving me having to contact them about it.

It would be nice if other PCB suppliers did this, as well.

Leon

It is a pleasure when a PCB house fixes one's goofs.
Over 20 years ago, i found one like that in the San Jose CA area;
have not seen one since.

 

[Klaus Bahner]

I'm having a couple of prototype PCBs made by PCB-Pool and they have an
interesting new technique for keeping customers updated with progress

[snip]

The first one showed the photoplots for the top and bottom copper and
the top and bottom solder mask. That was useful, as I'd mistakenly
specified identical solder mask on both sides; I could see that they
had sorted it out for me, saving me having to contact them about it.

It would be nice if other PCB suppliers did this, as well.

Leon

It is a pleasure when a PCB house fixes one's goofs.
Over 20 years ago, i found one like that in the San Jose CA area; have
not seen one since.

The mentionned PCB-Pool is seemingly such a board house. I remember a
case where I had an uncritical display board, which had to be made in a
rush. Hence, I let the autorouter do the work and hurried transferring
the layout to PCB-Pool. Later I received an email from one of their CAM
operators, that he had found an incompletely routed trace and that he
had fixed that for me - attached where the detailed pics of the layout
before and after the fix, so that I exactly knew what he'd done.

Klaus

 

[Leon]

I'm having a couple of prototype PCBs made by PCB-Pool and they have an
interesting new technique for keeping customers updated with progress

[snip]

The first one showed the photoplots for the top and bottom copper and
the top and bottom solder mask. That was useful, as I'd mistakenly
specified identical solder mask on both sides; I could see that they
had sorted it out for me, saving me having to contact them about it.

It would be nice if other PCB suppliers did this, as well.

Leon

It is a pleasure when a PCB house fixes one's goofs.
Over 20 years ago, i found one like that in the San Jose CA area; have
not seen one since.

The mentionned PCB-Pool is seemingly such a board house. I remember a
case where I had an uncritical display board, which had to be made in a
rush. Hence, I let the autorouter do the work and hurried transferring
the layout to PCB-Pool. Later I received an email from one of their CAM
operators, that he had found an incompletely routed trace and that he
had fixed that for me - attached where the detailed pics of the layout
before and after the fix, so that I exactly knew what he'd done.

Klaus

Just got another email - UV curing is happening.

Leon

 

[Jan Rasmussen]

interesting, I wonder if McDonalds could do the same, showing how they
prepare the meat for a hamburger

personaly, I would not use that feature. Ignorance is a bliss

regards

Jan Rasmussen - with a tripple Chokolate Muffin and a large Coca Cola on
the way home.

 

[qrk]

On Thu, 03 Aug 2006 07:40:08 GMT, Robert Baer

It is a pleasure when a PCB house fixes one's goofs.
Over 20 years ago, i found one like that in the San Jose CA area;
have not seen one since.

I expect this from the PCB houses I deal with. The 4 houses I have
dealt with in the past few years were very good about catching stupid
things or questioning oddities.

 

[budgie]

On Thu, 03 Aug 2006 07:40:08 GMT, Robert Baer


I expect this from the PCB houses I deal with. The 4 houses I have
dealt with in the past few years were very good about catching stupid
things or questioning oddities.

Querying oddities is one thing, but "fixing" what they perceive as errors or
oddities is another thing entirely.

 

[krw]

Querying oddities is one thing, but "fixing" what they perceive as errors or
oddities is another thing entirely.

"Fixing" is not in their job description. Identifying "oddities"
is another kettle of fish though. I've had a couple of technicians
who were really good at finding my "oddities", but they were *not*
to fix anything. Ok, one wrote all the drivers I needed to get the
stuff to work. ;-)

 

[SOX 404 Guru]

Budgie

I read a posting from you regarding Executive Book Summaries. I'm
thinking of getting the $119 Internet subscription (MP3 format). Would
you be interested in going dutch? I could email you the files and then
you could mail your half.

Interested?

Here's the link and email:
http://www.summary.com/cgi-bin/Soun...87a00019a6a2717ac110b0d0653/UserTemplate/1109

Here's the info:
12 monthly issues (that's 30 summaries) delivered right to your
personal Online Library. All summaries can be accessed in formats for
printing, reading on screen, downloading to most PDAs, and listening to
in MP3 format.

Mark

 

[budgie]

Budgie

I read a posting from you regarding Executive Book Summaries.

(snip rest)

WTF are you on?

 

[budgie]

On Thu, 03 Aug 2006 07:40:08 GMT, Robert Baer
[snippage]
It is a pleasure when a PCB house fixes one's goofs.
Over 20 years ago, i found one like that in the San Jose CA area;
have not seen one since.

I expect this from the PCB houses I deal with. The 4 houses I have
dealt with in the past few years were very good about catching stupid
things or questioning oddities.

Querying oddities is one thing, but "fixing" what they perceive as errors or
oddities is another thing entirely.

"Fixing" is not in their job description. Identifying "oddities"
is another kettle of fish though. I've had a couple of technicians
who were really good at finding my "oddities", but they were *not*
to fix anything.

That's exactly my point. Some earlier posters in this thread had supported
"fixing". Find them by all means. Report them, but DON'T TOUCH THEM. If
there's a fix to be applied, I'll send a revised job.