Resources for PCB Desgin and Fabrication

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  • JonMarsh
    Mad Max Moderator
    • Aug 2000
    • 15259

    Resources for PCB Desgin and Fabrication

    Hello Folks,

    Now and then I get some questions about how do I do some of these projects, particuarly at any reasonable cost. A big factor in turning out a nice piece of DIY electronics is the PCB board- both the design, and getting quality bare boards fabricated at a reasonable cost.

    Gather round, 'cause I'm going to spill a few secrets that can save you a lot of money if this is something you're interested in....

    Part of the high cost of PCB fabrication is the artwork and tooling charges- just making a modest size board like my PXO crossover boards can have $750 of plot and tooling charges associated with it, before you even order the fabricated boards!

    For Mfr. projects, that's no problem, as you re-use the artwork many times.

    For a DIY enthusiast, this is a big stumbling block, as you may change the design, or only plan on building a handful of boards.

    Imagine a PCB business that does things a little differently- that collects customer jobs, uses computerized software to correlate and combine jobs on the PCB panels for minimum cost, and who only manufactures in a few set technologies and options for two layer and four layer boards, and recently, single layer. Imagine that your job is combined and produced with others recieved, and though you don't get tooling and plots that you can re-use, you get bare PCB's manufactured in small quantities at prices competitetive to what you'd pay *after* you'd paid the tooling and plotting expenses.

    This is PCB-Pool, the vendor I use for board fabrication, out of Ireland and Germany.



    We specialize in high-quality printed circuit board ( PCB ) prototype manufacturing and small series. Lead-times from 8 hours for PCB manufacture



    Founded in 1989, they've been providing an unusual quality proposition in the PCB market for some years.

    Here's a scan of one of the boards I just recieved for my latest project; this is a non loop feedback discrete balanced JFET input balanced differential output for my current DAC and preamp projects.




    This shows the top side, which is mostly shield planes; this is a dual layer board. Workmanship is very good, and their feature size capability is very good for the cost - their site details pricing and design rules.


    Another side of the equation, though, is design- not eveyone can afford midrange to high end PCB tools, as these days midrange tools are typically in the $5K and up range.

    Fortunately, there are many firms offering "student" reduced capability Schematic and PCB design software for free which still has enough capaibility for many projects. Among these are:

    Hier findest Du jede Menge Finanzvergleiche an einem Ort. Wenn Du auf der Suche nach einer Versicherung bist, die zu Dir passt, dann bist Du hier richtig.







    Some packages such as Protel and PCAD have full function 30 day trial packages available, but making libraries and completing a project in such a short time may not be realistic...


    The best PCB design software and high-powered tools for PCB designers. Industry-leading schematic capture, layout and prototyping tools. EDA / CAD


    I use the Protel tools for my schematic and PCB designs.


    Quite interesting, if you like the idea of doing business with PCB-Pool, is that they have arranged for a special edition of Target 3001 which only generates files to work with PCB-Pool, but is completely free of cost and time limits.



    We specialize in high-quality printed circuit board ( PCB ) prototype manufacturing and small series. Lead-times from 8 hours for PCB manufacture






    And no, I'm not getting a rebate for these guys, and I don't work for them- I'm just passing along some of my little secrets for the folks that may have a hankering to build something more often on their own, but are daunted by the cost and obstacles to doing that on a DIY basis.

    Best regards,

    Jon




    Earth First!
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    Last edited by JonMarsh; 19 February 2006, 13:45 Sunday.
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  • JonMarsh
    Mad Max Moderator
    • Aug 2000
    • 15259

    #2
    I've since found another vendor with some additional capabilities for "special" stuff, like gold plated traces, Teflon and other special substrates, and heavy copper plate- still at very reasonable prices.

    Advanced Circuits, in Aurora Colorado.

    Advanced Circuits is a leader among Printed Circuit Board Manufacturers. We offer quick-turn PCB manufacturing and assembly and best on time shipping. Get a quote today!



    I've gotten one set of boards quoted and fabbed by them in the last couple of weeks- very good service and responsiveness; good pricing with just a 2 day turn around.

    Highly recommended.


    -Johann




    Earth First!
    _______________________________
    We'll screw up the other planets later....
    the AudioWorx
    Natalie P
    M8ta
    Modula Neo DCC
    Modula MT XE
    Modula Xtreme
    Isiris
    Wavecor Ardent

    SMJ
    Minerva Monitor
    Calliope
    Ardent D

    In Development...
    Isiris Mk II updates- in final test stage!
    Obi-Wan
    Saint-Saëns Symphonique/AKA SMJ-40
    Modula PWB
    Calliope CC Supreme
    Natalie P Ultra
    Natalie P Supreme
    Janus BP1 Sub


    Resistance is not futile, it is Volts divided by Amperes...
    Just ask Mr. Ohm....

    Comment

    • siongboon
      Junior Member
      • Feb 2006
      • 1

      #3
      PCB Fabrication refererences

      There are many more cheap PCB manufacturer in China.
      Check out the following DIY website for
      more reference at the bottom of the page.

      Comment

      • Cowanrg
        Senior Member
        • Feb 2004
        • 225

        #4
        many of those places seem pretty pricey still. here is a thread over on diyaudio that has some very inexpensive places:

        I need to make a bunch of headphone amps for friends, and would find it easier just to have a company make my PCBs. what is the cheapest company avaliable? the boards use surface mount chips but the masks and stuff isn't neccesary since i will hand-solder. they are about an inch by an inch and...


        i was looking for some boards to hold my caps for an amp im building, and i was getting like $40 per board! its just a small board so i can mount caps cleanly. that was way too much. but i now found some boards for $10 or so.

        Comment

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