Build or Send out

[TorqueRanger]

I looking to make a couple design into there own PCB.. But right now I have no PCB etching equipment and was wondering if you guys build you own PCB or send them out to get done ??
Also if you plan on out sourcing to get the PCB done what PCB program is the most used and does it realm matter ?? Do you use smd or through hole parts???


Thanks

[v8dave]

For all boards these days I send them to DFRobot as the mess with chemicals is not worth it. The price these days is cheap when you compare what it was about a decade ago. I get 10 professional boards with soldermask and silkscreen for the price.

My boards are mainly 4 layer these days with a few 2 layer some simple designs. The cost of 4-layer now is so cheap

I use a mixture of SMD and through hole.

Any PCB design software within your budget is fine as long as you can output Gerber files. These are the standard used by the PCB houses.

[Lee Leduc]

I use 2 services for small runs of boards. I've had good results with both companies. Both provide plated through holes, solder mask, and silkscreen.

OSH Park, a USA vendor (formerly Dorkbot). www.https://oshpark.com/

Itead Studio (China). Proto type runs (10 boards, 2 and 4 layers) https://www.itead.cc/open-pcb/pcb-prototyping.html

Itead Studio Small runs 50 or more boards. https://www.itead.cc/open-pcb/small-batches-pcb.html

[deephaven]

Another vote for itead studio. You can use prety much any CAD program as they all produce Gerber files which is what the PCB company wants. itead have a strict file name extension convention, so be careful to check that you've named them correctly.

[alsetalokin4017]

http://dirtypcbs.com/

[electronherder]

As others have pointed out, the best place to order boards from depends upon how many boards you want and how fast you want them.

Eagle is one of the best PCB layout programs in my opinion.  http://www.cadsoftusa.com/product-overview/
They have a free version for non-commercial use, though it is limited in size and number of layers.

Some PCB manufacturers accept Eagle CAD files, though generating Gerber files isn't hard.  But it is easier if you can simply submit your design files.

I have a strong preference for surface mount parts, though I usually use through-hole connectors because they are less expensive and more rugged.  A good pull on a cable can pull a surface mount connector off.

There are several reasons why I like surface mount parts more than through-hole.  I find them very easy to solder if you have the right tools.  There is a secret ingredient for soldering, and that is the flux.  You will not believe how easy it is to solder if you have a good flux.  My favorite comes in the form of a felt-tipped pen.  Here is a link to it on Mouser.com: http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Kester/83-1097-2331.  A single pen goes a long way because you have a lot of control over how it is dispensed.  This flux is water soluble, which means you will want to wash off the board with water when your are finished.  If you don't wash it off, it will eat away at the copper over time.  Water soluble flux is much more aggressive than no-clean flux.  But no-clean has the advantage of not needing to clean it off when you're finished.  But you will be amazed at how well the water soluble flux works, and it isn't a big deal to run your board under warm water to wash away the flux.  I used an old toothbrush to help clean it off.  I use a fairly nice soldering iron, but I am pretty sure you don't need a really good one if you use the flux.  When soldering a part, I usually melt a little solder on one pad.  Then I use a tweezers to hold the part and place it against the pad/solder.  I melt the solder again and move the part into position.  Once it looks good I will solder the remaining pins.  You don't have to use the flux pen yet.  I usually wait until all the pins have been soldered, and it looks a bit ugly at this point.  Then I use the flux pen to paint all of the solder and then go back over it with the soldering iron.  The solder clings to the pins and pads really tight.  And it comes out super shiny.  Fine-pitch parts are no problem.  I've never tried 0201 capacitors, but 0402 isn't a problem for me, though a microscope helps for the tiny parts.  Stick with 0805 and larger and you shouldn't have any trouble.  You can fit parts on both sides of the board if you want, which is an advantage over through-hole.  Many ICs aren't even available in through-hole packages.  So my recommendation is use as much surface mount as you can to start with, and I think you will be very happy as long as you use a good water soluble flux to solder with.

[pmbrunelle]

I make my own PCBs. It's expensive to get them done outside (I don't make tiny 1" x 2" boards; my standard panel size is 4" x 6"). Also, I think that etching your own board is part of the DIY process. I suppose you could argue that you should laminate your own Cu to the FR-4, but I stop at etching...

I object to sending (more of) my salary to China, so I won't get the best prices if I insist on spending my money in my country's economy. Spending money in China may result in immediate savings, but it may cost you more over the long run, unless you are in China.

My boards are usually single-sided, sometimes double-sided. I do toner transfer using regular paper, then I re-color all the traces with a Sharpie, followed by an etch in FeCl₃. Then, drilling on a drill press, followed by cleanup of the toner/ink. Then, I dip the board in Liquid Tin so it looks cool, or I do a cheap home version of HASL, which consists of applying flux to the board, then dragging used desoldering braid (with solder in it) with a hot soldering iron. The last step is a wash with isopropyl alcohol.

I use approx. 40 mil trace width / 40 mil clearance rules to be compliant with my process capability. Sometimes I will use SMD, but only for larger parts. My designs are dominated by thru-hole parts.

[electronherder]

I forgot to mention that you can use a CNC machine to route your boards.  I've never done it myself, but there is one huge advantage to doing it this way. You can have a finished PCB within an hour.  I just did a search on YouTube for a video describing it in action, and here is the first one I saw: 
If you make your own board like this, you won't have any solder mask, which makes it more likely to have solder bridges.  Solder mask helps prevent that from happening because the solder doesn't stick to the mask.  The only exposed copper is around the pads when you have solder mask.  But routing a board with a router (or chemicals) means everything is exposed, including your traces.  Personally, the only thing I would use this for is a crude proof of concept prototype, or a PCB to join two cables together that have dissimilar connectors.  You can find fairly inexpensive routers on eBay.

[Aodhan145]

I forgot to mention that you can use a CNC machine to route your boards.  I've never done it myself, but there is one huge advantage to doing it this way. You can have a finished PCB within an hour.  I just did a search on YouTube for a video describing it in action, and here is the first one I saw: 
If you make your own board like this, you won't have any solder mask, which makes it more likely to have solder bridges.  Solder mask helps prevent that from happening because the solder doesn't stick to the mask.  The only exposed copper is around the pads when you have solder mask.  But routing a board with a router (or chemicals) means everything is exposed, including your traces.  Personally, the only thing I would use this for is a crude proof of concept prototype, or a PCB to join two cables together that have dissimilar connectors.  You can find fairly inexpensive routers on eBay.

You can do it a million times quicker with some heated ferric chloride. I take 20 minutes to make my small boards.