Author Topic: Cheap PCBs for really low volume  (Read 26538 times)

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Offline Monkeh

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Re: Cheap PCBs for really low volume
« Reply #25 on: March 14, 2014, 05:08:40 am »
The 'good' board appears to have oversized drills, leaving you with almost no ring remaining..

OSHPark fabs unfortunately vary in output quality somewhat.
 

Offline justtim

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Re: Cheap PCBs for really low volume
« Reply #26 on: March 14, 2014, 08:26:58 am »
I made those that way, with the small annular ring.

Because they send their boards to various fab houses the results are unpredictable but for the price are still the best thing going for doing prototype work. The not-so-good ones have no defects that would cause a problem for prototyping - it's really just a cosmetic issue that probably bothers me more than it would most people.
 

Offline DerekG

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Re: Cheap PCBs for really low volume
« Reply #27 on: March 14, 2014, 11:58:03 am »
I would only want to make maybe 2 or 3 boards.

We use PCB Zone in New Zealand for low number prototypes.

http://www.pcbzone.net

They have an on-line calculator so you know what you're up for before you order.
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Offline Monkeh

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Re: Cheap PCBs for really low volume
« Reply #28 on: March 14, 2014, 04:25:01 pm »
I made those that way, with the small annular ring.

Because they send their boards to various fab houses the results are unpredictable but for the price are still the best thing going for doing prototype work. The not-so-good ones have no defects that would cause a problem for prototyping - it's really just a cosmetic issue that probably bothers me more than it would most people.

You're lucky they didn't miss with the oversized holes, then.
 

Offline mountain-lee

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Re: Cheap PCBs for really low volume
« Reply #29 on: March 20, 2014, 08:43:02 am »
Hello. I'm a beginner at PCB prototyping and I'm working on a small power supply project in eagle that I'd like to build.......that charges like $5 or $10 or maybe $20 USD per board? Or what should I do in this case? :-//

5pcs? Please try NexPCB PCB Package -- http://www.nexpcb.com/collections/pcb?and refer to customer stories: http://www.nexpcb.com/pages/successful-cases and https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lthiery/apitronics-wireless-platform/

Offline poorchava

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Re: Cheap PCBs for really low volume
« Reply #30 on: March 20, 2014, 10:24:03 am »
$140 for 5 Eurocard size boards? What are they made of? Crystallized unicorn fart? That's like 2x more expensive than Elecrow and with Elecrow you get 100% etest (NextPCB doesn't say it) and different PCB thicknesses. They are also very comunicative.
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Offline mountain-lee

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Re: Cheap PCBs for really low volume
« Reply #31 on: April 02, 2014, 02:13:05 am »
Sure, If you only compare the bare cost of the PCB.
But NexPCB offer free shipping via DHL, ROHS and IPC - A - 600F which I do valued it.
For what I understand the IPC-A-600F has specified the standard of the board.
But I will check with them next time since they do not limited my thickness request.

Offline theatrus

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Re: Cheap PCBs for really low volume
« Reply #32 on: April 12, 2014, 06:15:41 am »
I also have used pcbcart in the past, especially if the design is different spec (thickness, tin plate, etc). Also , they break out the NRE and per-board price making exact reorders cheap.
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Offline con-f-use

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Re: Cheap PCBs for really low volume
« Reply #33 on: April 12, 2014, 10:23:24 am »
New to the game: DirtyPCBs. Low quality, slow but very cheap.
 

Offline MatCat

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Re: Cheap PCBs for really low volume
« Reply #34 on: April 15, 2014, 01:42:57 am »
New to the game: DirtyPCBs. Low quality, slow but very cheap.
The price points aren't that far off from elecrow, I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same fab house behind the scenes, I do plan to do a test run with them and compare.
 

Offline Wilksey

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Re: Cheap PCBs for really low volume
« Reply #35 on: April 17, 2014, 11:41:26 am »
Hi,

Does anybody have any experience with Dirty PCBs?

I am wondering what their quality is like, and what the lead times would be generally (I am in the UK)?

I am guessing the quality and delivery would be similar to that of ITead or Seeed?

I found them through another link on here to PCB shopper, and they are dirt cheap, but are they worth saving the few extra $$?

Thanks in advance.
 

Offline kizzap

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Re: Cheap PCBs for really low volume
« Reply #36 on: April 17, 2014, 02:04:50 pm »
Hi,

Does anybody have any experience with Dirty PCBs?

I am wondering what their quality is like, and what the lead times would be generally (I am in the UK)?

I am guessing the quality and delivery would be similar to that of ITead or Seeed?

I found them through another link on here to PCB shopper, and they are dirt cheap, but are they worth saving the few extra $$?

Thanks in advance.

The look and smell like they might be using the same manufacturing labs that Seeed, itead, etc. all use. So I would suspect they would be around that quality.

That said, they are very new, thus it is possible no-one here has tried them yet.
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Offline Wilksey

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Re: Cheap PCBs for really low volume
« Reply #37 on: April 17, 2014, 02:54:10 pm »
Ah ok, they are bleeding edge new I take it?

Thanks for the info!
 

Offline 8086

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Re: Cheap PCBs for really low volume
« Reply #38 on: April 17, 2014, 03:03:20 pm »
Dirtypcb was started as a joke.

They say they will fulfil orders placed via the website but I personally wouldn't bother with them when you can just as easily use seeed.

http://www.reddit.com/r/electronics/comments/22jie5/no_bull_just_crappy_pcbs/

 

Offline zapta

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Re: Cheap PCBs for really low volume
« Reply #39 on: April 17, 2014, 03:12:00 pm »
Check http://pcbshopper.com . you enter the PCB parameter and it finds you a cheap manufacturer.

I had good experience with oshpark.
« Last Edit: April 17, 2014, 03:13:46 pm by zapta »
 

Offline Wilksey

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Re: Cheap PCBs for really low volume
« Reply #40 on: April 17, 2014, 07:45:24 pm »
Hi,

I did, Dirty PCB came out top lol

By quite a margin also hence the ask.
 

Offline con-f-use

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Re: Cheap PCBs for really low volume
« Reply #41 on: April 18, 2014, 10:03:00 am »
With any luck my dirty PCBs come on monday...
 

Offline ludzinc

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Re: Cheap PCBs for really low volume
« Reply #42 on: April 18, 2014, 10:32:28 am »
Dirtypcb was started as a joke.

They say they will fulfil orders placed via the website but I personally wouldn't bother with them when you can just as easily use seeed.

http://www.reddit.com/r/electronics/comments/22jie5/no_bull_just_crappy_pcbs/

I used to get my boards from Seeed. I'd wait until I had enough to qualify for free shipping.

However Seeed no longer allow their boards to qualify for free shipping.

At $24 for 10x10 cm including free world wide delivery, Dirty PCB will get my next order!
 

Offline con-f-use

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Re: Cheap PCBs for really low volume
« Reply #43 on: April 18, 2014, 10:40:57 am »
I just wanted to try them for a goof off design. Wouldn't use them for anything important until I've seen their work at least a few times.
 

Offline zapta

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Re: Cheap PCBs for really low volume
« Reply #44 on: April 20, 2014, 05:55:46 am »
While on the topic of cheap PCB's, for cheap stencils I am using http://oshstencils.com, very good price for small boards and quick delivery time (shipped within 2-3 days, from the US).  The default thickness is 3mil but the 5mil version works better for me (same price, just make sure to select it).

They also sells a plastic jig to hold the boards but you can use old pcb's instead if you prefer. Each order comes with a credit card size spatula to spread the paste.

Like OshPark it accepts eagle files so I don't bother with Gerbers.
 

Offline ludzinc

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Re: Cheap PCBs for really low volume
« Reply #45 on: April 20, 2014, 12:45:28 pm »
I've got access to a really nice LPKF mill.

At $24 for 10x10cm from dirty - it's not worth the time milling.
 

Offline MatCat

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Re: Cheap PCBs for really low volume
« Reply #46 on: April 22, 2014, 05:42:39 am »
Hello. I'm a beginner at PCB prototyping and I'm working on a small power supply project in eagle that I'd like to build. The problem is that most PCB manufacturers charge pretty much the same for one board as for 50 or 100 boards (between $200 and $300 USD), and since this would my first project, I would only want to make maybe 2 or 3 boards. Do you know some manufacturer that charges like $5 or $10 or maybe $20 USD per board? Or what should I do in this case? :-//

hmmm, if somebody else is a hobbyists and have a PCB mill, it may be worth a try to ask them. but im not sure if you are going for hobby level or factory made ...

there might be some peeps out there who have home made mills willing to make you something for some extra cash i think
OSH Park, might be in the US, but even with good shipping method it's still going to be cheaper then $300.
 

Offline fs

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Re: Cheap PCBs for really low volume
« Reply #47 on: April 22, 2014, 12:47:37 pm »
Hello. I'm a beginner at PCB prototyping and I'm working on a small power supply project in eagle that I'd like to build. ...(snipped)... that charges like $5 or $10 or maybe $20 USD per board?

I've been quite pleased with www.hackvana.com - I've only done a few boards with them, but they were spot on.  At the bottom of the homepage, theres a link to a "Guide to Hackvana PCBs" Google Doc that explains the PCB options / prices / design rules / ordering process.  Looks like you'd get 5x your boards for USD $31+, or if you re-arranged it to fit on less than 50mm x 50mm (1.96" square), you'd get 10 for $19+.  And for bonus points, Mitch is very helpful to deal with.

I've no affiliation with them, other than being a happy customer.
« Last Edit: April 22, 2014, 12:49:50 pm by fs »
 

Offline scientist

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Re: Cheap PCBs for really low volume
« Reply #48 on: April 23, 2014, 01:39:59 am »
I'm going to go with dirty, just cause of the free shipping and free color choice.
 

Offline jridley

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Re: Cheap PCBs for really low volume
« Reply #49 on: April 24, 2014, 02:31:36 am »
OSHPark absolutely rocks. Their ordering system is very good - as someone who does only a board or two a year, it's comforting to see their very good renderings of what the boards will look like, to be sure I haven't missed something dumb.

I've ordered two boards from them and they've been fantastic quality both times.

Unless you're in a real hurry, it's probably cheaper to have OSHPark make the boards than to make them yourself.  If you ARE in a hurry, it still might be faster unless you already know how to make boards and are pretty good at it.  Until I heard about OSHPark on the podcast when Laen was on, I was trying to etch my own boards and it was a mess.
 


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