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Cheap PC boards

ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
edited 2000-05-10 21:17 in General Discussion
I have successfully used a few diiferent methods to manufacture simple PC
boards. I am currently designing two boards for my bot, and they are
getting so complex I can't imagine how I could make them myself. They are
double sided and have many VERY close traces and or pads. This is my
problem, If I'm even a little out on lining up my top and bottom sides, the
board will be ruined. If i'm little off on the drilling the board I could
very well ruin it. I also frequently have a problem with some traces not
coming through right(I.E. having cracks in the traces so they don't work).
Are there any places (preferably Canadian places) that will make PC boards
for that don't cost and arm and a leg. I've found a couple places on the
net but they want $100+ for PC boards. I have only two requirements: that
holes(not neccesarily all of them) can be plated through, and that the
boards be made accurate enough not to screw up(although I guess thats a
given). Or is there anyone that can do this? Or would I be better off
trying to do it myself? I seem to recall that I once found a place that
could make them for about $20 US.

I could easily merge my two boards on to one board and then just cut them
apart. That'd probably be WAY cheaper than getting two made.
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Comments

  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2000-05-10 14:27
    I have used and recommend AP Circuits <http://www.apcircuits.com/>.
    --
    Greg

    ED Ward wrote:

    >I have successfully used a few diiferent methods to manufacture simple PC
    >boards. I am currently designing two boards for my bot, and they are
    >getting so complex I can't imagine how I could make them myself. They are
    >double sided and have many VERY close traces and or pads. This is my
    >problem, If I'm even a little out on lining up my top and bottom sides, the
    >board will be ruined. If i'm little off on the drilling the board I could
    >very well ruin it. I also frequently have a problem with some traces not
    >coming through right(I.E. having cracks in the traces so they don't work).
    >Are there any places (preferably Canadian places) that will make PC boards
    >for that don't cost and arm and a leg. I've found a couple places on the
    >net but they want $100+ for PC boards. I have only two requirements: that
    >holes(not neccesarily all of them) can be plated through, and that the
    >boards be made accurate enough not to screw up(although I guess thats a
    >given). Or is there anyone that can do this? Or would I be better off
    >trying to do it myself? I seem to recall that I once found a place that
    >could make them for about $20 US.
    >
    >I could easily merge my two boards on to one board and then just cut them
    >apart. That'd probably be WAY cheaper than getting two made.
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2000-05-10 18:11
    >Are there any places (preferably Canadian places) that will make PC boards
    >for that don't cost and arm and a leg. I've found a couple places on the
    >net but they want $100+ for PC boards.

    $90-100 US sounds about right. There's the setup cost, plus the per square
    inch cost, plus shipping. I use AP Circuits in Canada (www.apcircuits.com).
    You can combine your two boards into one "board" when you create the
    gerbers. The way you do this depends on your particular PCB software. The
    minimum order from AP Circuits is 2 "boards", meaning you would actually
    get 4 boards (2 per panel). You cut them apart yourself. At US$90-100,
    that's about $25 per board.

    Steve

    Steve Roberts: sroberts@s...
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2000-05-10 19:18
    At 08:29 PM 5/9/00 -0700, ED Ward wrote:
    >I have successfully used a few diiferent methods to manufacture simple PC
    >boards. I am currently designing two boards for my bot, and they are
    >getting so complex I can't imagine how I could make them myself. They are
    >double sided and have many VERY close traces and or pads.
    >
    >I could easily merge my two boards on to one board and then just cut them
    >apart. That'd probably be WAY cheaper than getting two made.

    That is your best bet - combine as different many boards into one panel as
    you can. You then amortize the setup costs over all those boards.

    The problem with home made double sided boards is the lack of plated thru
    holes. If you were careful with the location of top side solder joints and
    vias, you can get a reliable board. The problem is that it takes lots of
    practice and experience to learn what works and what does not work in that
    regard.

    Lining up the negatives for double sided boards is really easy. I take a
    scrap piece of board and cut it into a 'L' shape with accurate 90 degree
    inside shape. The idea is to nestle the board into corner. I tape both
    edges of one negative to the sides of the 'L', flip the whole works over,
    then line up the other negative and tape one side of that negative to the
    long side of the 'L'. Check and double check the registration.

    Clean and sensitize the board. Slip it into the 'L' and put into the
    expose frame. I use an expose frame made with clear glass both top and
    bottom and a vacuum pump to evacuate the air. I expose one side, flip the
    frame without removing vacuum, then expose the other side.

    But all this may be far too much effort for you. I tend to use AP Circuits
    more and more these days - its a couple of hundred dollars each time but
    the boards are perfect. I still keep my in-house process around for the
    projects where I can't afford even the two day turnaround that APC gives us
    - I can have a prototype etched, drilled, stuffed and undergoing test in
    less than 5 hours by keeping it in house. That is going to improve
    somewhat shortly - I am playing with a simple and inexpensive CNC drill rig
    that Gordon Robineau developed. I'll talk about that more later but it
    looks REALLY good!

    dwayne



    Dwayne Reid <dwayner@p...>
    Trinity Electronics Systems Ltd Edmonton, AB, CANADA
    (780) 489-3199 voice (780) 487-6397 fax

    Celebrating 16 years of Engineering Innovation (1984 - 2000)

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  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2000-05-10 19:29
    Ed,

    Another vote for AP Circuits... I use them in all cases except multilayer
    (4+ layers) prototypes. They do a wonderful job, quickly, and at an
    extremely reasonable price. 10 mil design rules are safe, and you can
    combine images to get multiple boards per panel. Just be sure to CHECK your
    gerber plots before sending in the order!

    >Are there any places (preferably Canadian places) that will make PC boards
    >for that don't cost and arm and a leg. I've found a couple places on the
    >net but they want $100+ for PC boards.

    Mike Hardwick, for Decade Engineering -- <http://www.decadenet.com>
    Manufacturer of the famous BOB-II Serial Video Text Display Module!
  • ArchiverArchiver Posts: 46,084
    edited 2000-05-10 21:17
    I don't know anything about this company, but it looks cheap:

    http://run.to/pcb

    I'd also recommend apcircuits.


    On Wed, 10 May 2000, Gregory Wagner wrote:

    > I have used and recommend AP Circuits <http://www.apcircuits.com/>.
    > --
    > Greg
    >

    Sean T. Lamont, CTO / Chief NetNerd, Abstract Software, Inc. (ServNet)
    Seattle - Bellingham - Vancouver - Portland - Everett - Tacoma - Bremerton
    email: lamont@a... WWW: http://www.serv.net
    "...There's no moral, it's just a lot of stuff that happens". - H. Simpson
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