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Custom PCBs — Parallax Forums

Custom PCBs

CPUMANCPUMAN Posts: 55
edited 2006-11-21 07:35 in General Discussion
I'm interested in making custom PCBs instead of using those nasty boards that radio shack sells.

I'm open to the idea of etching the boards myself but I've never done it before and it seems to be a bit of a hassle.

So mainly what I'm asking is what is your recommendations for custom PCB manufacturers and what software would you recommend for designing the boards?

Thanks,
Chris

Comments

  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2006-11-20 07:08
    I used to etch my own PCBs, but never again! What a mess! The etchant stains everything it touches, the fumes rusted my tools, and then there's the whole disposal issue. I gave it up and couldn't be happier!

    Instead, I now use Alberta Printed Circuits. They're fast, cheap, and do good work. Plus, for their Proto1 service, they'll let you submit multiple and mixed boards on a single panel without charging extra just for the privilege. I highly recommend them!

    -Phil
  • Paul BakerPaul Baker Posts: 6,351
    edited 2006-11-20 09:05
    I highly recommend Advanced Circuits, they are fast, the highest quality and have a 3 boards for $99 deal. They do a second human inspection of your design before fabrication.

    If you want ultra cheap, theres www.batchpcb.com which charge $10 per order (for any number of boards) plus $2.50/sqin. They only have machine verification, the quality is adequate, it takes a while to get them (they are manufactured in China) and the silkscreen registration (alignment) can be a little off, but they are by far the cheapest I've found and for most applications it does the job adequately.

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Paul Baker
    Propeller Applications Engineer

    Parallax, Inc.
  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2006-11-20 09:43
    I'll second Paul's Advanced Cricuits recommendation for quality. I've only used them for masked and screened protos (as opposed to the super inexpensive brown-board APCircuits protos) and production boards (e.g. the PropSTICK PCB), but their service and quality can't be beat. (Plus, you get free microwave popcorn with each order!) Be sure to check their specials. New customers can get their first $500 worth of boards free.

    -Phil
  • CPUMANCPUMAN Posts: 55
    edited 2006-11-21 06:40
    Thanks! I will look into the various companies.

    The second question is can anyone recomend some good PCB design software, that perferable won't break the bank?

    Thanks for the help!

    Chris
  • Billy KBilly K Posts: 14
    edited 2006-11-21 07:35
    Although I've never used them, http://futurlec.com/ seems very cheap and takes eagle files. Just in case you haven't heard of it, eagle is a schematic/ pcb editor with a great free trial that never expires. I used the quote calculator and found you can get 5 4"x4" double sided boards with solder mask for a little over $90.

    I've etched myself using staples photo paper and laserjet toner and the boards turned out fine, but I wouldn't recommend doing that if you planned to produce more than 4 boards or needed very close tolerances. If you are interested in trying it yourself, there is a great guide here http://www.fullnet.com/u/tomg/gooteepc.htm

    Edit: eagle webiste www.cadsoft.de/ It took me a while to figure out everything but once you get the hang of it, it's an incredibly useful tool. You can download the basic stamp 2 ic from their libraries page, the autorouter is also very useful. Here's my rfid circuit drawn in eagle.
    rfidwithservo.jpg

    And here's a (very simple) board layout from eagle (the traces are fairly large because I made the board myself.
    bkqtouchboard.jpg

    Good luck!
    smile.gif

    Post Edited (Billy K) : 11/21/2006 7:40:49 AM GMT
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