PCB Protos

[Eric]

I just finished laying out my 8051 Project (2in x 4in) and I was
wondering what PCB proto houses people would recomend.

So far PCBex.com looks like the lowest cost at $10 + $18.00(shipping
and handling) for a single 2 layer (20 sq. in max) with solder mask and
silk screen.

I've also looked at:

PCB123 $44 (2 layer no soldermask & no silkscreeen) min order 2
PCB123 $120 (2 layer soldermask & silkscreeen) min order 2

PCBexpress $30 (2 layer no mask & no silkscreeen) min order 2
PCBexpress $102 (2 layer soldermask & silkscreeen) min order 2

ExpressPCB $39.25 (2 layer no mask & no silkscreeen) min order 2
ExpressPCB $120 (2 layer soldermask & silkscreeen) min order 2

PCBexpress $30 (2 layer no mask & no silkscreeen) min order 2

PCB4Less $24 (2 layer soldermask & silkscreeen) min order 5

PCBfabexpress $10.99 (2 layer mask & silkscreeen) min order 5

UltimatePCB $16.50 (2 layer mask & silkscreeen) min order 10

4 PCB $33.00 (2 layer mask & silkscreeen) min order 3

Eric

[Wim Godden]

Nice list !
Do you know any companies that produce full boards as well ? I know
there was a company that did that a while ago, but I can't find it anymore.

[steve]

Good deals tend to come and go for different vendors, pcbnet.com had a
great $25 proto special, 2 layer, mask and silkscreen, 64 square inches
max, min order 1, free shipping (meaning the total price was $25), I
used it recently, but it's gone from their web site now, too bad

PCBex.com, I believe has a minimum order of 5, so $68 total.

[Anton Erasmus]

On 2 May 2006 08:55:21 -0700, "Eric" <ericjoh...@hotmail.com>
wrote:

> I just finished laying out my 8051 Project (2in x 4in) and I was
>wondering what PCB proto houses people would recomend.
>
>So far PCBex.com looks like the lowest cost at $10 + $18.00(shipping
>and handling) for a single 2 layer (20 sq. in max) with solder mask and
>silk screen.
>

[list snipped]

I have had good results from http://www.pcbcart.com

Regards
Anton Erasmus

[nappy]

I have done many boards through 4PCB and have also routinely used their free
design check at freedfm.com

price isn't everything.

"Eric" <ericjoh...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1146585321.4...@i40g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...

[Jake]

See also www.batchpcb.com.
They charge $2.50 /sq. in. + $10 setup + shipping.

"Eric" <ericjoh...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1146585321.4...@i40g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...

[Richard H.]

Eric wrote:

Yes, nice list. A few I don't have yet - you must read different
magazines. :-)

batchpcb.com has a good deal going for small one-off's, but only if you
are *very* patient. Their service is very slow (3-4 weeks typical),
absolutely no customer service (not even e-mail), and boards sometimes
don't arrive in the batch (meaning the timer gets reset while they
re-submit).

http://www.futurlec.com has a good deal going too, especially if you
need several smaller pieces. You get out the door for $25 (setup &
shipping) + $0.65 per sq.inch; about 2 weeks turnaround to the US. Add
$12 each for solder mask or silkscreen per side.

I'll second the endorsement for Advanced Circuits (4PCB). They're the
best quality I've used, but their pricing isn't competitive outside
their 33each.com deal. (If you're a student, they'll waive the 3-piece
minimum - now *that's* a deal!) They also run barebonespcb.com, which
offers fast, cheap 1-off service, but with no mask or silkscreen.

Others worth checking:
http://www.olimex.com
http://www.protoexpress.com - reportedly very good quality, ~$88/2
boards at last check
http://www.pcbpool.com

Cheers,
Richard

[samiam]

Eric wrote:
> I just finished laying out my 8051 Project (2in x 4in) and I was
> wondering what PCB proto houses people would recomend.

2x4 ??? why not just build it at home?
the 8051 is a dip part right? sockets can be bought on
ebay/jameco/futurelec/etc
... so you don't fry the chip soldering it in.

But other than that .. I would use the toner transfer method to run off
one board
... in under 15 minutes ... another 15 and you've soldered the
components and
testing your creation.

I have generally done that for double sided boards up to 6x9 in size,
with success.

[Jim Stewart]

nappy wrote:

> I have done many boards through 4PCB and have also routinely used their free
> design check at freedfm.com
>
> price isn't everything.

What he said.

4PCB aka Advanced Circuits are very good people if
you're looking to build a long-term relationship.
I just got a postcard from them offering up to $500
free on your first order. Here's the link...

http://www.4pcb.com/hotwater

Might be worth checking.

[Robert Scott]

On Wed, 03 May 2006 11:16:36 -0700, Jim Stewart <jste...@jkmicro.com> wrote:

>
>4PCB aka Advanced Circuits are very good people if
>you're looking to build a long-term relationship.

They have an especially cheap deal if you opt for the "Bare bones PCB" without
silkscreen or soldermask. Not what you want for production, but it may be just
fine for a hand-built prototype.

Robert Scott
Ypsilanti, Michigan

[Jaime Andres Aranguren Cardona]

"Anton Erasmus" <nob...@spam.prevent.net> wrote in message
news:i2kf5214rviloke11...@4ax.com...

Anton,

I am considering this PCB house too, however I have some questions that you
might answer:

1. How quick did you get the boards (I assume you are in the USA)?
2. How much did the shipping cost?
3. What about the quality of the PCBs itself?
4. Would you do business with them again?

Regards.

*** Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com ***

[Leif Holmgren]

samiam wrote:
>
> But other than that .. I would use the toner transfer method to run off
> one board
> ... in under 15 minutes ... another 15 and you've soldered the
> components and
> testing your creation.
>

Next time I do something like this I will send it to you for just the
drilling. Suppose the 40 pin 8051 was the only hole mounted device and
you get half the 15 minutes for drilling and the other for soldering
must mean you drill a hole every 11.25 seconds, that's impressing for a
hobbyist.

[Anton Erasmus]

On Thu, 4 May 2006 00:23:37 -0500, "Jaime Andres Aranguren Cardona"
<ja...@nospam.sanjaac.com> wrote:

>"Anton Erasmus" <nob...@spam.prevent.net> wrote in message
>news:i2kf5214rviloke11...@4ax.com...
>> On 2 May 2006 08:55:21 -0700, "Eric" <ericjoh...@hotmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I just finished laying out my 8051 Project (2in x 4in) and I was
>>>wondering what PCB proto houses people would recomend.
>>>
>>>So far PCBex.com looks like the lowest cost at $10 + $18.00(shipping
>>>and handling) for a single 2 layer (20 sq. in max) with solder mask and
>>>silk screen.
>>>
>> [list snipped]
>>
>> I have had good results from http://www.pcbcart.com
>>
>> Regards
>> Anton Erasmus
>
>Anton,
>
>I am considering this PCB house too, however I have some questions that you
>might answer:
>
>1. How quick did you get the boards (I assume you are in the USA)?

No, I am in South Africa.
It was quite quick though, I took the DHL courier option, which allows
you to track the parcel on the internet. It took less than 24 hours
from the time they shipped into my hands. It goes from them to
Shanghai, then to hong kong. From there it was a direct flight to
South Africa, and I presume it would be a direct flight to the USA
as well. If there is any problem with the shipping, you can sort it
out with your local DHL office.

>2. How much did the shipping cost?

You can get a quote, including shipping directly from their site.
In my case it was just over US$20. The difference in courier
versus normal postage was less than 10%.

>3. What about the quality of the PCBs itself?

The quality is good. They can do multi-layer boards, and
from my experinece the companies that can do multi-layer boards
do better quality 2-layer boards, than companies that can only
supply 2 layer boards.
They did use the incorrect soldermask colour. (I asked for blue, and
they used green). They offered to re-make, or a 30% discount on the
price. I took the discount, and they payed it back into my credit card
the same day.

>4. Would you do business with them again?

Yes I would.

Regards
Anton Erasmus

[DJ Delorie]

Leif Holmgren <nob...@nowhere.com> writes:
> Suppose the 40 pin 8051 was the only hole mounted device and you get
> half the 15 minutes for drilling and the other for soldering must
> mean you drill a hole every 11.25 seconds, that's impressing for a
> hobbyist.

With a properly sized drill helper (etched hole in the copper) and my
cheap floor-size drill press, I can drill a hole a second or so. It
goes quite fast once you get started.

[abd...@gmail.com]

I have used UltimatePCB twice. The boards were of fine quality, were
delivered quickly (7-10 days, including shipping) and their customer
support was top notch.

Regards,
Abdul

[samiam]

Leif Holmgren wrote:

> samiam wrote:
> must mean you drill a hole every 11.25 seconds, that's impressing for a
> hobbyist.

Psst
I can drill out a hole ever 3 seconds or less ... its not that hard when
you position things correctly using a BENCH DRILL

On a 40 pin IC .. (all your IC's for that matter) you use the same drill
bit ... so whats the problem here?

invest in the right tools and you can do everything (at that stage) at
home

bench/press drills run ~ $50 on ebay (5 speed units)

[samiam]

> With a properly sized drill helper (etched hole in the copper) and my
> cheap floor-size drill press, I can drill a hole a second or so. It
> goes quite fast once you get started.

Yep ... and right from the mouth of the "PCB" developer himself.

What happened to the days when it was cool to make things yourself or as
much of it as possible? (minus fabricating IC's and producing PCB
laminate)???

[Jaime Andrés Aranguren Cardona]

"Anton Erasmus" <nob...@spam.prevent.net> escribió en el mensaje
news:2psk52dfbdhmf9m5k...@4ax.com...

Thanks!

------------------------------
Jaime Andrés Aranguren Cardona
ja...@sanjaac.com
SanJaaC Electronics
Soluciones en DSP
www.sanjaac.com