Best Place To Have PCBs Made For You?

[Paul Marossy]

I know this topic has come up before, but I want to get the latest greatest info about this. So, what is the best place to have make you PCBs for a reasonable fee, in a timely manner? My first batch would probably be 100 PCBs. Also, my PCB layout would be an AutoCAD generated file, however that fits into the scheme of things...

[nelson]

I have this poem going round in my head.

It's entitled "whats he building" By Tom Waits.


What's he building in there?
What the hell is he building
In there?
He has subscriptions to those
Magazines... He never
Waves when he goes by
He's hiding something from
The rest of us... He's all
To himself... I think I know
Why... He took down the
Tire swing from the Peppertree
He has no children of his
Own you see... He has no dog
And he has no friends and
His lawn is dying... and
What about all those packages
He sends. What's he building in there?
With that hook light
On the stairs. What's he building
In there... I'll tell you one thing
He's not building a playhouse for
The children what's he building
In there?

Now what's that sound from under the door?
He's pounding nails into a
Hardwood floor... and I
Swear to god I heard someone
Moaning low... and I keep
Seeing the blue light of a
T.V. show...
He has a router
And a table saw... and you
Won't believe what Mr. Sticha saw
There's poison underneath the sink
Of course... But there's also
Enough formaldehyde to choke
A horse... What's he building
In there. What the hell is he
Building in there? I heard he
Has an ex-wife in some place
Called Mayors Income, Tennessee
And he used to have a
consulting business in Indonesia...
but what is he building in there?
What the hell is building in there?

He has no friends
But he gets a lot of mail
I'll bet he spent a little
Time in jail...
I heard he was up on the
Roof last night
Signaling with a flashlight
And what's that tune he's
Always whistling...
What's he building in there?
What's he building in there?

We have a right to know...



Good luck with your venture Paul.

[Paul Marossy]

It's not a guitar effect, per se, but it is for a specific line of guitars. 

[Doug_H]

I love Tom Waits...

Paul, you might check with JD Sleep at GGG.

Doug

[The Tone God]

It's not a guitar effect, per se, but it is for a specific line of guitars. 

If it is for Les Pauls please let it be a tuner.

:::ducks:::

Andrew

[H S]

I know this topic has come up before, but I want to get the latest greatest info about this. So, what is the best place to have make you PCBs for a reasonable fee, in a timely manner? My first batch would probably be 100 PCBs. Also, my PCB layout would be an AutoCAD generated file, however that fits into the scheme of things...

I've had very good experiences with ExpressPCB, usng their software.  They've been very timely.

Good luck with your new gear.  I'm going online with some new (truly new) pedals in a couple weeks.

[Paul Marossy]

Does ExpressPCB also make them for you? Yeah, I also thought of JD Sleep, but I'm sure that he's already quite busy as it is...

[mojotron]

http://www.olimex.com/pcb/index.html 

[H S]

Does ExpressPCB also make them for you? Yeah, I also thought of JD Sleep, but I'm sure that he's already quite busy as it is...

If you're hooked up to the internet, the ExpressPCB software includes commands to send them your file and order boards made up.  It'd be scary if it was microsoft.  It ends up being very convenient and not very expensive.  The software is easy to use, too; I've had a harder time with Corel Draw.

[Paul Marossy]

http://www.olimex.com/pcb/index.html 

Hmm... looks like a possibility. However, if you send a CAD file instead of Eagle or something, they won't drill holes in it. 

Does ExpressPCB also make them for you? Yeah, I also thought of JD Sleep, but I'm sure that he's already quite busy as it is...

If you're hooked up to the internet, the ExpressPCB software includes commands to send them your file and order boards made up.  It'd be scary if it was microsoft.  It ends up being very convenient and not very expensive.  The software is easy to use, too; I've had a harder time with Corel Draw.

Yeah, but I already have it exactly how I want it drawn in AutoCAD. Heck, that guy from Mesa-Boogie designs his own PCBs by hand, I wonder who makes his boards?

[The Tone God]

ExpressPCB, and services of its ilk, is intened for fast low volume prototype work. They are not for high volume production work.

Hmm... looks like a possibility. However, if you send a CAD file instead of Eagle or something, they won't drill holes in it. 

That is because AutoCAD does not create the correct files needed. The reason for this is that AutoCAD is not the correct software to be using. You really should use PCB software which will generate the correct files. I would suggest redrawing with appropriate PCB software. Be aware that if you use the free version of Eagle you cannot produce commercial work with it.

Also if you want things fast you will have to pay for it. As the old saying goes "good, cheap, fast. Pick two."

Andrew

[Paul Marossy]

AutoCAD is a vector based program, it's got coordinates and all that stuff. Why can't they use an AutoCAD file?! Is there some program out there that will convert DWG files into whatever files they need to make PCBs from?

Anyhow, what's considered high volume?

[R.G.]

AutoCAD is a vector based program, it's got coordinates and all that stuff. Why can't they use an AutoCAD file?!

They probably could if they wanted to, but they don't. PCB making is a high volume business, and they live on Gerber files and NC drill files. All the pros use software that can turn out Gerber and NC drill files, and if you don't, you're not a pro in their eyes. Thererfore, you're a low volume, uninformed customer that will probably not be a big part of their business.

It's not that they don't want you or your business, it's just that their hands are full of customers who give them big orders for the things they can do easily. Their profit is smaller (or your cost is higher) if they have to convert whatever you have into what their machines use; and their machines use Gerber and NC drill files. If you're willing to pay extra for someone to do the conversion for you, that's great. But I bet it's cheaper to pay someone other than a busy running factory to do it.

It does seem to me that I've seen places that will work from DXF files, but they'll want an NC drill file to drill the holes, and these places may or may not be the cheapest place to get things done.

Is there some program out there that will convert DWG files into whatever files they need to make PCBs from?

Good question. I'm sure there is, but I don't know who. It's not a big deal. A 2" x 3" single sided board could be done by simply popping components onto a specialized PCB program from a paper print in under an hour - pretty trivial.

This is one reason I suggest that people who do PCBs get hold of a real PCB program - it spits out the right stuff for automated manufacture. Autotrax, which is Protel's old DOS version later than Easytrax, is now available freeware, and does the right outputs.

Anyhow, what's considered high volume?

10K units.
They do under 100 units essentially as a way to get people to use their services on the idea that they will get the volume  business. They think of 500-1000 units as normal.

[Paul Marossy]

They think of 500-1000 units as normal.

Thanks for the tips, RG. If this device of mine will sell as well as I think it might, I could conceiveably need 1000 PCBs, but this would be over time with probably 100 here and 100 there. 

EDIT: I guess it's kind of like in my world, AutoCAD is THE program that people use. Other programs are kind of outside the box. But the end result is all the same, a set of working drawings that someone can construct a building from, etc. But, people build the buildings, not some fancy schmancy drilling machine. 

[ovnifx]

...As the old saying goes "good, cheap, fast. Pick two."

Local bar Zeitgeist has T-shirts that read:

Fast.
Friendly.
Service.

Pick one.

[Khas Evets]

Futurelec was the cheapest, but it's not quick. I used them once. The turn around was about six weeks and I was happy with the quality.

[Gladmarr]

I'm still a big fan of Futurlec.  If you don't need the boards in a hurry, they always give me extras for some reason.  I've had a pcb made to do a tube upgrade on some Nady cheapie condenser mic's, one pcb for a pedal I've been working on forever, one for a mic preamp I'm making for a friend, one to copy those strobopicks that were hot a few months back, and most recently one big one for a tube amp I'm working on.  They are always 4-6 weeks, but stuff has always come the way I wanted it, and any mistakes are the ones I've sent them.  The part I just don't understand is they keep sending me extra boards.  I order 5 boards, they send me 10; I order 10 boards, they send me 41;  I order 2 big boards, they send me 3.  I think they copy and paste the design to fill a whole panel of FR4, then send everything they got from it.

[Paul Marossy]

Oh yeah, I've heard the name Futurelec mentioned B4. Any others?

[Khas Evets]

I also got extra boards.

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

www.freedownloadscenter.com/Best/gerber-cad-free.html
is one of the many sites that turn up when you type   gerber autocad conversion   into Google.
and, here's a hint; before you use a particular pcb company, check google groups to see what people say about it.