3 ms·

> Delivery speed depends on which courier you choose. I’m in London and often get boards within a week via DHL, or 2 weeks with the cheaper shipping option. So

> Delivery speed depends on which courier you choose. I’m in London and often get boards within a week via DHL, or 2 weeks with the cheaper shipping option. So, even further from "dirt cheap". And it's still not even in the same ballpark as going down to the store. > If you just want to play around with simple circuits then sure, use a breadboard. And what do you think beginners are going to do? Of course there will usually come a time where you need a PCB for something, but the longer that can be delayed, the more likely that they'll actually get past the hurdle. > There’s nothing “special” about a hot air station. It's another thing to buy, another thing to need to store somewhere, and another skill to learn. I'm not saying it isn't valuable, but there is also value in a gradual learning curve. > It's easy to learn how to solder SMD components. Beginners will screw it up, but that's the whole point of being a beginner, right? See above. > It doesn't only apply to your first order. I've ordered at the $2 price many times. That hasn't been my experience.

foldr 6y ago
The $2 offers are time-limited. They have nothing to do with how many orders you've already made. I've made lots of orders with JLC and I can still sign into my account and get the $2 rate. You've also made orders with them, it seems. Are you saying that you don't get the $2 rate if you sign in? I think where we disagree is that you think that beginners should delay using PCBs, where as I think that the sooner they move to using PCBs the better. I certainly regret that I delayed doing this myself.
- mNovak 6y ago
  100% agreed. I wasted a lot of time years ago making crappy homebrew perf-circuits, before just getting comfortable with KiCAD. Regarding the delay.. I find it's not so bad because I'm juggling a few projects, so I always have one on order, and tackle other things while I wait. It's not like your entire hobby career is going to end in a month. Regarding $2 JLC orders, my experience has been it's always available once per order, for a 2-layer <100mm x 100mm. Definitely have gotten that discount many times.

foldr 6y ago

The $2 offers are time-limited. They have nothing to do with how many orders you've already made. I've made lots of orders with JLC and I can still sign into my account and get the $2 rate. You've also made orders with them, it seems. Are you saying that you don't get the $2 rate if you sign in? I think where we disagree is that you think that beginners should delay using PCBs, where as I think that the sooner they move to using PCBs the better. I certainly regret that I delayed doing this myself.

mNovak 6y ago
100% agreed. I wasted a lot of time years ago making crappy homebrew perf-circuits, before just getting comfortable with KiCAD. Regarding the delay.. I find it's not so bad because I'm juggling a few projects, so I always have one on order, and tackle other things while I wait. It's not like your entire hobby career is going to end in a month. Regarding $2 JLC orders, my experience has been it's always available once per order, for a 2-layer <100mm x 100mm. Definitely have gotten that discount many times.