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Indirectly related question, I’m thinking about starting into PCBs, have downloaded KiCAD and started playing around. But I’m not super psyched to etch my own b

Indirectly related question, I’m thinking about starting into PCBs, have downloaded KiCAD and started playing around. But I’m not super psyched to etch my own boards (although I understand it’s gotten easier over the last 30 years), and have been thinking about getting a PCB CNC. Any thoughts on best way to take your designs and make them real?

AdamH12113 3y ago
You can get boards fabbed at places like OSH Park or JLCPCB for cheap, complete with plated through holes and solder mask. I don’t know a good reason to try to make your own boards these days.
- _fizz_buzz_ 3y ago
  Yeah, PCBs - even small quantities- have become to cheap to deal with making them oneself. We used to have a CNC at work for PCB prototyping, but it was also a bit of work to get everything set up. It didn’t work like a printer. Now we just order PCBs. We usually use Aisler or JLCPCB.
  - buescher 3y ago
    The CNC machines are still useful for testing RF designs. You can iterate a PCB antenna design more quickly with one than you can by sending out. And they're a low-commitment (i.e. no purchase order) way to make small jigs and adapters.
analognoise 3y ago
JLCPCB. It is so outrageously cheap that it isn’t worth etching anything yourself anymore.
dvh 3y ago
I recently made my first pcb in kicad and ordered it at jlcpb, it was $4 including shipping for 5pcs. At this price I wouldn't bother with home made.
yonatan8070 3y ago
Etching or milling a PCB yourself can be fun if you want to learn about how it's really done, but it is very time consuming and the finished product will not be even remotely comparable to what you can get made for 2$ at JLCPCB or similar factories
stephen_g 3y ago
Ask yourself what you want to achieve - if you want to create electronic projects, order your boards from the cheap manufacturers online. If you want to become really good at the process of making PCBs, then look at making your own. This is the reality - unless you’re only interested in the most simple stuff (one or two layers but no plated holes, no vias, no solder mask, etc.), you can spend years trying to develop and tweak processes to try and achieve something that won’t match the quality and reliability of something you can have delivered in less 7 days for $10. Not to say that developing PCB processes isn’t fun to some people, and if it is then more power to you, but I’d rather spend the time on the electronics than spending all of it trying to build PCBs.
- johnwalkr 3y ago
  I don't think it's worth it for all the reasons you mentioned. I just want to stress that no vias (actually you usually need at least a few and have to make them with a drill and clipped resistor leads) makes layout way more difficult, and no solder mask makes soldering much more difficult. Making the PCBs by cnc or etching has no path forward as you design more complex stuff, eventually you will reach a point where you have to order assembled boards and there isn't even viable hobbyist version of all the equipment pcb fab shops use.
dekhn 3y ago
I will echo JLCPCB as a great solution for this. I basically have gotten into a "week cycle": design some board (or improve a design), send to JLC, get the resulting board in about a week (I pick the faster manufacturing and shipping options), for about $30. This is about 2X the speed of OSHPark and 1/2 the cost.

AdamH12113 3y ago

You can get boards fabbed at places like OSH Park or JLCPCB for cheap, complete with plated through holes and solder mask. I don’t know a good reason to try to make your own boards these days.

_fizz_buzz_ 3y ago
Yeah, PCBs - even small quantities- have become to cheap to deal with making them oneself. We used to have a CNC at work for PCB prototyping, but it was also a bit of work to get everything set up. It didn’t work like a printer. Now we just order PCBs. We usually use Aisler or JLCPCB.
- buescher 3y ago
  The CNC machines are still useful for testing RF designs. You can iterate a PCB antenna design more quickly with one than you can by sending out. And they're a low-commitment (i.e. no purchase order) way to make small jigs and adapters.

analognoise 3y ago

JLCPCB. It is so outrageously cheap that it isn’t worth etching anything yourself anymore.

dvh 3y ago

I recently made my first pcb in kicad and ordered it at jlcpb, it was $4 including shipping for 5pcs. At this price I wouldn't bother with home made.

yonatan8070 3y ago

Etching or milling a PCB yourself can be fun if you want to learn about how it's really done, but it is very time consuming and the finished product will not be even remotely comparable to what you can get made for 2$ at JLCPCB or similar factories

stephen_g 3y ago

Ask yourself what you want to achieve - if you want to create electronic projects, order your boards from the cheap manufacturers online. If you want to become really good at the process of making PCBs, then look at making your own. This is the reality - unless you’re only interested in the most simple stuff (one or two layers but no plated holes, no vias, no solder mask, etc.), you can spend years trying to develop and tweak processes to try and achieve something that won’t match the quality and reliability of something you can have delivered in less 7 days for $10. Not to say that developing PCB processes isn’t fun to some people, and if it is then more power to you, but I’d rather spend the time on the electronics than spending all of it trying to build PCBs.

johnwalkr 3y ago
I don't think it's worth it for all the reasons you mentioned. I just want to stress that no vias (actually you usually need at least a few and have to make them with a drill and clipped resistor leads) makes layout way more difficult, and no solder mask makes soldering much more difficult. Making the PCBs by cnc or etching has no path forward as you design more complex stuff, eventually you will reach a point where you have to order assembled boards and there isn't even viable hobbyist version of all the equipment pcb fab shops use.

dekhn 3y ago

I will echo JLCPCB as a great solution for this. I basically have gotten into a "week cycle": design some board (or improve a design), send to JLC, get the resulting board in about a week (I pick the faster manufacturing and shipping options), for about $30. This is about 2X the speed of OSHPark and 1/2 the cost.