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If you were hoping for tips on where to actually get a cheap PCB made check out OSH Park https://oshpark.com/ https://oshpark.com/ They are really good for a hi

by pmorici 13y ago

If you were hoping for tips on where to actually get a cheap PCB made check out OSH Park https://oshpark.com/ https://oshpark.com/ They are really good for a high quality 2 or 4 layer small run PCB. SparkFun.com used to run their own service batchpcb.com but they sold to OSH Park recently. Also if you are in Europe Fritzing Fab http://fab.fritzing.org/fritzing-fab http://fab.fritzing.org/fritzing-fab is supposed to be pretty good.

nuriaion 13y ago
At work (Switzerland) we use pcb-pool.com. I think it's cheaper than Fritzing and you have more options. (Multilayer etc.)
mcescalante 13y ago
+1 for OSH Park. Great quality boards, unmatchable prices, and ordering was painless. I'd recommend using Eagle CAD and just uploading your brd files directly.
Gracana 13y ago
I love OSH Park. Their boards are very high quality and their design rules allow for some small traces, spaces, annular rings, and drills. Small relative to other batch-based and small-volume services, anyway... the limits are still a little too big for properly escaping common BGA packages, which is the hurdle I'm trying to overcome right now.
- mkhattab 13y ago
  BGA packages are definitely a pain in the ass. Especially highly dense BGAs, which probably require more than 4 layers. Assuming you have the PCB manufactured, would you assemble the components yourself? I recall being quoted higher for BGA components at a PCB assembly service because they needed to X-ray each BGA for inspection.
  - pmorici 13y ago
    For small run assembly I've heard positive things about this place mentioned on adafruit but I've never used them looks like they do BGA http://www.smallbatchassembly.com/faq/#What-is-this-place- http://www.smallbatchassembly.com/faq/#What-is-this-place-
  - Gracana 13y ago
    Yeah, I'd do the assembly myself. A reflow oven is not difficult to build, it can be done with standard industrial automation/process control components. I wouldn't have the quality assurance that a real shop has, but the process and resultant boards ought to be reliable enough to make it worthwhile for a hobbyist.
  - mcescalante 13y ago
    Yes, probably better to assemble the components yourself. It's much more expensive to get it done for you. I have no issues hand soldering 0805 or 0603 surface mount parts (for non-production), and an oven is equally as easy after a few tries. Even getting an SMT placement machine to do the work would be cheaper than dealing with BGA.

by pmorici 13y ago

nuriaion 13y ago

At work (Switzerland) we use pcb-pool.com. I think it's cheaper than Fritzing and you have more options. (Multilayer etc.)

mcescalante 13y ago

+1 for OSH Park. Great quality boards, unmatchable prices, and ordering was painless. I'd recommend using Eagle CAD and just uploading your brd files directly.

Gracana 13y ago

I love OSH Park. Their boards are very high quality and their design rules allow for some small traces, spaces, annular rings, and drills. Small relative to other batch-based and small-volume services, anyway... the limits are still a little too big for properly escaping common BGA packages, which is the hurdle I'm trying to overcome right now.

mkhattab 13y ago
BGA packages are definitely a pain in the ass. Especially highly dense BGAs, which probably require more than 4 layers. Assuming you have the PCB manufactured, would you assemble the components yourself? I recall being quoted higher for BGA components at a PCB assembly service because they needed to X-ray each BGA for inspection.
- pmorici 13y ago
  For small run assembly I've heard positive things about this place mentioned on adafruit but I've never used them looks like they do BGA http://www.smallbatchassembly.com/faq/#What-is-this-place- http://www.smallbatchassembly.com/faq/#What-is-this-place-
- Gracana 13y ago
  Yeah, I'd do the assembly myself. A reflow oven is not difficult to build, it can be done with standard industrial automation/process control components. I wouldn't have the quality assurance that a real shop has, but the process and resultant boards ought to be reliable enough to make it worthwhile for a hobbyist.
- mcescalante 13y ago
  Yes, probably better to assemble the components yourself. It's much more expensive to get it done for you. I have no issues hand soldering 0805 or 0603 surface mount parts (for non-production), and an oven is equally as easy after a few tries. Even getting an SMT placement machine to do the work would be cheaper than dealing with BGA.