4 ms·

Not to be negative, but I am simply not impressed. I thought milling PCBs was over about 15 years ago when pcbexpress and the like of plot and go quick turn se

Not to be negative, but I am simply not impressed. I thought milling PCBs was over about 15 years ago when pcbexpress and the like of plot and go quick turn services came to the market. There is just no reason to mill your own boards anymore (and -ugh- manually fill your own vias) with services around like dirtypcb. If you truly need a quick turnaround, pcbexpress can get you a slightly higher quality board tomorrow for less than $200. That's around 1/15th the cost of this device, and a better product (i.e. less likely to cause a problem which will waste a ton of your time) The pick-n-place aspect is somewhat interesting, but HaD had a project for a $300 pnp machine; I expect to see something like it on kickstartr soon.

snarfy 12y ago
But I only need two boards. My next project needs one board. And the one after that one board. I could get some etchant and start cooking, or I can use a mill for my one-off projects.
- bravo22 12y ago
  What about vias? If your board is that simple then just use a breadboard. Also you can get one off simple 2 layer boards for $25.
  - snarfy 12y ago
    > Also you can get one off simple 2 layer boards for $25. Where? I haven't really looked into outsourcing it. I assume like most things it's a hefty cost for the first one due to setup and tooling, and the rest are dirt cheap. I'm a hobbyist so a mill like that is interesting, but as a hobbyist I'm not really aware of all the options. It seems much better than messing with etchant. The designs that use SMD components aren't going to work with breadboard. No vias as they are single layer.
    - bravo22 12y ago
      Cheap 2-4 layer PCBs in US: http://www.pentalogix.com/us-prototype-pcbs-4-pack-p-602.html http://www.pentalogix.com/us-prototype-pcbs-4-pack-p-602.htm... There are Chinese ones as well that ship to you within a week.
madengr 12y ago
They are still usefull for RF/Microwave prototyping on two layer PCB and non-FR4 laminates. Big issue I see is that this machine does not have a pressure foot. That's going to be a real issue keeping the milling depth consistent.
icefox 12y ago
> If you truly need a quick turnaround, pcbexpress can get you a slightly higher quality board tomorrow for less than $200. Well what if someone in the U.S. bought this thing and offered a board tomorrow, but rather than $200 it was only $30? Would the speed/price make up for the quality?

snarfy 12y ago

But I only need two boards. My next project needs one board. And the one after that one board. I could get some etchant and start cooking, or I can use a mill for my one-off projects.

bravo22 12y ago
What about vias? If your board is that simple then just use a breadboard. Also you can get one off simple 2 layer boards for $25.
- snarfy 12y ago
  > Also you can get one off simple 2 layer boards for $25. Where? I haven't really looked into outsourcing it. I assume like most things it's a hefty cost for the first one due to setup and tooling, and the rest are dirt cheap. I'm a hobbyist so a mill like that is interesting, but as a hobbyist I'm not really aware of all the options. It seems much better than messing with etchant. The designs that use SMD components aren't going to work with breadboard. No vias as they are single layer.
  - bravo22 12y ago
    Cheap 2-4 layer PCBs in US: http://www.pentalogix.com/us-prototype-pcbs-4-pack-p-602.html http://www.pentalogix.com/us-prototype-pcbs-4-pack-p-602.htm... There are Chinese ones as well that ship to you within a week.

madengr 12y ago

They are still usefull for RF/Microwave prototyping on two layer PCB and non-FR4 laminates. Big issue I see is that this machine does not have a pressure foot. That's going to be a real issue keeping the milling depth consistent.

icefox 12y ago

> If you truly need a quick turnaround, pcbexpress can get you a slightly higher quality board tomorrow for less than $200. Well what if someone in the U.S. bought this thing and offered a board tomorrow, but rather than $200 it was only $30? Would the speed/price make up for the quality?