haveing PCBs made, how?

peppers · Post by **peppers** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 10:30 am

I want to bulid something this guy came up with

http://www.crazynation.org/GC/files/GC_schematics.zip <PCB plans of the board in there

but I dont know have to have some PCBs made

so how do I have um made and what it the smallest batch I can have made up

btw: I know this is a stupid question

SgtBowhack · Post by **SgtBowhack** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 5:23 pm

There's a company called ExpressPCB that'll make three boards for $59 shipped, provided that the design fits in 3.8 inches by 2.5 inches, and you'd have to redraw the schematics in their software. But you can have the boards made double-sided and all that good stuff, to make things pretty small compared to what one could do at home.

I wish they had a picture of what they made physically in something other than Gerber.

BTW: I don't think it's a stupid question, but it has been asked before somewhere (might not have been in Forum 42 tho).

nos_slived · Post by **nos_slived** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 5:28 pm

Wait half an hour, and I will post instructions on making your own PCBs. It is fast, cheap, and easy. I made all my own PCBs in electronics last year.

Post by **gannon** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 5:29 pm

http://sparkfun.com charges $2.50 per square inch for making PCBs. That includes silk screening and solder masking, so it's a pretty good deal.

SgtBowhack · Post by **SgtBowhack** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 5:34 pm

That is a pretty killer deal, and since your file format is already Gerber, you can just send that off to them and have it made. Sounds like a winner (but you'd still need to know the size of the boards). Thanks for the heads up, gannon!

peppers · Post by **peppers** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 6:21 pm

not to bad at all Ill have to check them out, thanks

nos_slived · Post by **nos_slived** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 6:29 pm

nos_slived wrote:Wait half an hour, and I will post instructions on making your own PCBs. It is fast, cheap, and easy. I made all my own PCBs in electronics last year.

http://members.shaw.ca/nos_slived/PCB/index.html

peppers · Post by **peppers** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 6:44 pm

the bord I want is pretty compicated and double-sided so ill have them make it but thanks, thanks to all of you

nos_slived · Post by **nos_slived** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 7:06 pm

You can make double sided with my method.

soundwave · Post by **soundwave** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 7:15 pm

Too easy to mess up, easier to pay 2.50 an inch for accuracy.

SgtBowhack · Post by **SgtBowhack** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 7:18 pm

Yeah, and solder masks are pretty difficult to make on one's own

I like having them made and saving the hassle.

nos_slived · Post by **nos_slived** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 7:30 pm

They aren't that easy to mess up. If you do what I said, you're fine. Until you actually put it in the etchant, you can do it over and over anyways.

SgtBowhack wrote:Yeah, and solder masks are pretty difficult to make on one's own
I like having them made and saving the hassle.

What do solder masks have to do with this?

peppers · Post by **peppers** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 7:39 pm

I did not want to ask but someboady look at the plans and tell me how big it is in square inches they did not teach me that in my crappy school

nos_slived · Post by **nos_slived** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 8:00 pm

peppers wrote:I did not want to ask but someboady look at the plans and tell me how big it is in square inches they did not teach me that in my crappy school

I don't currently have any schematics programs, so I can't help without your measurements(your board's measurements).
Just multiply Width X Height.

soundwave · Post by **soundwave** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 8:08 pm

Why...would you square root it?
A = L * W
Not A = SR( L * W )