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Pad2Pad

Anyone ever heard of, or used this outfit?

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I stumbled across the site while engaged in a fruitless online search for someone in Australia who could lay out and make a pcb for me. Pad2Pad claim to make custom pcbs which you design and order using their free download design tool. They're based in NJ USA though for all I know, the pcb's are actually made by political outcasts in Chinese jails. The website is glossy, informative and has attractive sample pricing information. The downloaded design tool is quite nice to use by my untutored newbie standards, with an extensive library of standard component footprints. Does anyone know of a better (free) pcb design tool or of anyone closer to home who offers a similar service? I know of RCS radio. I've used some nice kit pcb's of theirs but too many hoops to jump through to actually get a custom one made.

PH

Reply to
Peter Howard
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Just stumbled across them the other day too. The software looks quite nice, can't believe they can afford to write it just to promote their main service. There are other sites which have their own free softare too:

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Not sure if they all use the same software or how good it is though.

Protel Autotrax (not to be confused with the other Kovac Autotrax software) is excellent free PCB software and most manufacturers (all in Oz) will support it.

Lists of cheap PCB mail order manufacturers have been done in many other posts. I can never remember them off-hand.

Dave :)

Reply to
David L. Jones

Usually they supply free software that only they can understand to lock you as a customer. You are probably better off using software that outputs standard files - you'll be able to use any manufacturer then.

Protel used to have 30 day demo on their website, possibly they still have it. Their old DOS software is free and works good. Cadsoft has a free version of Eagle Schematic/PCB editor (Win and Linux) limited to pcb size. All of them produce standard output files.

Tom

Reply to
Tom

If you only want one board made then you would be better of to get a copy of the old Protel Autotrax and learn how to do the layout yourself, otherwise the cost could be quite prohibitive.

If you need a larger quantity then Jemal PCB in Perth (08 9356 1997 - talk to Marc) will do layout and production.

HTH

Alan

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Reply to
Alan

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