Prototype PCB manufacturers?

I'm looking for a new source from which to purchase prototype PCBs. I've been buying for years from Advanced Circuits in Colorado, but It's been a long time since I've shopped around and I'm hoping to find something better/cheaper/faster.

My "usual" boards are nothing special - 2 - 4 layers, 3" x 4" or so, with nothing particularly exotic about them.

I'm located in Northern NJ, just outside of New York City. Ideally I'm looking for someplace nearby, so that UPS ground would take a day.

Any suggestions?

Reply to
rangerssuck
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been buying for years from Advanced Circuits in Colorado, but It's been a l ong time since I've shopped around and I'm hoping to find something better/ cheaper/faster.

nothing particularly exotic about them.

oking for someplace nearby, so that UPS ground would take a day.

For quick turn I still use Advanced Circuits. I haven't found anybody chea per when I need my boards in 2 days.

If you can wait a week or two to get your boards pcbway.com will blow you a way with their pricing. For instance, five(5) 3" x 4" 2-layer boards with fast shipping (DHL 3-5 day) will run you under $25. Quality is decent. Us ually if I order on Monday, I have my boards by the middle of the next week . Unlike Advanced Circuits, red soldermask is free. Stay away from white, I have only gotten garbage boards from them with white soldermask.

Reply to
DemonicTubes

We just got some boards from PCBWAY. 5-day turn is standard, and shipping is from China.

The boards look good. Pricing is insane, like $75 for 20 small 4-layer boards. $75 total!

Solder mask registration was just OK.

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I wonder if those ref designators might have been inkjet printed.

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John Larkin         Highland Technology, Inc 
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Reply to
John Larkin

Just look up a source on pcbshopper.com. Fab + ship time is included in the matrix.

If you insist on a local source, it's not going to be cheap. There are local fabs all over (or at least there are in my area), but they're rarely worth ordering protos from. If you literally need boards the next day, you're going to pay dearly for them ($1000s).

FYI, I personally boycott PCBWay for their history of using spamming for advertisement. They seem to have moved beyond that in recent years, so it's up to you if you want to consider or ignore that.

I think most of my orders have clustered with PCBCart. Not terribly different (Chinese source), including similar pricing.

OSHPark and PCB4U I think are domestic? Advanced Circuits (and a few others) are old and well established domestic sources, but they're hardly cost effective for generic protos (easily >3x cost).

Tim

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Seven Transistor Labs, LLC 
Electrical Engineering Consultation and Design 
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Reply to
Tim Williams

PCB4U has this motto: "Gerber Files to us before 9am, We Ship Boards SAME EVENING."

Any experience with that? Extremely costly?

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Reply to
Winfield Hill

That looks really interesting except:

1) It really isn't clear (from the web site) where they are producing the prototypes 2) They say they ship same day protos, but the shortest turnaround is one day and they say the day you send gerbers is day zero. I will get answers Monday when I call them

I also found

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where the prices look pretty good, but they are all the way across the country, so shipping is either slow or expensive.

Same with oshpark. All the way in Oregon, and the fastest turnaround is five days. But the pricing is really good.

I will continue to look. I don't have an immediate need, but I'm just starting a product that will eventually have four small boards, and there will be several iterations as the design develops.

Reply to
rangerssuck

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Thanks for that. Pcbshopper.com is excellent. That certainly does give me a good place to start shopping. Unfortunate, though, that the local shops ar e so expensive. I understand that quick-turn is a specialty, but it would b e nice if I could buy locally for a reasonable price.

Reply to
rangerssuck

If you do one-day or two-day turn, the PCB cost will far outweigh the $35 FedEx next day cost.

--
 Thanks, 
    - Win
Reply to
Winfield Hill

We're developing some circuits that use the EPC bga fets. I used to Dremel copperclad and have a circuit working in an hour. Now we have to lay out and order boards and have production do their whole process. That really slows down iteration. Gotta think more before I solder.

The upside is that we may as well get a dozen prototypes of each version, and not worry too much about blowing a few up.

Given the cost of engineering, and of time to market, the cost of boards and shipping is in the noise.

--
John Larkin         Highland Technology, Inc 

lunatic fringe electronics
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Reply to
John Larkin

Basically -- the sooner you stop thinking locally but globally, you will be more competitive with everyone else who already works globally. It's ultimately a benefit for everyone, keeping prices lower, distributing money more widely and bringing more people out of poverty.

But again, PCBs are down in the noise, even if you're planning on a dozen unit tests and spins.

Consider design for test and flexibility: put in lots of 0-ohm jumpers so you can reconfigure the circuit in likely ways (like swapping RXD/TXD... yes, everyone does that at least once!), and have an easier time of making less likely changes. Don't be afraid to cut traces and add jumper wires, or glue down entirely new components and deadbug something.

Tim

--
Seven Transistor Labs, LLC 
Electrical Engineering Consultation and Design 
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Reply to
Tim Williams

JLCPCB has been mentioned before in this group. PCBCART is good but more expensive.

Our experience with JLCPCB is positive. We have found no problems neither in prototypes nor production runs.

We really like their prices.

Happy hunting.

Reply to
John S

prototypes

day and they say the day you send gerbers is day zero.

retty good, but they are all the way across the country, so shipping is eit her slow or expensive.

ive days. But the pricing is really good.

rting a product that will eventually have four small boards, and there will be several iterations as the design develops.

Define "slow". I order from Digikey and UPS takes 4 days because they are in the upper west corner of the state and shipping goes through the North D akota. USPS Priority mail (not Express overnight) takes two days! Not gua ranteed, but I've gotten Priority mail from California in two days to the e ast coast. They are usually the low price winner as well.

I've never used OSHPark, but their story is interesting. I remember when i t was a new thing the guy was trying out. He had yet to develop his tradem ark purple solder mask which had come out some very interesting (or not) sh ades of brown before he got it right.

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  Rick C. 

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Reply to
gnuarm.deletethisbit

We have been using E-Teknet in Arizona for almost 20 years, now. They are not cheap, but probably half the price of Advanced PCB, which we had used before. E-Teknet can get it to you fast, but they charge extra. We do both prototype and small production runs with them, and they have been VERY good. We've had probably close to 2000 boards made through them.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Elson

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I just got back my first order from JLCPCB and my first attempt with KiCad. I'm paying extra attention to the registration of solder mask and silk scre en, and both appear to be excellent. I sent the files on April 3 and checke d in several times on the progress. JLC emailed a completion notice April 7 and while DHL said they expected by end of day April 10, they delivered at 10:04 am April 9. 5 pieces 3.5 x 4.07 inch 4 layers with a ground plane. $

36.69 for the boards and $16.67 for DHL 2 day. These boards look to be as g ood any any we had done in Orange County ( though that was many ye
Reply to
stratus46

ded in

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I just got back my first order from JLCPCB and my first attempt with KiCad. I'm paying extra attention to the registration of solder mask and silk screen, and both appear to be excellent. I sent the files on April 3 and checked in several times on the progress. JLC emailed a completion notice April 7 and while DHL said they expected by end of day April 10, they delivered at 10:04 am April 9. 5 pieces 3.5 x 4.07 inch 4 layers with a ground plane. $36.69 for the boards and $16.67 for DHL 2 day. These boards look to be as good any any we had done in Orange County ( though that was many years ago). My DigiKey order was placed Friday and arrived Monday in LA via USPS.

I'm happy

Reply to
stratus46

Thanks to all you folks, and to their incessant advertising, I took the plunge with JLCPCB. Holy Crap!!! sent the gerbers Tuesday afternoon, boards AND stencil delivered the following Monday.

Five double-sided boards 70mm x 100mm with a stencil for $12.07, shipping included. This was a super discounted introductory price, but still, even without the discounts, I think they've won my business.

More importantly, the circuit works f> I'm looking for a new source from which to purchase prototype PCBs. I've been buying for years from Advanced Circuits in Colorado, but It's been a long time since I've shopped around and I'm hoping to find something better/cheaper/faster.

Reply to
rangerssuck

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