Best small run PCB manufacturer

I've heard good things about Olimex though I've not been a customer:

--Winston

pcbcart.com

Used by myself and others here. No problems, quality & service is good. Communications is good.

pcbcart.com I have bought thousands of boards from them with no problem.

12 day delivery standard, overlay and mask no charge.

I have previously ordered from pcbcart and PCBfabExpress. But I am now = using=20

They were originally zoompcb.com. They have=20 reasonable prices and very good communication. Plus they are a US=20 manufacturer (Chicago) with their own fab so I don't mind paying a = little=20 bit more.

Don't worry - I don't get kickbacks!

Paul=20

does not work.

Sorry.

and their old URL

redirects there.

Paul=20

Same here. Word of advice.... forget 'No solder mask' and 'no overlay'. You'll only save a few pennies. I used to use pcbexpress in the USA for small runs ( without mask/overlay cos it was cheaper) then I found pcbcart.... They have on-line price calculator and shipping calculator so you will know exactly the cost, less Duty,Vat,Customs Clearance in your country.....

I've used Olimex a few times, albeit not for a couple of years. They were very good value and quality.

Cheers

--
Syd

I've used Olimex before and they were very good at actually getting me through the process 'cause I did not have much experience in ordering PCBs. They took just the Eagle file and basically processed it internally and produced the boards. I think at the time I could have saved something like $10 (on 10 very small boards) by going through Open PCB or BatchPCB or other similar services but I would have to make sure I've done all the layers Gerber files and the drill file correctly and it was not worth the trouble for me. They've done a very good job overall, so I can defintiely recommend them.

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Does anyone know of a Free DRC that is not connected to a PCB house ??

I have found the DRC program with 4pcb.com very useful.

By clicking on the FREEDFM link it sends me to another 4pcb page, so I guess its their own work.

Thanks

don

Perhaps the Fusion PCB service offered by Seeed Studios?

Qty 10 of 10 cm x 10 cm, double-sided, PTH, HASL, mask and silkscreen for US$25 for the lot (i.e., $2.50 / board), plus shipping from China. Haven't used them but I'll probably give them a try for my next project.

I have used Sparkfun's Batch PCB service successfully but I'm not familiar with their worldwide shipping capability.

--
Rich Webb     Norfolk, VA

Download Viewmate (free!) from Pentalogix

It's pretty easy to use and gives you a third-party's software to check whether, e.g., your gerbers and drill files line up correctly.

--
Rich Webb     Norfolk, VA

I use E-Teknet in Arizona, US. They may not be the cheapest, but probably pretty close. You get excellent quality, I have had over 100 designs done with them. I have had all sorts of problems with boards done by other outfits. My biggest pain was paying for electrical test, and then finding shorts in boards AFTER all the parts were installed. This can be REALLY difficult to fix on a 4- or 6-layer board.

Jon

I've used Olimex (Bulgaria), PCB Cart (China) and Advanced Circuits (Denver) all with excellent results.

Jim

FreeDFM is Advanced (4PCB)'s service, which also autogenerates a quote, handy if you want a quick estimate, even if you buy elsewhere. I regularly use this service just because it's more-or-less automated and gets me a quick check. If it passes their proto rules, it should pass anyone's rules (copper width and spacing, soldermask expansion, annular rings, etc.) Not affiliated, blah blah..

Tim

--
Deep Friar: a very philosophical monk.
Website: http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/tmoranwms

We have also happily used

as our standard fab for several years, for DS/PTH with mask and overlay. As TTman pointed out, the masking and overlay are effectively "free" with pcbcart - it seems to be built into their standard pricing which is quite sensible from a production point of view. Their communication is excellent and they will ping you before starting production if they see what appears to be an error - better than getting a batch of boards with an inbuilt design c*ck-up. Saved us time and money once!

Where I specifically don't want masking or overlay (e.g. for proof-of-concept protos), I have on occasion reverted to

where the addition of these adds up quickly, but the base DS-PTH-HASL price is often better. Their boards were once of rather variable quality but they got their ducks in line a few years ago, I suspect by outsourcing to someone in China. Delivery is not as fast as pcbcart.

No matter who you choose, you need to check first if their process handles the file type(s) of your design software.

They do good work, but the shipping delay can annoy some. For a back- burner hobby project, a 2-3 week wait is fine considering the high quality of the product. However things change quickly and I suppose many Asian fabs are hungry for business.

That's true but not during the Chinese New Year festivities :) Most Chinese PCB houses are closed or will close very soon till the end of January.

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