Requesting help from EAGLE PCB users

Reply to
Richard H.
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"techie_alison" schreef in bericht news:dvoqvb$5qn$ snipped-for-privacy@nwrdmz02.dmz.ncs.ea.ibs-infra.bt.com...

were

Guessing it is 25x45mm, a hundred double sided board cost

142.21 euro, excl. 21% VAT, incl. shipping to the UK. That is roughly 100 pounds. Soldermask and one silkscreen included.

This is at

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Check their online price calculator. Quality is excellent.

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Thanks, Frank.
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Reply to
Frank Bemelman

Aly,

A few things stand out here...

  • If you were having them made for a good price, is there a reason you can't go back there? (I'd be interested in knowing where this was...)

  • Limiting yourself to shops that only accept Eagle .brd files will drive your prices up. Learn how to handle Gerber output and anyone can process your job, which means you can find cheaper options.

  • RoHS will drive the prices up now, and it's non-optional for saleable products. (Have you thought about how you'll solder these now?)

  • Switching to a different 9-pin connector with through-hole pins could let you switch to a single-sided PCB. The connector price will change, maybe too much; the board would be cheaper as you'd only need copper, solder mask, and silkscreen on one side.

  • A larger project, but... it looks like you're using less than half the pins on the PIC. A simpler version (or at least the surface-mount package) would let you shrink your board size a little, reducing that cost. A surface-mount PIC might be cheaper (and would require only layout change); likewise for a simpler PIC if it applies, You'll need to weigh if it makes your assembly costs go up. A different PIC would require at least a re-build of the code, but likely not a wholesale re-write.

  • Do you like soldering these PCBs individually? Assembly might be easier if you had them made in panels / arrays that break apart. It's called v-scoring. Harder to find in proto shops for a low cost, but there are some.

  • Check out
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    They're based in Australia and front a manufacturer in Thailand. They could do your boards with v-scoring or cut apart for US* Check out
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    They're based in Australia and front a manufacturer in Thailand. They could do your boards with v-scoring or cut apart for US$0.65 each at that size, plus about $51 setup charge (Setup as low as $15 with no mask or silkscreen). You have to ask for v-scoring instead of cut-apart, but there's no extra fee. (!).65 each at that size, plus about setup charge (Setup as low as with no mask or silkscreen). You have to ask for v-scoring instead of cut-apart, but there's no extra fee. (!)

You'll have to ask if they do RoHS finishes instead of HASL (solder). I've been very happy with their work down to 10-mil traces, though their accuracy on v-scoring is moderate, so allow about 60 mils between boards for the cut (which is less than the typical 100-mil route plus 20-mil spacing).

Cheers, Richard

Reply to
Richard H.

...

From the board file the board is 23 x 33mm, other assumptions correct. However remember because you have surface mount and plate through components you have TWO different solder masks (one for each side). The solder mask is what gives the board the green colour.

Well I did a quick check on and min order qty with panelling up they would supply 13 boards per panel 1dm2.

Ordering as Double sided prototype quantities, with NO solder mask, and just ident and 13 boards to a panel. A quick quote of 8 panels (8 * 13 =

104 boards), and post shipping on EIGHT days turnaround is 69.93 Euros (or 48.43 pounds)!!! Less than before, but that price can be juggled by

Solder mask both sides (different) Add 34 Euros

Ident removal top Subtract 17 Euros

Basically Ident or solder mask cost 17 Euros per side in tooling.

For what your board is I would consider both sides solder mask for assembly process as you have tracks between pins, and top side ident so add 34 Euros to give

103.93 Euros or 71.94 pounds for 104 boards

slightly cheaper than what you had before.

Give them your VAT number and you then remove the Irish VAT rate of 21% from that and gives a total of

85.89 Euros or 59.46 pounds for 104 boards

That is a LOT cheaper than what you had before and straight from an Eagle file you transmit electronically.

If you want faster turnaround then you pay more.

Bog standard double sided stock that most people use by the look of it.

As at least one other person has said if the chip was surface mount variety and the pins could be swapped around (different port pins used) this could be a single layer PCB. Less copper is less cost.

Personally the board could do with tidying, but is manufacturable.

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Paul Carpenter          | paul@pcserviceselectronics.co.uk
    PC Services
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Reply to
Paul Carpenter

components

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paying

to

assembly

Euros

variety

Wow Paul, I think I love you :) Not quite appropriate on here but hey I'm happy, these figures are brilliant. Best quote I managed today was £160 or so.

Will get back into this over the next few days as in hospital on Thursday and planning to nail this on the head while I recover.

Thanks, will read this properly tomorrow, will likely start a new thread on it.

Aly

Reply to
techie_alison

.........

.....

That's the best 'payment' I have had for advice, even in a newsgroup :-^

Get Hospital over first! Then nail this.

I am sure plenty of people will help out, if you have any further questions.

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Paul Carpenter          | paul@pcserviceselectronics.co.uk
    PC Services
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Reply to
Paul Carpenter

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