(a bit OT) PCB Fabs

I while back, I asked about design SW for PCB boards. Well, been using EAGLE (cadsoftusa.com) and now I find I ant to actually have some boards made.

There not fancy - single sided, 2"x2", and I'd like to start with 10 of them.

Anybody know of a good and cheap fab house that supports the EAGLE files?

Reply to
AZ Woody
Loading thread data ...

Does Eagle output standard Gerber files? If so, my preferred source is

formatting link
Their $50 prototype service cost $50 plus shipping for

5 boards. Additional boards are priced depending on quantity. Quality is the best I've seen and delivery times are fast depending on how you ship. The only drawback is they only accept PayPal.

Spark Run Electronics accepts Eagle files and has a setup where they pool designs from several orders and get them made in China. They charge 2.50 per square inch with a service charge ($10?) that gets added to the shipping charge. I think they charge extra for your first order to cover any support that may be required. Once you've submitted trouble free files the surcharge is dropped. The quality is excellent but I've found their delivery times optimistic at best. My orders have almost all taken a month or more. They are a good choice for small boards but get expensive quickly for larger boards.

I think Olimex accepts Eagle files but the quality of their prototype boards SUCKS. If you need to rework anything you'll find the copper lifting off.

For small, prototype boards you might also look at BareBonesPCB. They turn them around overnight but there's no mask or silkscreen. It's a loss leader service that they hope will lead to larger orders. ;)

Reply to
Dave Houston

[ Off-off-topic ;-) PayPal is an advantage for making numerous small credit-card purchases in my opinion and experience. You give out your credit card info _once_ instead of to every single vendor about which you may know next to nothing. ]

Olimex is set up to use Eagle very conveniently in part because both Eagle and Olimex are standardized around euro-sized board. Olimex will panelize and depanelize at no charge. This is important if you use the free version of Eagle which is limited to small boards (100x80mm) so you can't panelize yourself if you stick with the Eagle format. If you can design your boards in fractional euro size, you can save quite a bit.

I own the Eagle non-profit version (160x 100mm, 4-layer limit) and have used Olimex development and prototype boards from various other parties (eg Peter Anderson) with no problem. Of course development boards in general often have small isolated pads that heat up quickly. Use a soldering iron with a thermostat.

Here's a tutorial on making gerber files from Eagle files should you choose the extra step in order to use a pcb firm that doesn't accept Eagle format.

formatting link
... Marc Marc_F_Hult
formatting link

Reply to
Marc F Hult

Cabling-Design.com Forums website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.