Nemo de Monet
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2008
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A lot of folks here seem to make use of PCB prototyping services, and I know there are a few "firm favorites" everyone likes to use. I've used BatchPCB in the past, and while their service is high-quality, it's not really that cheap - especially once you start dealing with two or more copies of the same board - and I've yet to have an order with them be produced in even the "worst case" timespan. So I've been looking at other alternatives to them, and have stumbled across a few that look interesting, which I'm trying out as time, projects, and funding permit.
A lot of us are no doubt familiar with Sure Electronics (sure-electronics.net), who sell all kinds of DIY electronic stuff, on their website and through eBay. Well, they also happen to offer some pretty low-cost PCB prototyping services; the cheapest is $35 USD, shipping included. To be entirely honest, I have no idea what you theoretically get for that; their listing says something about "16 square inches or less, 5 pieces or less". I needed two small PCBs made which, at 3.75 square inches each, would cost ((8 * 2.50) + 10 + ~2) around 32 USD through BatchPCB. For three bucks more, Sure Electronics would provide me... four, maybe five? Eh, what the hell.
I paid my money, and sent 'em the gerbers. They acknowledged receipt, kept me updated of what was going on every step of the way, and four weeks later - the same time as it would take for a BatchPCB order - I got six PCBs in the mail. (Which doesn't resolve my confusion about what, exactly, is on offer, here; 6 * 3.75 = 22 square inches of board; even 5 would be 18.75 square inches, so I'm going to guess that you can get five boards, each up to 16 square inches... but I could be wrong. I assume the 6th board is just a fortuitous byproduct of efficient panelization, or something...)
Anyway, they're darned nice boards: physically on par with BatchPCB/Golden Phoenix, if not slightly better; my only complaint - if any - is that the silkscreening isn't as crisp and clear as it could be.
I've no other affiliation with Sure than as a (happy) customer, and one who'll be using their services again. If you're looking for a short-run PCB prototyping alternative to BatchPCB, and can work with Sure's requirements (12mil width and spacing, for example), they appear to be a perfectly competent, economically competitive option.
Incidentally, somewhere on their website, it mentions that they don't offer plated through holes - something I didn't see until after I'd paid, oops. There I was, (not) looking forward to having to solder up all sixteen vias on that dumb board, when, as it turns out they do, actually, do PTHs. Go figure.
A lot of us are no doubt familiar with Sure Electronics (sure-electronics.net), who sell all kinds of DIY electronic stuff, on their website and through eBay. Well, they also happen to offer some pretty low-cost PCB prototyping services; the cheapest is $35 USD, shipping included. To be entirely honest, I have no idea what you theoretically get for that; their listing says something about "16 square inches or less, 5 pieces or less". I needed two small PCBs made which, at 3.75 square inches each, would cost ((8 * 2.50) + 10 + ~2) around 32 USD through BatchPCB. For three bucks more, Sure Electronics would provide me... four, maybe five? Eh, what the hell.
I paid my money, and sent 'em the gerbers. They acknowledged receipt, kept me updated of what was going on every step of the way, and four weeks later - the same time as it would take for a BatchPCB order - I got six PCBs in the mail. (Which doesn't resolve my confusion about what, exactly, is on offer, here; 6 * 3.75 = 22 square inches of board; even 5 would be 18.75 square inches, so I'm going to guess that you can get five boards, each up to 16 square inches... but I could be wrong. I assume the 6th board is just a fortuitous byproduct of efficient panelization, or something...)
Anyway, they're darned nice boards: physically on par with BatchPCB/Golden Phoenix, if not slightly better; my only complaint - if any - is that the silkscreening isn't as crisp and clear as it could be.
I've no other affiliation with Sure than as a (happy) customer, and one who'll be using their services again. If you're looking for a short-run PCB prototyping alternative to BatchPCB, and can work with Sure's requirements (12mil width and spacing, for example), they appear to be a perfectly competent, economically competitive option.
Incidentally, somewhere on their website, it mentions that they don't offer plated through holes - something I didn't see until after I'd paid, oops. There I was, (not) looking forward to having to solder up all sixteen vias on that dumb board, when, as it turns out they do, actually, do PTHs. Go figure.