Post by thetechnobear on Oct 12, 2018 11:56:52 GMT
Hi,
has anyone had any experience of getting pcbs made up for prototyping/one-off runs in europe?
Ive been using protoboards (not the strips, and just pads) for experimentation, but to get all the wiring in place, im finding it makes the modules get pretty large.
so Im wondering if it might be better to test my designs on breadboards (as I currently do) , then design a pcb with presolidered tracks.
sure it might costs 30 euros or so (?) , but the result would be tidier, and probably quicker to assemble.
thoughts?
the goal would be :
- not outrageously expensive
- fairly quick to deliver ( 1-2 weeks!?)
- all thru hole mounting , no surface mounting
(way too small for me!)
of course, Id have to learn the skills to create the PCB design (so my initial designs would no doubt be rubbish
)
a nice side effect would be, if I did the design like this I could open source it, along with pcb , so that others could build it - and also potentially review and help me improve the design.
a quick look online found - eurocircuits.com - www.eurocircuits.com, which seem to be around 30-40 euros for a 4U module...
I also like the look for their 'NAKED proto',
these seem to have exposed tracks, which means if you get it wrong, you can starting cutting tracks, so 'workaround' issues.
(then once you know its working, I guess you can convert this to a normal pcb for more durability if you want)
is this a crazy idea? more complicated than it looks ? (for someone who's not an electrical engineer
any better approach?
should I just concentrate on getting better at assembling protoboards? any better protoboards that might help my cause?
good suppliers? which are dedicated to hobbyists?
p.s. needs to be available in Europe, as I dont want to be really waiting for stuff to arrive from china/usa
EDIT: ok, lots seem to recommend oshpark , and a few recommend companies from china (seedstudio?!) , who can apparently do reasonably quick deliver?!
so perhaps my expectation of a european supplier, might be a bit 'limiting'
(I also feared boards getting stuck in customs, and duty applied - but many saying this doesn't appear to happen due to low value)
has anyone had any experience of getting pcbs made up for prototyping/one-off runs in europe?
Ive been using protoboards (not the strips, and just pads) for experimentation, but to get all the wiring in place, im finding it makes the modules get pretty large.
so Im wondering if it might be better to test my designs on breadboards (as I currently do) , then design a pcb with presolidered tracks.
sure it might costs 30 euros or so (?) , but the result would be tidier, and probably quicker to assemble.
thoughts?
the goal would be :
- not outrageously expensive
- fairly quick to deliver ( 1-2 weeks!?)
- all thru hole mounting , no surface mounting
(way too small for me!) of course, Id have to learn the skills to create the PCB design (so my initial designs would no doubt be rubbish
) a nice side effect would be, if I did the design like this I could open source it, along with pcb , so that others could build it - and also potentially review and help me improve the design.
a quick look online found - eurocircuits.com - www.eurocircuits.com, which seem to be around 30-40 euros for a 4U module...
I also like the look for their 'NAKED proto',
these seem to have exposed tracks, which means if you get it wrong, you can starting cutting tracks, so 'workaround' issues.
(then once you know its working, I guess you can convert this to a normal pcb for more durability if you want)
is this a crazy idea? more complicated than it looks ? (for someone who's not an electrical engineer
any better approach?
should I just concentrate on getting better at assembling protoboards? any better protoboards that might help my cause?
good suppliers? which are dedicated to hobbyists?
p.s. needs to be available in Europe, as I dont want to be really waiting for stuff to arrive from china/usa
EDIT: ok, lots seem to recommend oshpark , and a few recommend companies from china (seedstudio?!) , who can apparently do reasonably quick deliver?!
so perhaps my expectation of a european supplier, might be a bit 'limiting'
(I also feared boards getting stuck in customs, and duty applied - but many saying this doesn't appear to happen due to low value)
