Making circuit boards - do-able?

[Mike_K]

I've been tidying the workshop up last night and found this. Rather than trying to make a new pcb, would you like this instead? It's obviously very home made, but it's a Microtrol.

[bluejets]

........And yet another pcb ordered today.
Took maybe 3 hours designing from scratch and getting it all correct in EasyEda.
These days I don't even think about getting the etchant out of the cupboard...and why would one.

5 boards at a discount price currently for Aus $3.12....add another Aud$2.24 for postage (maybe take 2 weeks) and 78c for Paypal.
Now of the 5 boards, I panelized the design to get 2 out of each panel, so 10 pcb's in all.

Cheap as chips, and professional finish as well. I could never get within a mile of what they produce.
Anyone need some etchant...only bought 2 litres of the stuff 2 or 3 years ago. (free to a good home...Ferric Chloride)

[Flynn]

It's worth watching the carriage costs, the other day I ordered 3 sets of 5 boards, all quite small, if I ordered them together the carriage was going to be 12$ but if ordered individually each shipment was $1.47...quite a difference!

It is crazy they can offer their services at that price isn't it.... long may it last!

[bluejets]

Exactly.....I think it normally defaults to something like $35 for so called fast delivery and one has to be aware and correct/modify that.
I'm fine with it taking 2 weeks to Aus for $2 odd.
Pricing on making the boards could be described as "ridiculously low".
Certainly worth taking the time to design /redraw the pcb's in EasyEda.

It's interesting that they do a design check (as well as ones own check before submitting) and notify you if it doesn't pass scrutiny for one reason or another.
Then you have the chance to re-design and re-submit the new gerber files.
One can watch a progress clock on ones order and see just where in the process your pcb currently is.
A lot goes into it really.

[Flynn]

EasyEDA really does make it simple for you, there really should not be any problems with the gerbers you upload if you follow the DRG. Either accept the default (industry standard) settings or add your own preferences, I like to increase the width of any power rails to 0.5 with a 0.25 clearance and not route the Gnd as I make a copper zone on the back for Gnd. The DesignRuleChecker will check your placements and clearances and alert you to modify any problems, after that your gerbers should be perfect.....although I usually think of a change I would like to make a day or two after ordering, but that isn't the fault of the software...

Your last post re-kindled a question I have had in the past regarding panelizing, I believe JLCPCB don't like you adding different boards to fill up the 100x100 panel size (and I can't find a way of doing it without the router trying to fit the two designs together) but did find the option to duplicate your design should you have the real estate for it.... brill!....next time!

[bluejets]

Panelize can be a bit tricky if you're not aware of the "in's and out's " so to speak.
They rejected the one shown first up as it was under "panelization size" of 70 x 70 mm.
They apparently need that to hold in their machine.

Now that's not to say small boards cannot be done, I've had a few done already.
What it means is the overall border, whether 2 boards per sheet or whatever, must be at least 70 x 70mm.
In my case I simply re-opened my pcb file drawing and shifted the bottom border line down 2 mm. Existing width was fine at 96mm (for the 2 side by side)

I guess in your case it wuld depend on the size of both of your different pcb's.
I have heard of people doing it, not myself, but I might give it a try and see what come out.
Good to know for the future.

[bluejets]

(and I can't find a way of doing it without the router trying to fit the two designs together)

Did a quick design with two different boards in the one "border"......could get the EasyEda to cut it out with Vee cuts as a complete board and then have 3 columns of the same per pcb (then x 5) but it would not go beyond that to make a vee cut between the two designs.

Not a real problem as one can make a simple vee cutter from tool steel with a handle and use a steel rule as a guide to make ones own cut.
Assuming one has allowed sufficient spacing to do so, as I did in the design below.

[Flynn]

Whenever I try to add a circuit design to an existing circuit the autorouter treats the nets with the same name as the same net ( not unreasonably I guess) so all the Gnd and Vcc and suchlike get routed together, your example does not have common nets, just individual ones. If you manually route the design you end up with multiple problems in the DRC (again, not unreasonably) and so could well have show stopping errors that JLCPCB would reject the design for.

[bluejets]

Nope...did a design check and all came up good to go.