affordable pcb design

[aliyesami]

I heard on web 4pcb.com was an affordable site and they charging me $400 for a 3x4 inch pcb with just two component , one FPC header and one simple dual row 2.4mm header AND this for a 4 weeks return time.
this does not sound "affordable" to me so does anyone have anyother places I can use to get my boards done ?

thanks

 

[jpanhalt]

I just got a board from OSH Park (oshpark.com) and was quite happy with the turn-around time (sent files Friday afternoon; received boards the Monday after the following Friday) and quality. Price was less than half a lot of the "affordable" quotes I got. You get 3 copies, instead of 5, but that was fine.

Two things I liked most was the up front pricing and smooth ordering process . I knew the full price, including shipping, before ordering.

The ordering process was very smooth. I did not have to submit the design and wait for a response. The price was based on board area only and was calculated as soon as you submitted the files. You can get a pretty close estimate without submitting anything, just by measuring your board. I submitted Eagle files, then viewed the Gerbers on the site almost immediately, made a couple of minor changes, resubmitted, and ordered. I wrestled with a DRG error, because I had a via on a pad. Communication was good and the DRG error proved to be irrelevant. The Gerber view was quite a nice function.

John

 

[aliyesami]

I just got a board from OSH Park (oshpark.com) and was quite happy with the turn-around time (sent files Friday afternoon; received boards the Monday after the following Friday) and quality. Price was less than half a lot of the "affordable" quotes I got. You get 3 copies, instead of 5, but that was fine.

Two things I liked most was the up front pricing and smooth ordering process . I knew the full price, including shipping, before ordering.

The ordering process was very smooth. I did not have to submit the design and wait for a response. The price was based on board area only and was calculated as soon as you submitted the files. You can get a pretty close estimate without submitting anything, just by measuring your board. I submitted Eagle files, then viewed the Gerbers on the site almost immediately, made a couple of minor changes, resubmitted, and ordered. I wrestled with a DRG error, because I had a via on a pad. Communication was good and the DRG error proved to be irrelevant. The Gerber view was quite a nice function.

John

thanks a lot for this info John !
do they drill the pcbs also ? as i submitted my eagle drawing and they came back with info which I am interpretting as if the pcb will not be drilled.

 

[jpanhalt]

Mine came completely drilled with solder mask, silk screen, plated-through holes, and gold plating. There will be a few little nubs of PCB around the edges where your boards are attached to the larger panel. Those are easy to remove. Be sure to include all of the Eagle layers, including the drill layer.

John

 

[aliyesami]

which is drill layer? or should i just include all layers ? I dont them printing the symbols or other stuff ealge board shows.
Also I see they are saying on their site that turn around time is 12 days ?

"Pricing
There are currently three types of orders:
The standard 2 layer order

$5 per square inch, which includes three copies of your design. For example, a 2 square inch board would cost $10 and you’d get three copies of your board. You can order as many copies as you want, as long as they’re in multiples of three.

Orders go to the fab every business day, and have a turn time of about 12 calendar days. They can be ordered on OSH Park. "

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also iam using very small components do they also put components on board ? if not do you know where I can get that done?