>I just finished bringing up some boards I had done by apcircutis and I was
>VERY dissatified with the results.  Over 60% of my vias were not thru
>connected and about 20-30% of my pads as well.  My jumper per inch ratio for
>this board is very high and it was very, very frustating.
>
>In defense of ap however I don't know if it was something that I did wrong
>with my board specifications that caused it or if it was just apcircuits
>quality.  Has any one else experienced this?

My results have been 180 degrees opposite this.  I have only used them
twice, but every time they were perfectly done.

I used SuperPCB from Mental Automation (http://www.mentala.com) and got
exactly what my screen showed, no more, no less.

All vias, thru-holes, etc. were connected well, even traces which did not
meet their .008/.008 guidelines came through perfectly as well.

The only thing which is different than a $2000 board-house is that, for
"Proto-1" service, boards are sheared rather than routed.  Fine with me for
that price differential, I'll use my X-acto with a carbide bit and do my
own routing.

>One thing that really chapped me was that I had a part that the pad size and
>the hole size  were equal and ended up a big via from my power plane to my
>ground plane.   I would have thought that they would have caught such a
>glaring error when doing the film.

Remember, they do not proof your boards for you.  That's YOUR job.  Hand it
to one of the others in your office to verify, don't expect ANY board house
to do it.

Also, learn a little about the process.  Holes are drilled and plated
through BEFORE they etch them, opposite of most do-it-yourself kits.

Perhaps you need to read in detail their HTML about the process again.  It
sounds like you are expecting something that they do not promise to provide.

Andy

==================================================================
Andy Kunz - Montana Design - 409 S 6th St - Phillipsburg, NJ 08865
          Hardware & Software for Industry & R/C Hobbies
        "Go fast, turn right, and keep the wet side down!"
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