I also recently found pcbfabexpress.com .  $13 each for protos (min 5) so=
unds=20
great, but I have no other data on them.  If you decide to play lab-rat,=20
please post your experiences. :-)

Cheers,
-Neil.



On Thursday 24 July 2003 10:21, Cameron Bourdon scribbled:
> I've recently decided to take the plunge into fab'd PCBs (and surface m=
ount
> tech).
>
> I downloaded the free version of Eagle PCB CAD, read the tutorials and
> various FAQs, experimented, and now I'm almost able to be productive...
>
> I read through many of the Pic-List posts for tips and ideas (and a sin=
cere
> Thank You to all related posters).
>
> I was planning on using Olimex (www.olimex.com) for my first couple of
> boards, as their prices appear to be much less than anyone else (they a=
lso
> accept Eagle board files, which saves me the added trouble & opportunit=
y
> for error dealing with gerber files - at least until I gain a bit of
> experience with everything else).
>
> But Olimex will be shutting down for the entire month of August, and I'=
m
> afraid that if I send them my files now, and they don't arrive when
> expected, I'll be left hanging with no one to call until September...
>
> Neil recently mentioned e-Protos at www.eprotos.com
> - has anyone else tried them? Where you happy with the results?
>
> Some houses appear to have good prices, but the minimum quantity of boa=
rds
> neutralizes this (I'm amazed by the price differences).
>
> *** Because I'm a PCB-Newbie, I'm going to make mistakes. In fact the b=
est
> way for me to learn is to get some experience by making some boards... =
I
> want to do this for the minimum ammount per iteration; it does me no go=
od
> if I'm paying less than $20 per board if it cost me $100-$500 to find o=
ut I
> missed a major item/should have done something differently!
>
> I know the PCB house has costs (doing prototypes is wasteful for them
> compared to larger runs), and they have to pass these costs on to us - =
the
> customer... but notice the difference between Olimex and everyone else.=
 Are
> there any other companies with Olimex like prices? If so, are they open=
 for
> business during August?
>
> Olimex:
> Double sided, FR-4 0.062" PCB, 1-oz copper (is this copper thickness? t=
his
> figure seems standard with most manufacturers), plated through holes,
> solder mask on both sides, component side silkscreen, Panel up to 6.3" =
x
> 3.9" (can have multiple circuits, free depanilization...), turn around =
time
> is 3-5 working days if traces/spaces >+ 0.010" $26.00 (plus shipping) a=
nd
> no minimum quantity!.
>
> [Note: Wouter recommends that, in order to prevent extra charges from
> Olimex (maybe others too?), you should double check the silkscreen widt=
hs
> (or specify no silkscreens) and the drill sizes (They prefer metric,
> standard drill tools are: 0,7 mm (0,028"), 0,9 mm (0,035"),
>     1.0 mm (0,039"), 1.1 mm (0,043"),
>     1.3 mm (0,051"), 1.5 mm (0,059"),
>     2.1 mm (0,083"), 3.3 mm (0,13")
> ]
>
> PCB Express (www.pcbexpress.com):
> For a similar board from PCB Express it'll run $215.00 (plus shipping) =
<-
> you get two boards but you don't have a choice, that's their minimum qt=
y.
> Positive: Done in 3 days. This is for boards up to 19 square inches,
> olimexs' is about 24.5 square inches. You can cut $11 from PCB Express'
> price by dropping to a 9-square inch board max... ...PCB Express offers=
 a
> reduced cost version, but you lose the solder mask from both sides, the
> silkscreen, and no board review/checking - it's run as sent. 0-9 SqIn b=
d.
> Price is $80.00 (plus shipping) for two bds (min qty). Add $10 for a bo=
ard
> size similar to the board from Olimex.
>
> Advanced Circuits (www.4pcb.com):
> Similar specs but much larger (up to 85 sq-in, but no de-panelizing?),
> 5-day turnaraound, and a minimum qty of 3 bds: $99.00 (plus shipping).
>
> e-Protos at (www.eprotos.com):
> Similar specs, 45 sq-in max/ 14" max. 5-day turn, Min qty 5 bds.
> $95.00 (plus shipping).
>
> Sierra Proto Express (www.2justforyou.com):
> Similar specs, Turnaround 4 days, 10 Sq-in (25sq-in same price?),
> no-design-check, ($20 service charge?), 2-board minimum... $88.00 (plus
> shipping).
>
> e-TekNet (www.e-teknet.com):
> Similar specs, Turnaround 8 days typical (3 days to 6 weeks min/max?), =
12
> Sq-in (3" x 4"), 4 bds min, 55 sq-in, ... $91.96 (plus shipping).
>
> Others? Thoughts?
> Thanks!
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Do you Yahoo!?
> Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software

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