PCB etching service

#11

Quote:

The greatest difficulty I've found is getting a PCB manufacturer who can
work with artwork other than that generated by a PCB cad package.

W.o.e would anyone want that ?

Quote:

RAK will take an emailed image file (perversely, we found jointly that an
image pasted into a word document was the best interface!!) and create a
board for you. I did not ask them to drill it as I wanted to keep the price
down. Again most suppliers need a drill file from a cad package before they
will drill for you.

What were RAK like in quality terms (and to deal with), as a matter of interest ?

Quote:

I suspect that a 'kitchen sink' method as suggested by others will be the
most cost effective for you.

Possibly true, but only if your time is free. Personally I'd rather pay for the
quality of a manufactured pth tinned silk-screened board rather than the
dubious quality I'd be able to produce at home, especially if doing the lining
by hand rather than by CAD.

--
Boo

#12

"Boo" <reply_to_group_not_me (AT) spam_me_no_spam (DOT) net> wrote

Quote:

The greatest difficulty I've found is getting a PCB manufacturer who can
work with artwork other than that generated by a PCB cad package.

W.o.e would anyone want that ?

RAK will take an emailed image file (perversely, we found jointly that
an
image pasted into a word document was the best interface!!) and create a
board for you. I did not ask them to drill it as I wanted to keep the
price
down. Again most suppliers need a drill file from a cad package before
they
will drill for you.

What were RAK like in quality terms (and to deal with), as a matter of
interest ?

I suspect that a 'kitchen sink' method as suggested by others will be
the
most cost effective for you.

Possibly true, but only if your time is free. Personally I'd rather pay
for the
quality of a manufactured pth tinned silk-screened board rather than the
dubious quality I'd be able to produce at home, especially if doing the
lining
by hand rather than by CAD.

--
Boo

There is a big learning step and overhead with converting designers used to
old methods to a PCB CAD package.
I learned on black tape and mylar sheet and have migrated to 'electronic'
black tape using macdraw or Visio nowadays and it is still quicker for me to
work this way for small jobs.

Even professionally, it will cost me many man hours to convert my older
staff to CAD. It is cheaper to let them use the methods they are used to.
Bright young graduates in contrast have often used a cad package at Uni and
use it with ease.

Until a couple of months ago I had a PCB services lab on site at work and
could get ds pth boards made in about 3 hours. but now thanks to huge
expenditure needs to satisfy waste control requirements, we had to close it
down and make the staff redundant.

This is why I went to RAK and they were very good to deal with.

The OP was talking of etching charges of around £5 - which led me to my
comments on 'kitchen sink' methods.

Bob

#13

In article <boednawqM_xBtAHYnZ2dnUVZ_uyknZ2d (AT) biscit (DOT) net>,
Boo <reply_to_group_not_me (AT) spam_me_no_spam (DOT) net> wrote:

Quote:

Possibly true, but only if your time is free. Personally I'd rather pay
for the quality of a manufactured pth tinned silk-screened board rather
than the dubious quality I'd be able to produce at home, especially if
doing the lining by hand rather than by CAD.

Dunno why you'd do it by hand given you have a computer. I don't even use
a cad prog for most things - just good ol' Acorn Draw, although I do use a
later version (Millennium) with a library for my symbols.

And the results you can get are perfectly fine for anything you can
assemble by hand.

--
*If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is he homeless or naked?

Dave Plowman dave (AT) davenoise (DOT) co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

#14

"Dave Plowman (News)" <dave (AT) davenoise (DOT) co.uk> wrote

Quote:

In article <boednawqM_xBtAHYnZ2dnUVZ_uyknZ2d (AT) biscit (DOT) net>,
Boo <reply_to_group_not_me (AT) spam_me_no_spam (DOT) net> wrote:
Possibly true, but only if your time is free. Personally I'd
rather pay
for the quality of a manufactured pth tinned silk-screened board
rather
than the dubious quality I'd be able to produce at home,
especially if
doing the lining by hand rather than by CAD.

Dunno why you'd do it by hand given you have a computer. I don't
even use
a cad prog for most things - just good ol' Acorn Draw, although I do
use a
later version (Millennium) with a library for my symbols.

And the results you can get are perfectly fine for anything you can
assemble by hand.

--
*If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is he homeless or naked?

Dave Plowman dave (AT) davenoise (DOT) co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

There is a nice program called PLATINCNC that will take artwork as an
image (.jpg bitmap etc) and convert it into G code to CNC mill the PCB
and identify all the holes and drill them. It actually works quite
well despite the rather odd English used in the instructions (the
author is an Austrian post grad student) I last used it to re-make
gaskets for a slide valve !

http://www.platincnc.com/

AWEM

#15

You could try KCS Electronics in Crewe:

http://www.kcscrewe.demon.co.uk/

I don't know whether it's a service they normally offer, but it's a business
they are in and might be able to either do it, or point you in the right
direction.

Mike.

"Lee Griffiths" <l.s.griffiths (AT) salford (DOT) ac.uk> wrote

Quote:

Hi all,

Anyone know of a PCB etching service for one-offs in or around Manchester
? , or anywhere for that matter :O

Thanks

Lee

#16

Quote:

Until a couple of months ago I had a PCB services lab on site at work and
could get ds pth boards made in about 3 hours.

Nice !

Quote:

but now thanks to huge
expenditure needs to satisfy waste control requirements, we had to close it
down and make the staff redundant.

This is why I went to RAK and they were very good to deal with.

Good to know.

Cheers,

--
Boo

#17

On Wed, 03 Jan 2007 13:13:09 +0000, Lee Griffiths wrote:

Quote:

Hi all,

Anyone know of a PCB etching service for one-offs in or around
Manchester ? , or anywhere for that matter :O

Thanks

Lee
I saw an ad. for one on eBay the other day. IIRC their offer was

for 79p per square inch plus a tenner set up costs for double sided
irrespective of the number of tracks/holes etc.
I didn't make a note of it as I wasn't looking for PCBs then.
You can probably find it if it's still there - I don't know if that's
a good price as the few PCBs I've needed I've made myself

Pete

p.s. no, it's not my eBay ad.

--
.................................................. .........................
.. never trust a man who, when left alone ...... Pete Lynch .
.. in a room with a tea cosy ...... Marlow, England .
.. doesn't try it on (Billy Connolly) .....................................

#18

On Thu, 04 Jan 2007 01:30:38 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
<dave (AT) davenoise (DOT) co.uk> wrote:

Quote:

In article <boednawqM_xBtAHYnZ2dnUVZ_uyknZ2d (AT) biscit (DOT) net>,
Boo <reply_to_group_not_me (AT) spam_me_no_spam (DOT) net> wrote:
Possibly true, but only if your time is free. Personally I'd rather pay
for the quality of a manufactured pth tinned silk-screened board rather
than the dubious quality I'd be able to produce at home, especially if
doing the lining by hand rather than by CAD.

Dunno why you'd do it by hand given you have a computer. I don't even use
a cad prog for most things - just good ol' Acorn Draw, although I do use a
later version (Millennium) with a library for my symbols.

Acorn Draw was/is a damned fine program for diagrams. I've never found

anything as easy and effective for the PC.
--
Regards, Chris (Please take out my car to reply by plain text email)
---1967 Riley Elf----1978 Mini 1000----1979 Ford Capri---
-----1957 Standard 8--------1972 Mini Clubman estate-----
-----1966 Triumph Herald Estate----1965 Hillman Minx-----

#19

In article <kuusp2hm9scgij5fr3mmk8isg3jqnuo55s (AT) 4ax (DOT) com>,
Chris Bolus <chrisB (AT) RILEYELFb0lus (DOT) com> wrote:

Quote:

Acorn Draw was/is a damned fine program for diagrams. I've never found
anything as easy and effective for the PC.

You can of course run most of these RISC OS programs on a PC using an
emulator.

--
*All those who believe in psychokinesis, raise my hand *

Dave Plowman dave (AT) davenoise (DOT) co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

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