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OSH Park / DorkbotPDX PCB Service

    Blog entry posted in 'Electronics and Other Ramblings...', June 23, 2012.

    I've mentioned these guys before; but I figure to give them another plug here since I've used their service three times now with nothing but good things. I'm talking about DorkbotPDX PCB service; now offering the service through OSH Park (with a cooler interface).

    The service is pretty simple. They give you three (individual) boards of the same design for $5/sq-in (so it's really $1.67/sq-in). No setup fee, no shipping charges (in the US). They advertise the boards will ship in 14days from the date the order is acknowledged (i.e. received and payed for). So far the three orders I've place have taken 14d, 15d, and 15d (plus 2d for shipping). Not bad.

    I've used ExpressPCB, BatchPCB, and now DorkbotPDX/OshPark.

    ExpressPCB
    I prefer this for quick turn-around boards. The cost for the basic (no silkscreen, no soldermask) is about $2.14/sq-in; but you have to buy three boards of 3.8in x 2.5in each. I try to pack more than one design on the board when possible (to maximize the use). But I then need to de-panelize myself. Again, I use it only for quick turn-around. I've also used it for designs which exceed the 3.8in x 2.5in form factor and the cost goes up somewhat - but again only for quick turn-around. I like the fact that it gets manufactured in the US. Standard 3.8in x 2.5in order (three copies) is about $61.
    Positives
    -> Fast turn-around (3-days)
    -> Manufactured in US
    Negatives
    -> No Gerbers - own proprietary CAD software (free though)
    -> Do no de-panelize

    BatchPCB
    This is a service by Sparkfun which uses GoldPhoenix (in China). I've used this for normal orders where I do not need three of the same design and I can wait. Most of the times you receive two boards of the same design anyways (second one free of charge); but this is not guaranteed. The cost for the basic (silkscreen and soldermask included) is about $2.50/sq-in, plus a $10 setup fee (for the whole order), plus shipping. In this case it makes no difference if you order one or ten designs; the more designs you order in the more you spread out the $10 order fee. Only real drawback is time: it can take anywhere from 15-20 days. My own experience (about 5-6 orders; multiple designs per order) - 18 to 24 days (norm tending to 22d).
    Positives
    -> Less expensive for single designs (i.e. not requiring three copies of the same)
    -> Accepts Gerbers or Eagle files
    -> Sparkfun is cool
    Negatives
    -> Slow - they have an expedite fee which supposedly cuts-off one week

    DorkbotPDX/OshPark
    This is my new preference if I can wait about two weeks. The cost for the basic (silkscreen and soldermask included) is $5/sq-in for for thee identical boards (so it's really $1.67/sq-in). No setup fee, no shipping charges (in the US). I'm absolutely loving this place. It doesn't matter whether you have one design or ten. The price is always the same. This is a very cool program run by some guys (Laen mostly) up in Oregon (if I got this right). Some other folks now added and even cooler interface which makes it a cinch to upload the files, verify them, place the order, and more importantly track it. This is a great service grown; which started as a simple idea (it looks like).
    Positives
    -> Least expensive
    -> Accepts Gerbers or Eagle files
    -> Acceptable turn-around (14-days)
    -> Manufactured in US
    Negatives
    -> None really

    Kudos to all three services; but currently DorkbotPDX/OSHPark is my favorite. Below are some shots of the boards from DorkbotPDX/OSHPark ...

    70228

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