Does anybody know of a service that wil, for a fee, take a drawing of a circuit board and produce a small numbr of PCBs?
Note that I said “drawing of a circuit”. THere are many companies that will provide the service I described, but ONLY if you submit the circuit board design in a cimplicated electrical engineering format that requries both expensive software and a long and steep learning curve - I’m talking about a compnay or individual who can work from a 1:1 image of the completed board.
I dount any of the services will take a hand-drawn schematic and make a board. You might find someone who will take your drawing and copy it into the programs used by the various services. ExpressPCB offers the software for free. I could probably take your drawign and put it into the ExpressPCB program.
Edit: another way to do this is ‘draw’ it on photo paper and make them youself - also ther eare options that work with laser printers so if you cna scan your drawing and print it you can make a master.
For a small number of boards, why not use perfboard instead of etching PCBs. Randy Rinker has mentioned one company that has free circuit design software that you can download and create a master schematic. You then upload the resulting pattern to them and they produce the boards. Rather expensive for small runs, though.
It is but really isn’t (expensive). Especially if you are building a small circuit - their flat rate prive of $55 for 3 boards is for a board of s specific size - however nothign says tat if your circuit is simple and small you can’t duplicate it 2 or 4 or more times - as many fit in that standard size. So for somethign small and simply, you might get 3 boards but 12 actual circuits - about $3 each, not so bad.
No one is really ‘chepa’ when it comes to production - they usually get you ont he setup fees. If you look at their production prices you can see it’s $150 or more plus a per board cost. Per board isn;t horribly expensive - it’s the setup. The nice thing is that you cna repeat production without paying the setup fee again.
Actually if I needed pc boards I’d call my friend - he was actually crazy enough to buy the equipment for his own use. I’m not sure if the free software can produce a more standard Gerber file but if it can, I could send it to him and he’d run me boards for the cost of materials.
First of all, Randy, you are correct based on my own on-line research - the cost of having it done “right” using professional equipment and processes is not much more than the cost of setting myself up with all the stuff one needs to get in order to try to produce home-etched boards with uncertain results.
Secondly, I’d welcome a link to the site that has software for creating a Gerber file. I’ve tried a couple of such sites and while I consider myself both quite computer-literate and also a fairly advanced hobbyist in terms of electronics (I’ve assembled a number of fairly complex kits, designed simple circuits for hobby RR use, designed and build simple speaker crossovers, etc.), I just couldn’t get these “free” programs to work.
Lastly, I’ve got loads of stuff under my layout that uses perfboard, but this circuit is a bit complicated for using perfboard. In my experience, troubleshooting a perfboard project of any complexity is extremely difficult. More to the point, I want to do maybe four to six of these so a PCB is really the way to go if possible.
Thank you again for your comments and if you have any further input after my own replies I would welcome them.
I believe Eagle, which is available in a free version, can do some basic board layout stuff. This is a general electronic CAD program vs the specific free program you get from ExpressPCB. I doubt any free program will handle complex multilayer boards - some of that software makes AutoCAD look cheap.
Indeed - but you do have to have some basic knowledge to create workable schematics and board layouts. For a simple circuit, say a basic 555 timer crossing flasher, it’s almost automatic, and the ExpressPCB software does a decent job of warning you about unworkable layouts. And it’s much like using a track plannign CAD program - you may be great at hand drawing a schematic for a working circuit, but just not make that mental connection to the computer-based representation of the exact same thing. I say the same thing about track CAD programs - if you aren’t one who can make those connections it doesn’t mean you are less intelligent or anything, everyone is wired a bit different. I tend to have the ‘feel’ for CAD representations of things - but I can’t do scenery for anything. Some of you who can’t quite grasp CAD concepts probably run rings around me when it comes to scenery.
This is a DC throttle circuit. Thankfully not multilayered, just one IC.
I really appreciate the responses. To net it out, I should check out Eagle and ExpressPCB because there is no known service that will take even a professionally PDF and turn it into finished PCB boards. (Pretty much as I feared.) And furthermore, if these free programs won’t generate something called Gerber files, no point fiddling with them.
Back in the day when it was still an electronics store, Radio Shack used to sell a PC board etching kit. It came with everything you need to etch your own PC boards. I don’t know if this item is still available there. I was taught how to do this in a high school electronics shop class and it’s really pretty easy. You first need to transfer your circuit design onto the squeaky clean PC board blank. I have used both vinyl tape and the Sharpie resist pen included in the Radio Shack kit. The real trick to making these boards is to observe the entire etching process (don’t walk away). Keep checking on the status of the etch and pull the board out of the solution (use tongs) if you need to get a closer look. Rinse well with water when the etch is complete, remove the tape/resist ink, and drill holes through the soldering pads to install the components. Just be sure to wear rubber gloves and eye protection and don’t spill or splash the etching solution. I’ve made about a dozen such boards over the years with absolutely no problems.
I don’t think RS sells that stuff anymore, but you CAN get it from various electronic suppliers like Mouser. The only issue is with the etchant, it will permanently stain nearly anything. Use a glass dish and wear gloves.
No, they used to sell complete kits which came with a couple of blank boards, etchant, a small tray, and a resist pen. They might have it online but none of the stores around here have that kind of stuff anymore. All they have these days is cell phones and a drawer of parts that cost 10x what they do from Mouser. Back in the day, you could get nearly anything at Radio Shack - I used to just browse the walls of parts to get ideas for projects.
Lots of places have instructions, and/or sell “transfer-sheet”-type products that you print on a laser printer and iron onto a blank PCB, then etch. As an example, here’s one such product.
Google is your friend. Do a search, you’ll find lots more.
Hey, that Press & Peel stuff would make circuit design and transfer to the PCB blank far easier. It reminds me that I still need to try making my own loco to tender PCB drawbars with all of the DCC connections on the drawbar (no exposed wires).
I am working as a PCB designer for a contract electronics assembly company. Bottom line is it’s pretty expensive for both the design and assembly of circuit boards. Tooling up for making bare copper boards can run a few hundred $, before a board house starts drilling, cutting, etching.
There’s a book “Practical Electronic Projects for Model Railroaders” c1974 from Kalmbach. Technology is pretty outdated, you can’t even find the components any more. Anyway, first chapter includes techniques of making your own PCB. One method is grinding a copper-plated board (maybe from RS) with your pattern. Another uses self-adhesive pads and conductors; I haven’t seen these anywhere. The chapter goes into some detail on etching your own PCB. I wouldn’t advise someone to take on this - imagine what the etchant can do around your home if it can dissolve copper.
RS has a few PCBs that are pre-drilled with pads and conductors. You could fit various components and jumper wires into the hole pattern and solder your own circuit easily enough.
I went to a local electronics place and found unpopulated PC boards. They are designed to mount 1 or 2 ICs, and then a few other components. You have to do the layout yourself, but if the circuit is nothing more than an IC, a few jumpers and a couple of resistors, it’s easy enough. The metal traces on the back are easy to see, so simple circuits are a piece of cake.