Sorry if I'm behind the times, just did a new project that required a pcb,
and ExpressPCB is my go-to vendor for one-off boards. I just noticed they
now provide the low-cost boards (fixed size, 3x5, quantity 3) that I've
always ordered with silk screen and solder mask for $71. I got my latest
boards that way and they're beautiful. No relationship to them, just a happy
customer. You can still get the barebones boards for $51.
You also lock yourself into one vendor. There's other free software,
like Kicad, where you can export files that many PCB manufacturers
use. So you avoid vendor lock-in.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vendor_lock-in
If the company goes belly up, where are you going to get any more
boards made, without starting from scratch?
Anyway, it is a bit off topic.
Dave
On 9 December 2016 at 19:58, BIll Ezell <wje@quackers.net> wrote:
> Sorry if I'm behind the times, just did a new project that required a pcb,
> and ExpressPCB is my go-to vendor for one-off boards. I just noticed they
> now provide the low-cost boards (fixed size, 3x5, quantity 3) that I've
> always ordered with silk screen and solder mask for $71. I got my latest
> boards that way and they're beautiful. No relationship to them, just a happy
> customer. You can still get the barebones boards for $51.
You also lock yourself into one vendor. There's other free software,
like Kicad, where you can export files that many PCB manufacturers
use. So you avoid vendor lock-in.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vendor_lock-in
If the company goes belly up, where are you going to get any more
boards made, without starting from scratch?
Anyway, it is a bit off topic.
Dave
