My ALLPCB.COM experience - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Koray
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 02, 2018, 06:07:55 pm
content: I just wanted to share my allpcb.com experience here. I have never designed a pbc before and I had to build a very simple variable resistor circuit board. I used an online pcb design tool and I used the Gerber files created there and uploaded to allpcb.com and got my order confirmed in less than an hour. Once all clear, I was able to order with PayPal. 100 copies of my 17x10x0.8mm pcb cost me only $22 shipped with registered airmail. The pcbs were manufactured in 5 days and shipped out on time. I received them in two weeks (HK to Turkey). Each tiny pcb was cut perfectly and sent in a small package. Perfectly built and no problems at all. This is great service.Below is my review video! Once I finished recording, I could hear myself talking like Dave!All I need is some Australian accent and I can start Dave-the-crazy-Aussie-Bloke impersonations!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM-jM5NqEVo&feature=youtu.beI hope this post is not against the forum rules. I have no affiliation with allpcb.com. If it is against the rules, feel free to delete it.Koray

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 02, 2018, 10:40:10 pm
content: Did you get a discount or any other reward in return for your review?

author: Koray
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2018, 06:15:27 am
content: No I didn't. But they are offering some I guess? I will check. I wanted to do the review because it is my first PCB design and order experience, and I was very happy at the end. Now I have confidence to design stuff and order. In the past I tried homebrew pcb prototyping and etc. Now I think it is not worth the effort. Online PCB ordering is a very smooth process for beginners like me.K.

author: harry4516
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2018, 12:46:14 am
content: sure you get rewards, thats the main reason for good reviews :-)I have already ordered >1000 PCBs from them. PCB quality is very good,BUT: if you order stencils, be careful. The hole sizes are too large and they do not offer pad reduction like many other manufacturers do. So you need to reduce the size by yourself when generating the gerber files !Another issue: when soldering tiny parts, BGAs and others with a small grid I prefer to have a small path of stop mask between the pads. This makes soldering much easier. But most China PCB manufacturers cannot print tiny paths of stop masks.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 05, 2018, 01:04:40 am
content: Quote from: harry4516 on January 05, 2018, 12:46:14 amYou say as if it is advantage but those who do so without asking,must be fucked in the ass, every single time. I had serious soldering problems because of some fab modified non standard QFN (4 pads are more like LGA) center pad to "industry standard" as they said even when I asked to not modify without notice when making an order. There was already 70% aperture (4 squares) as per IC manufacturer recommendation, they just reduce size of those squares so aperture became like 40%. The result was solder squeezed out from those non standard pads. And that wasn't a single time when they did so. I later checked other stencils with another usual QFN, and yep, they reduced aperture as well. And I wandered why there was too much solder squeezed out on exposed part of QFN pads.

author: harry4516
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2018, 01:08:03 am
content: sure,without askingis shit.My local manufacturers have an entry field in the online shop where you can enter the pad reduction size.

author: Peabody
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2018, 03:19:10 pm
content: Is there a good online schematic and pcb design site that lets you export gerbers that are accepted at other manufacturers like OSHpark? I think when i last checked on this, which has been quite a while ago, sites like EasyEDA locked you in (which is perfectly reasonable by the way if the design stuff is free), or their output wasn't reliably acceptible elsewhere. I just wondered what anyone's recent experience has been.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2018, 03:20:15 pm
content: Quote from: Peabody on January 05, 2018, 03:19:10 pmWhy not use something like KiCad?

author: Koray
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2018, 06:28:55 pm
content: I designed the PCB at easyeda and downloaded the Gerber files from there. I was able to use the files at allpcb with no issues. K.

author: Peabody
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2018, 10:26:38 pm
content: Quote from: Mr. Scram on January 05, 2018, 03:20:15 pmIf I get to the point of doing a board more than once or twice a year, I'll probably go with Kicad. But until then, I just dont want to have to mess with the download, installation and updates if the online sites work well enough.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2018, 06:29:28 am
content: Quote from: Peabody on January 05, 2018, 10:26:38 pmThat's fair enough!