iTead is taking too long. What other alternatives are there? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: king.oslo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2012, 10:14:43 pm
content: Dave is lucky to have found his NZ board house.I live in Europe. From the time I order my dirt cheap pcb from iTead, sometimes it is as long as 1 month before it arrives. I do not mind the quality of my iTead prototype and love the price, but it is taking too long. Sometimes I have made one or two new revisions before the pcb arrives.What other alternatives are there? I looked at Eevblog board house list, but the boardhouses usually does not list their prices up front.So I am collecting advice. What are my best options for prototyping?Thank you for your time.M

author: Chet T16
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2012, 10:18:45 pm
content: This^I'd gladly pay twice as much as itead costs for a quicker turnaround

author: johnnyfp
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2012, 04:17:03 am
content: I use PCBCART.com but the turn around is a little slow. I placed an order 3weeks ago and still waiting but it is more than Half the price of the NZ counterpart.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2012, 05:22:57 am
content: Eurocircuits comes to mind...Fast turnaround, reasonable price. Not winpangplong price but european prices...Pcb pool is another.

author: metalphreak
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2012, 06:38:32 am
content: I don't know about Itead, but with Seeed Studios, a majority of the time taken for it to arrive is the shipping method. Pay for DHL shipping and its less than 2 weeks, but then the price increases a fair bit...

author: westfw
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2012, 06:48:59 am
content: QuoteIs that an option anywhere? Most of the places I know of that ship quickly have prices that are well above double Itead's prices. Frequently just shipping is more expensive than the entire Itead pricetag.There ought to be something in between "we'll do it in 48 hours and ship by FedEx" and Itead/Seeed; how about "we'll get to it in a week a drop it in a Priority mail envelope"? (For the US; I'm not sure what the equiv would be in Europe.)

author: T4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2012, 07:10:18 am
content: Quote from: westfw on June 19, 2012, 06:48:59 amThere's something called a local pcbhouse

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 19, 2012, 08:07:07 am
content: Quote from: king.oslo on June 18, 2012, 10:14:43 pmI pay for the privilege though, they are not cheap.There is a reason fast turnaround boards are not cheap, it's a complex procedure just to do a "simple" DS/PT/MASK board. I'll be editing a video soon that show my boards being manufactured.Dave.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2012, 08:28:00 am
content: Quote from: johnnyfp on June 19, 2012, 04:17:03 amHave you checked your spam folder?I think you can view the status of your order on there website to.PCBCart have always been quick for me.After i submit my order they always respond within 4 days with either; Questions about the design or Confirmation that they have started manufacturer.Once they start manufacture they always ship within the lead-time that I've payed for (8 or 10days).Shipping is normally 1 week or so.

author: markus_b
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2012, 08:52:49 am
content: I have not used them in a while, but Olimex (www.olimex.com) may fit the bill for you. A double-sided board (160x100mm) including shipping is around $50 and should arrive in about a week.Their specs are somewhat below iTead (8mils), but they have been around since a long time.

author: johnnyfp
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2012, 10:30:25 am
content: Quote from: Psi on June 19, 2012, 08:28:00 amYeah to both. But I did submit 6 different panels. But even so. It's annoying when I want it now and not pay through the roof for now.It's very selfish that I can't have both.