Cheap PCB
How to Get a Professional-Grade PCB Designed by Spending Least Possible Amount?
When it comes to printed circuit boards, most people are unable to find affordable deals. The majority of the engineers want to get professional-grade printed circuit boards. However, they often cannot afford to have them fabricated at the volume their organizations require. Fabricating PCBs in-house provides great satisfaction and might be an option. However, fabricating PCBs in-house might not be a viable idea because the total cost of each PCB comes to over $ 4 when you add the cost of the drill bits, etching, and blank printed circuit board. Compare this to the $6 you need to pay for a professionally manufactured printed circuit board and you have a clear winner.
A good number of people believe that cheap PCB fabrication isn’t possible. However, the reality is very different—getting a cheap PCB or printed circuit board is indeed possible. Following are the steps involved in getting a professionally manufactured cheap PCB.
Get an idea for your printed circuit board
The first and foremost step in getting cheap professional printed circuit boards is getting an idea for your printed circuit board. This means looking for printed circuit boards that you can modify and improve. The purpose of doing this is creating a PCB that works for you. You can look for PCB ideas on electronic blogs, social networking sites, online electronic shops, and electronic forums.
Design the schematic
Also known as circuit diagram, a schematic encompasses symbols that are connected by lines and represents the function of the PCB components. Basically, schematics are the floor plan for PCB components. Therefore, in order to get cheap professional printed circuit boards the first thing you need do is design the schematic.
Create a PCB design
The next step in the process is creating a PCB design. Once you have the circuit functionality diagram or schematic with you, create the design of the printed circuit board. In order to create a PCB design, you’ll have to draw wires, holes, and pads for your circuit. You can create a design for your printed circuit board with the help of PCB design software. It is important for you to draw circuit boards by following the design guidelines. You will be able to draw your board from the schematic by using PCB software as most printed circuit board software have tools that help you to do that.
Create Gerber files from your design
When you want to get your printed circuit board manufactured, the file format you use is the Gerber format. All the manufacturers out there can view your design files if you create Gerber files from your design. In short, Gerber files are images of your printed circuit board and give you freedom to choose PCB software. Once you’ve created Gerber files from your design, choose a manufacturer and send them your PCB design.
Find a PCB manufacturer
The final step in getting cheap professional printed circuit boards is finding a PCB manufacturer. A good option is outsourcing to low-cost countries. However, there are some companies in the United States that offer cheap PCB manufacturing.