PCB: www.olimex.com

Hi guys,
 anybody used www.olimex.com to order PCB?
Looks inexpensive at least for prototypes.
Thanks.
-- 
Dmitriy Fitisov
----------------------
http://www.radier.ca/pic/pictimer.php

In article <6P0Rb.658$gx6.444397694@news.nnrp.ca>,
Optimist <never2much@optimizm.com> wrote:
>Hi guys,
> anybody used www.olimex.com to order PCB?
>Looks inexpensive at least for prototypes.

I allllmost did but their Eagle related strangeness finally scared me off.
If he hadn't been a little slow to respond to one of my attempts to meet
his silkscreen requirements we might have gotten it worked out, but I
gave up an did a complete relayout to make a board I could reasonably
etch at home.

-- 
Ben Jackson
<ben@ben.com>
http://www.ben.com/

Optimist wrote:
> Hi guys,
>  anybody used www.olimex.com to order PCB?
> Looks inexpensive at least for prototypes.
> Thanks.

I highly recommend them for prototypes, very good quality, fast service.

-- 
Steve Sousa

In comp.arch.embedded Optimist <never2much@optimizm.com> wrote:

They are a good source for inexpensive prototypes.  However I found that
their pads delaminate pretty easily if you do hacks or repairs.  I am a 
pretty good tech and own a temperature controlled soldering iron, but 
found that I usually could not pull a part from a board without pulling the 
"plate through" out with the part.  Maybe I'm not as good as I think I am
after 20 years in the business, but this doesn't happen with boards I've
had made at other PCB manufacturers.

YMMV,
DLC

: Hi guys,
: anybody used www.olimex.com to order PCB?
: Looks inexpensive at least for prototypes.
: Thanks.
: -- 
: Dmitriy Fitisov
: ----------------------
: http://www.radier.ca/pic/pictimer.php




-- 
============================================================================
* Dennis Clark         dlc@frii.com                www.techtoystoday.com   * 
* "Programming and Customizing the OOPic Microcontroller" Mcgraw-Hill 2003 *    
============================================================================

"Dennis Clark" <dlc@io.frii.com> wrote in message
news:4014a796$0$70301$75868355@news.frii.net...
> In comp.arch.embedded Optimist <never2much@optimizm.com> wrote:
>
> They are a good source for inexpensive prototypes.  However I found that
> their pads delaminate pretty easily if you do hacks or repairs.  I am a
> pretty good tech and own a temperature controlled soldering iron, but
> found that I usually could not pull a part from a board without pulling
the
> "plate through" out with the part.  Maybe I'm not as good as I think I am
> after 20 years in the business, but this doesn't happen with boards I've
> had made at other PCB manufacturers.


Hmm, that's an interesting observation. Do you think they might use the
solder/copper-sleeve hole inserts instead of actually doing a electroplate?

On Sun, 25 Jan 2004 23:36:12 -0500, "Optimist"
<never2much@optimizm.com> wrote:

>Hi guys,
> anybody used www.olimex.com to order PCB?
>Looks inexpensive at least for prototypes.

He's good...but this guy's better
www.custompcb.com
Better insofar as he's more flexible and takes Protel files so you
don't have to futz around with stacks of gerbers.
Both of them are better than the US proto boardhouses which look
wonderful until you add on all the gottchas and gold plated shipping.
M

"Optimist" <never2much@optimizm.com> schreef in bericht
news:6P0Rb.658$gx6.444397694@news.nnrp.ca...
> Hi guys,
>  anybody used www.olimex.com to order PCB?
> Looks inexpensive at least for prototypes.
> Thanks.

I have used his service 3 times now, and the quality
is good. Very low prices also. The order protocol is
a bit of hassle, you have to confirm the order by fax.
Try to limit the hole sizes to his standard tool
rack, each non-standard size is + $5.

-- 
Thanks, Frank.
(remove 'x' and 'invalid' when replying by email)

"Optimist" <never2much@optimizm.com> writes:

>  anybody used www.olimex.com to order PCB?
> Looks inexpensive at least for prototypes.
> Thanks.

At least from the European point of view the price is very
low and quality quite reasonable for proto work. So, I can
recommend their service.

However, do not expect top quality. The boards are fine, and
they work, but small details are a bit rounded, and the pads
may delaminate (I've noticed this, too) when removing components.
There may also be manually removed copper bridges. So, I would 
not use their boards in production, only for prototyping.

I have always sent the files in Gerber/Excellon formats (as with
any PCB fab), and they seem to handle those fine.

- Ville

-- 
Ville Voipio, Dr.Tech., M.Sc. (EE)

Ville Voipio wrote:

> "Optimist" <never2much@optimizm.com> writes:
> 
> 
>> anybody used www.olimex.com to order PCB?
>>Looks inexpensive at least for prototypes.
>>Thanks.
> 
> 
> At least from the European point of view the price is very
> low and quality quite reasonable for proto work. So, I can
> recommend their service.
> 
> However, do not expect top quality. The boards are fine, and
> they work, but small details are a bit rounded, and the pads
> may delaminate (I've noticed this, too) when removing components.
> There may also be manually removed copper bridges. So, I would 
> not use their boards in production, only for prototyping.
> 
> I have always sent the files in Gerber/Excellon formats (as with
> any PCB fab), and they seem to handle those fine.

I agree - I've used them for prototypes but not for production. Holes 
aren't drilled all that accurately (probably why they have a large 
annular ring requirement) and I find that the pads come off easily as 
well. I did have a lot of trouble once getting them to accept my files, 
and eventually (after a lot of messing about and sending them several 
versions) established that their Gerber checking software (Gerbtool from 
Wise) had a bug (not really their fault). Wise admitted they had a bug 
and subsequently issued a new version.

An interesting point. I had put the silk screen across a couple of SM 
pads when designing my footprints, and their boards had it removed by 
their software, so I didn't bother about it. I subsequently had some 
production boards made by another company from the same files and they 
came back with the silkscreen on the pads.

Leon
-- 
Leon Heller, G1HSM
Email: aqzf13@dsl.pipex.com
My low-cost Philips LPC210x ARM development system:
http://www.geocities.com/leon_heller/lpc2104.html

----> Buy from the good old USA and you won't be sorry

>  anybody used www.olimex.com to order PCB?
> Looks inexpensive at least for prototypes.
> Thanks.
> -- 
> Dmitriy Fitisov
> ----------------------
> http://www.radier.ca/pic/pictimer.php
>
>
>