So has anyone submitted any four layer prototypes to batchpcb lately? Any comments on turnaround time?
– Greg
I submitted a 4-layer (and two 2-layers) on April 12th, and the status is “invoice printed”. However, I have no idea what that means wrt where my boards are on the continuum between “I want them” and “I got them”. I know it’s after panelized, because I saw that status a while back.
I hope the new admin adds more visibility to the process (and updates the FAQ with the 4-layer info). I don’t mind the wait, it’s the not knowing that’s bad.
Invoice printed means thats it ready to ship generally.
It means they have the board, and have printed the invoice, so shipping should happen pretty soon after that.
Batch PCB makes 4-layers pcbs now?? I didn’t see that on the news page, and the faq still says :
We only offer one service at this time: 2 layer PCBs with soldermask both sides and silkscreen both sides. The minimum trace width is 8mil with 8 mil spacing. You get a professionally routed board (no shearing or rough edge boards), in pretty much any shape you want.
gussy: It’s said that for about a week now.
Olivier_p: Yes, that’s what I meant about updating the FAQ.
DJ Delorie:
gussy: It’s said that for about a week now.
Send them an email. Mine usually stays on that for just a few days.
Hmmm… don’t have to, it changed to “Label printed” today.
Maybe we should ask for an order history button, so you can see when each state change happened.
I submitted my 4 layer design to the DRC bot, and the top and bottom layers look good, but the middle layers had a couple of issues. Here’s one of them – the inner supply layer.
http://www.bigredbee.com/tmp/ly2.png
The only thing that shows up are markers for the vias. No other drill holes, or actual images of the metal layer are present. Viewmate shows the expected results. THe location of the markers is correct.
Is this a shortcoming of the DRC scripts? Or a problem with the way I’m creating and submitting the gerbers?
– Greg
Just to follow up - I got my batchpcb order, but it only included the 2-layer boards. I’ve been told that the 4 layer panels don’t fill as fast as the 2 layer ones. I did manage to convince their new sysadmin to update the web site to say they support 4 layer boards, though, so maybe they’ll fill up faster now.
BigRedBee:
I submitted my 4 layer design to the DRC bot, and the top and bottom layers look good, but the middle layers had a couple of issues. Here’s one of them – the inner supply layer.http://www.bigredbee.com/tmp/ly2.png
The only thing that shows up are markers for the vias. No other drill holes, or actual images of the metal layer are present. Viewmate shows the expected results. THe location of the markers is correct.
Is this a shortcoming of the DRC scripts? Or a problem with the way I’m creating and submitting the gerbers?
– Greg
Greg,
did you get any feedback on this? I have a 4 layer design in Eagle that have one “mirrored” layer (It’s the GND layer). The bot threw up some strange images of that layer.
Sounds like the same thing?
Sparkfun folks - any comments or advice?
It’d be nice if we could tell the bot when we’re submitting the file that it’s mirrored.
Thanks again
Rochey
I don’t know about BatchPCB but none of the suppliers I use want layers to be mirrored, they do it themselves.
Leon
Greetings (No First Name Supplied),
Can you post your EAGLE *.brd file? Something isRochey:
I have a 4 layer design in Eagle that have one “mirrored” layer (It’s the GND layer). The bot threw up some strange images of that layer.
wrong with your assumption (or methodology).
EAGLE like all other PCB design tools treats the PCB
as viewed from above and transparent. The only
way to see the image “mirrored” is to print to paper
with the mirror option.
Comments Welcome!
not quite… I believe that if you name a layer with “$” as the beginning, it creates an inverted layer - so “$GND” becomes a complete layer of GND.
In which case, it creates an inverted layer, with things like thermal reliefs around the pins to ground.
Normally, with other PCB manufacturers I’ve worked with, you specify which gerber is inverted, and they switch it in production.
You can’t say that to batchpcb 
or can you??
/R
Greetings (Still No First Name Supplied),
If you say so. I haven't needed to know that or useRochey:
I believe that if you name a layer with “$” as the beginning, it creates an inverted layer - so “$GND” becomes a complete layer of GND.In which case, it creates an inverted layer, with things like thermal reliefs around the pins to ground.
it in practice. What are you trying to do that you
feel you must deviate from the BatchPCB “recipe”?
Rochey:
Normally, with other PCB manufacturers I’ve worked with, you specify which gerber is inverted, and they switch it in production.
Why not send all non-inverted Gerbers (if there
is such a thing) and avoid confusion?
Comments Welcome!
Hello Peter,
I understand your point. My understanding of Eagle is that if you define a layer as a ground layer, then it treats vias differently.
For instance, a via that is supposed to link to GND does not get completely surrounded by copper - because the copper can act as a heat sink when soldering.
So, rather than creating a layer, and creating a large polygon and calling it GND, it’s recommended (at least in the cadsoft manual) that you just call the whole layer $GND, and eagle will take care of the rest when you ratsnest.
Taken from: http://www.cadsoft.de/faq.htm.en
Supply Layer:
This one can be activated with the Supply option in the DISPLAY menu, Change button. The layer name determins the signal that will be lead in this layer:
If you use, for example, the name GND, and activate the Supply option, the resulting layer name is $GND. The $ character is the identifying mark for a Supply layer. This can be done also with the help of the LAYER command, for example: LAYER 3 $GND
Specials of a Supply layer
a) The layer is displayed inverted, i. e. everything drawn in this layer is non-copper on the real board.
b) This layer does not work with Pads and Vias. Connected elements will automatically get Thermal symbols if required, isolated elements will get isolating rings, so-called Annulus symbols. The dimensions of these symbols can be adjusted in the Design Rules' Supply tab.
c) To keep the board edges free of copper draw an isolating WIRE near the border. This avoids possible short circuits between adjacent (Supply) layers.
d) It is not possible to draw traces in a Supply layer (inverted display!).
e) For manufacturing data generation (for example Gerber) with the CAM Processor you have to activate the Supply layer only, nothing else! No Vias, no Pads!
f) And again: The layers Pads and Vias have nothing to do with the Supply layer. To see what's the matter in this layer you have to display only this Supply layer. And remember the inverted display.
Thanks again,
Dafydd
Greetings Dafydd,
While that is true you had originally referred to it as *one "mirrored" layer (It's the GND layer).*Rochey:
I understand your point. My understanding of Eagle is that if you define a layer as a ground layer, then it treats vias differently.
You are now describing a photographic inversion (black
is white, white is black). Quite a different situation.
Here’s an important point about not committing an entire
layer exclusively to ground or supply:
d) It is not possible to draw traces in a Supply layer (inverted display!).
A ground plane can still exist on an outer layer and be shared
with another plane (spit planes) or mixed with traces used
for signals. In two layer boards this is very common. Creating
a mixed layer would not use the photo inversion switch, and
would not cause a melt-down in the BatchPCB bot.
Comments Welcome!
Hello Peter,
I understand that. I could have used that layer for other things too… but I’m trying to make a very low noise board, and my skills aren’t up to too much. A blanket of gnd is what the apps engineers at my company have suggested - and I’m very tempted to follow their guide.
In this case, I will do as suggested - convert the layer to a regular layer, and create a polygon of GND.
That’s not a problem… but it would be nice if batchpcb’s bot had a simple option when you select what the files are to chose positive or negative.
Cheers
Dafydd