I have a bunch of .pho files for a PCB which I would like to make (will likely have BatchPCB make it for me). They were given to me by a guy online, but I would like to look over them before I send them in to be made. How would I go about opening the .pho files? I tried loading them in Eagle but none of the “Open” options were for .pho files. If I could attach them and someone wouldnt mind skimming them really quickly, that would be great too!
According to “http://filext.com/file-extension/PHO”, a file with a PHO extension is a Gerber file. So you should be able to view it using GC-Prevue, ViewMate, or something similar.
-Dave Pollum
Not sure what the usual way to post PCB images is, so I took screenshots from ViewMate. Can someone please do a quick once-over of them? Also, I made an account and uploaded the Gerbers to the BatchPCB site to get a quote, and I was quoted $40. Does that seem reasonable? Ive never had a PCB made before, so that seems somewhat expensive to me.
http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/3445/topwu2.png
http://img234.imageshack.us/img234/4433/bottomyn9.png](http://skoba.no-ip.org/schem.pdf)
The price you get from BatchPCB is dependent on the size of the board. You might be able to get it cheaper if you are willing to redesign the board so it uses less real estate.
Otherwise, at other board manufacturing houses, you’re mostly going to have to pay for an entire panel of some standard size. Since most of the boards I create are fairly small and don’t fill an entire panel, it’s usually better for me to use BatchPCB. Sometimes, though, if I’m getting multiple boards, it’s cheaper to go to Olimex and have them fill a panel. Customer support at Olimex is pretty bad, so I go to them only when I’m willing to deal with them.
I guess I should make my own PCB in Eagle then - this one was given to me, and eagle wont open the files, so I cant really shrink it any. Never knew prototyping would cost that much!
SpikedCola:
Not sure what the usual way to post PCB images is, so I took screenshots from ViewMate. Can someone please do a quick once-over of them? Also, I made an account and uploaded the Gerbers to the BatchPCB site to get a quote, and I was quoted $40. Does that seem reasonable? Ive never had a PCB made before, so that seems somewhat expensive to me.
The traces are a bit sloppy near C3 & R2, etc. The isolation between copper pours is uneven, but that could just be a display issue with ViewMate. BTW - the link to the schematic is no good.
C1 takes up the most room on the board. You could re-design the board with a smaller part to make the board a bit smaller, but it may not be worth it. Although BatchPCB may seem a bit pricey, they do let you order just one board. Other places may force you to order several boards. You may want to check out PCBFabExpress (www.pcbfabexpress.com) or Advanced Circuits (www.4pcb.com). They used to make you buy at least 3 boards, but it’s been a long time since I’ve used either one and I don’t know if they still have that restriction or not. EAGLE’s web site (www.cadsoft.de) also lists board fabricators. Paying for a full panel is ridiculous unless you want to buy a lot of boards.
HTH
-Dave Pollum
Schematic:
http://img65.imageshack.us/img65/1999/31540153ep6.png
However, good point about C1. I can always make it external, and move the power input header around (and get rid of the one on the right side) - that should shrink the board quite a bit.