Philba:
Bigglez:
Why are you attempting to make your own PCBs?
I have to pipe in here - I completely disagree. Making your own PCB is a great way to get fast feedback.
That's what SBBs (Solderless Bread Boards) and BOBs (Break Out Boards) are for.
Making a single PCB is very educational. Having to make the tools
(however crude your woodworking and lamp ballast skills are)
first is counter-productive.
Philba:
Frankly, the thought of waiting weeks for BatchPCB seems ridiculous.
Depends on how long the project process takes. Granted if one
wakes from a dreamy sleep and must build a widget by sundown
then homebrew everything is about the only solution.
Most projects go through a process of “thought design”, research,
POC (Proof Of Concept), Prototyping, debugging, code writing,
spec and functionality iteration, feature refinement, and
finally documentation and pre-production.
Protos are not just for high volume consumer products, museums
are filled with artifacts from, say, the Apollo moon mission but
so far only twelve humans have moon-walked.
If this is one’s hobby then multiple projects overlap. For example;
today I see that BatchPCB has cut a shipping label for my
recent order, I know I’ll be stuffing those boards in the next
few days, so I will make gathering a BOM and a shopping bin
of parts a priority. Also to clear a space on my bench.
This is an incentive to send out the next BatchPCB project,
which can be in China while I work on an existing prototype.
If it goes well I’ll have some time for experimenting with
another circuit idea I had after reading a magazine yesterday,
and so on. This where SFE has a niche - they source parts
that are not available through other channels.
The counterpoint is that as hobbyists we are forced to use
PCBs to prototype due to limitation on semiconductor
packaging, or interface to modules that are re-purposed from
other projects (cell phone displays, for example).
PCBs open a lot of doors for better workmanship. Prototypes
go together much quicker (minimum wiring or chassis-bashing).
Code authoring and CADCAM tools speed the work with
cut-n-paste, and make error free archived records for
repairs or mods later.
Philba:
In addition, there is a real sense of accomplishment when you look at a board that you REALLY made.
So are you constructing your own copper laminate? Did you
go out recently to find copper ore?
Another important aspect is that the hobby has risen to a higher
plane, where projects are closer to system engineering than
simple low component count circuits. I don’t get a sense that
visitors to this forum are building crystal radios, four transistor
radios, or budget analog bench instruments. When was the
last time someone posted for help with a non-uC related project?
A visit to the Maker Faire demonstrates that young hobbyists
are system builders - they don’t need workshop skills such
as PCB fab and metal-bashing to turn out inspiring works.
Good luck to the OP. If PCB fabbing is your thing enjoy building
an exposure frame, I’ve been there and tried that and I’d
rather check my work carefully and outsource it by email.
Non-hobbyists view my handiwork for what it is and what it
does - not the raw materials content. Those same folks will
throw away their cell phone if it stops working or get a new
one just to add a system level feature.
We live in interesting times!
