# thick&tiny PCB design?

**URL:** <https://community.sparkfun.com/t/thick-tiny-pcb-design/36082>\
**Category:** PCB Design\
**Created:** [November 29, 2018, 3:09pm UTC](https://community.sparkfun.com/t/thick-tiny-pcb-design/36082 "2018-11-29T15:09:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![plusea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@plusea](https://community.sparkfun.com/u/plusea)\
**Post date:** [November 29, 2018, 3:09pm UTC](https://community.sparkfun.com/t/thick-tiny-pcb-design/36082/1 "2018-11-29T15:09:02Z")

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i want to design a tiny 3mm thick PCB and since it is super expensive (170$ for 10pcs) to order 3mm thick PCBs, i’m wanted to ask advice on what people with experience think of this design and what issues i might run into.

the board is super simple - basically a breakout for a mini Neopixel (SK6812MINI) where the LED is mounted at one end and the grooves are the 4 Pins (+,-,Din, Dout). shrink-tube is used to couple a 2mm diameter sideglow optic fiber in front of the LED. and conductive thread is used to sew the contacts to the plated half-via groves.

here some photos of my handmade prototypes:

![](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/sparkfun/original/2X/2/24aa489547672b25f60a765438ea99964c417d77.jpeg)[https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4833/3079 … b737\_z.jpg](https://community.sparkfun.com/uploads/short-url/5em1dLU5uZOmO2CVpItrndUhfHV.jpeg)

![](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/sparkfun/original/2X/9/974d99c1290953be4567b3fdcf388e8ca857d370.jpeg)[https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4855/4481 … 43ff\_z.jpg](https://community.sparkfun.com/uploads/short-url/lAum6DgptjbeEdJtCgcGggqkHw4.jpeg)

![](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/sparkfun/original/2X/e/e13c15b154584bbf32a3bf1f4111f314d027b04e.jpeg)[https://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1964/3186 … b0fd\_z.jpg](https://community.sparkfun.com/uploads/short-url/w8wa1Z1KtuRwxoZbh63CRZX34oS.jpeg)

here a rough sketch:

![](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/sparkfun/original/2X/0/0f082a4a86e7ea0c1b40b75c2aac962a7f78fca5.jpeg)[https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4889/4398 … 7ce5\_z.jpg](https://community.sparkfun.com/uploads/short-url/28YEFlf1qzT5bVmnfq8jBssXnWl.jpeg)

here the dimensions i have in mind:

![](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/sparkfun/original/2X/a/acb51ba9de3d177436447228bea8d6ce660bca85.jpeg)[https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4874/4428 … a79b\_o.jpg](https://community.sparkfun.com/uploads/short-url/oDQ97Drz5sw3ktSphVZBPGjml2R.jpeg)

**questions:**

- what could be issues with milling such small boards?

- if the narrowest part of the 3mm thick board is 1.5mm wide, does this become a weak point or is the FR4 strong enough, especially since it will be a plated via at that point?

- in order to minimize waste, could it be possible to layout the boards as illustrated above so that two boards share the same plated via?

- any tips on PCB manufacturing services that do 3mm thick PCBs in small quantities? seeed studio costs 170$ for 10pcs.

thanks!

hannah

![](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/sparkfun/original/2X/3/3b62a247da40e28078990df6cc388546a7679eb0.jpeg)[https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4863/4568 … 4ab7\_z.jpg](https://community.sparkfun.com/uploads/short-url/8tluyPpXmBAmKet4srm5BTJcMeY.jpeg)

// more photos here: [https://www.flickr.com/photos/plusea/al … 1569545895](https://www.flickr.com/photos/plusea/albums/72157691569545895))

// more documentation here:

[http://www.kobakant.at/KOBA/category/lulu/](http://www.kobakant.at/KOBA/category/lulu/)

[https://github.com/eTextile/Lulu](https://github.com/eTextile/Lulu)

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**Author:** ![lyndon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@lyndon](https://community.sparkfun.com/u/lyndon)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2018, 1:31pm UTC](https://community.sparkfun.com/t/thick-tiny-pcb-design/36082/2 "2018-12-06T13:31:59Z")

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Why not order standard thickness PCB and put them back to back?

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**Author:** ![lyndon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@lyndon](https://community.sparkfun.com/u/lyndon)\
**Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 9:53pm UTC](https://community.sparkfun.com/t/thick-tiny-pcb-design/36082/3 "2018-12-07T21:53:35Z")

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Actually, thinking more about it, I’d use a more “normal” PCB size with a right-angle light pipe to attach the fiber. I assume that standard fiber optic connectors would be too bulky?