Introduction

Thinking about making your own PCB's?  We thought we'd share our experiences — hopefully, it will help you decide if doing a custom PCB is right for you and avoid some of the pitfalls along the way.  Whether you're thinking about making a board for fun, or for a project you want to sell on Gadget Gangster, you should find this guide useful.

There are a lot of tutorials on the internet on how to make your own PCB's, although we've always ordered prototypes from vendors.  Why?  There's other stuff we'd rather do than build prototype circuit boards.  If you've got a lot of free time, need prototypes NOW, or just enjoy the process of PCB manufacturing, DIY PCB's might be an option for you.  But if you'd prefer to spend your time designing circuits and have the money, it's easier to use a vendor for prototypes.  This guide won't cover DIY PCB construction, but most of the guide will apply regardless of how you build prototypes.

For an idea of cost — prototypes are going to run about $60.  Barebones boards from Advanced Circuits run around $50 for 3 boards.  You can get 3 miniboards (3.8'x2.5' each) from ExpressPCB for $75.  Once you are happy with your design, many vendors offer low run services. Golden Phoenix will produce 155 sq in for $150.  If your board is 2" x 2", that's a 4 sq in design, so you'll get 38 boards at $4 each.  That means you can have a 38 professional quality circuit boards with a round of prototypes for about $200. Not bad!

This is a multi-part guide.  We'll talk about the design process, using software, prototyping, filetypes, working with vendors, and a few other subjects.   Let's start Part I with a discussion about design.

Design

Everything starts with an idea.  Then, it usually goes to the breadboard or project board.  Most projects don't move past the project board stage, why put the design on a custom PCB?

1. Space
A custom PCB is going to have a much smaller footprint than if done on a protoboard.  You can also use a specific shape if you want to the board to fit inside of another device, enclosure, etc.  A smaller footprint can mean a lower cost, too.

2. Adds Value
If you're thinking about selling your project as a kit on Gadget Gangster, a custom PCB adds value by being much easier to build.  Projects with custom PCB's also have increased perceived value in the eyes of most builders.  They sell better, and at a premium price.

3. Reliability
A custom PCB is a much sturdier construction, especially compared to a breadboard.  You can also put mounting holes on the board wherever makes the most sense.

4. Creating Many Units
A protoboard is great for an initial design, but a custom PCB makes it much easier to produce multiple units.

A custom PCB isn't right for everyone, though.  A few reasons;

1. Cost
Cost has gone down dramatically, but it's still $60 for prototypes, and about $150 for a production run.

A custom PCB can look pretty sharp!

2. One-of-a-kind
Even if you're only going to make one project, I still think doing 2 or 3 boards is a great option for making a professional looking project that you can be proud of, but that may not be important to you.

3. Software
Possibly the biggest roadblock, learning the PCB design software does take some time (It took me a day to get competent with DipTrace).  Some software packages are very user-friendly, and some are more advanced — we'll talk about software in an upcoming article.  But don't let the cost of software dissuade you; Many packages are entirely free (ExpressPCB, PCB Artist), and many of the advanced packages have freeware versions (Eagle, DipTrace) that will probably work just fine.

4 - Time
If you order prototypes on Monday, you'll probably get them by Friday.  It takes longer to get a custom PCB produced, so there's a tradeoff in time.

For your first design, I suggest you keep it simple.  Once you have a few designs under your belt, then you can move up to more complex designs.  You've got a lot to absorb as you learn how to design a board, and making a complex design on your first go may lead to disappointment.  Your first bicycle had training wheels — you've gotten older, but the concept still applies.

Schematic or Board?

The first circuit board I designed was the Boss Board.  For that, I designed the board first instead of doing a schematic.  For some designs, starting with the board makes sense (a protoboard, for instance), but for most designs, it's probably easier to start with the schematic.  Most software packages let you verify your schematic with the board design.  They also have an auto-routing feature, which can help streamline the design process.  Some designers prefer to start with the pcb design, and some prefer to start with a schematic — whatever makes the most sense to you.

Stay tuned for Part II: Software!

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