Want to build my own circuit board for a mod. Need some help!

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coalyard

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Thanks for the reply. Sorry for using poor vocab there. I meant measure. I could measure it if I had a preset voltage and amp value.



It change every time you put a new atomizer on. In other words, the entire process starts over again once you replace the atomizer.



True, but once it's attach it doesn't change. Unless you put a new one on.



The PCB is the easiest part. There are many many websites out there that make whatever you want. Just have to send them the outline.

Just curious, where are you going to have PCB's built? I have 15+ years experience building circuit boards, flex, rigid and rigid flex. Even simple double sided circuits are very costly and time consuming to make.
 
Just curious, where are you going to have PCB's built? I have 15+ years experience building circuit boards, flex, rigid and rigid flex. Even simple double sided circuits are very costly and time consuming to make.

I have a couple websites you can go to and check out. Turn around time is anywhere from 3 days to a month. Of course, most of these you need to order in volume.

PCB Order | DorkbotPDX (I think US based)
PCB Manufacturer in Aurora Colorado Manufacturing Annular Ring, Cheap Circuit Boards Fabrication, Printed Circuit Boards by Advanced Circuits. (US)
Sunstone Printed Circuit Boards | PCB Prototype & PCB Fabrication (US?)
http://pcbcart.com/ (China)

There's also a couple UK ones I have seen but don't remember them. One more thing, check this out. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cartesianco/the-ex1-rapid-3d-printing-of-circuit-boards <-- Pretty cool!

Hopefully I didn't break forum rules posting this...
 
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DKP#

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Nov 27, 2012
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I just stumbled across this for custom boards.
OSH Park takes small orders and puts them all together on a large board to save on cost.

The standard 2 layer order

$5 per square inch, which includes three copies of your design. For example, a 2 square inch board would cost $10 and you’d get three copies of your board. You can order as many copies as you want, as long as they’re in multiples of three.

Orders go to the fab every business day, and have a turn time of about 12 calendar days. They can be ordered on OSH Park.

According to someone on another forum, this is indeed three 2sq inch boards for $10 TOTAL

A sample from their shared projects:
oshpark.jpg
 

coalyard

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Most PCB shops are tooled to make boards in 12X18 or 18X24 formats, anything smaller will not fit in a lot of the process equipment, such as plating lines, etching, cleaning, or hot air solder leveling, not to mention soldermask application and screen printing. You cannot simply buy a 1"X2" circuit board custom manufactured. I would love to see an actual quote. Just the photo artwork would cost more than $10.

I don't mean to rain on anyones parade here, but there is a lot that goes into manufacturing a printed circuit board; well over 30 process steps for even a simple double sided board, not including finishing processes like final routing, electrical testing, inspection and packaging.
 

DKP#

Super Member
ECF Veteran
Nov 27, 2012
409
275
Missouri, USA
Most PCB shops are tooled to make boards in 12X18 or 18X24 formats, anything smaller will not fit in a lot of the process equipment, such as plating lines, etching, cleaning, or hot air solder leveling, not to mention soldermask application and screen printing. You cannot simply buy a 1"X2" circuit board custom manufactured. I would love to see an actual quote. Just the photo artwork would cost more than $10.

I don't mean to rain on anyones parade here, but there is a lot that goes into manufacturing a printed circuit board; well over 30 process steps for even a simple double sided board, not including finishing processes like final routing, electrical testing, inspection and packaging.

I think you are overestimating the complexity of a small board with just a few components.
We're talking about a mod, not a motherboard.
I made circuit boards when I was in high school with a radio shack kit consisting of a copper-clad board, sharpie for drawing traces, a drill bit and some etching solution. Pretty simple.

Instructions for printing and transferring traces printed with a laser printer are easily found.

The 5$ per square inch boards from OSH park require you design them yourself and submit them in a certain format.
The 12x18 board you mentioned would make 216 square inches @$5 for 3 each which gives them $360 to have it manufactured and cut up into the individual small boards. Certainly sounds feasible to me, though I haven't used them.

There are other companys that offer a similar service
How To Make A Cheap PCB | Build Electronic Circuits

The limited free version of EAGLE cad sounds like it would work fine for small boards
- The useable board area is limited to 100 x 80 mm (4 x 3.2 inches).
- Only two signal layers can be used (Top and Bottom).
- The schematic editor can only create one sheet.
- Use is limited to non-profit applications or evaluation purposes

Let me reiterate, simple PCB's require nothing more than a copper-clad board, a sharpie, drill bit, muriatic acid, hydrogen peroxide, and a solvent to remove the sharpie. (Does need to be done outside because of fumes)

google:"diy pcb"
DIY PCB - Build Electronic Circuit Boards | Build Electronic Circuits
 
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