Over time we've seen a lot of questions on where to get PCBs made, even I've asked before. I decided to try out OSH Park (formerly DorkBot), and now additionally BatchPCB who I guess either sold to OSH Park or merged with. Either way, I figured I'd share my experience for the benefit of others looking.

I figured the price wasn't bad for a small project. I know that at $5.00 per square inch it can add up quickly, but I was looking for a 2 sq. in. board. For the $5/sq. in. you get 3 copies of a 2-layer board with U.S. shipping included. These boards are purple solder mask, silkscreen on both sides, and gold plated.

So I put in my order for $10.05 and a day later I was notified that my board was placed into a panel and off to the fab. About 4 to 5 days later my boards were sent off and on their way to me USPS priority mail, and 2 days later I had them in my postal box. They arrived de-paneled with some paneling tabs remaining. The tabs were very small and easy to remove with a quick filing. The boards were quite nice, soldered up beautifully and operated perfectly. I'd definitely use this service again for a small project. Couple of pics below.

 

I like the blue soldermask over green, was that standard for the order?

Wow, is that really gold plating? I'm used to HASL.

Did I add correctly, this was 8 days between place order and boards at your door?

(I like the way the board looks... well laid out.)

 

Yes Ernie, the soldermask like that is standard, and given that this is a batch process (they panel many designs onto one large board) I'm near certain it's the only soldermask option they have.

The finish is ENIG over 1 ounce copper. I guess it was 11 days total. I ordered on April 28, late at night though, and received them on May 9.

Thanks Ernie, it was my first go at having a board made and I thought it turned out well. I used KiCAD for all of the design including the scematic through PCB design.