Tag: PCB Prototype

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PCB Blog

Breadboard and PCB – What’s the Difference?

It goes without saying that printed circuit boards are important for electronic devices. PCBs carry various electronic components that provide circuit connections and various complex functions for different devices.

When you learn to create circuits as a beginner, a breadboard would be a good choice.

Breadboards, also known as prototype boards, are solderless boards with one or both sides. Since the board has many small jacks, various electronic components can be inserted or pulled out at will as needed.  Eliminating the need for soldering and saving time in circuit assembly, and the components can be reused, making it ideal for assembly, debugging and training of electronic circuits.

The common specifications of breadboard are 170 holes (35*47mm), 400 holes (85*55mm), 800 holes (165*55mm), etc.

Let’s look at some of the differences between PCB and breadboard

1. Application

Breadboard is suitable for the development stage and can change at will according to the demand. PCB is used for final electronic product integration, manufacturing and assembly according to Gerber files.

2. Components

One obvious difference between breadboard and PCB is that the components on the breadboard do not need to be soldered and can be changed instantly, so it is also called solderless breadboard. While the components on the PCB need to be soldered, such as SMT technology and PTH technology, so the PCB is also relatively more stable.

3. Capacity

There is no doubt that the load-bearing capacity of the PCB is significantly higher than that of the breadboard. Breadboard connects components through wires, so the current-carrying capacity is minimal. At the same time, PCB can also add a variety of components, but in the breadboard can not be completed.

4. Type

Breadboard is rigid, while PCB has a variety of options, it can be rigid, flexible, rigid-flexible combination to meet the needs of different scenarios.

5. Complexity

Even the simplest PCB has a much more complex structure than a breadboard. Usually breadboard consists of distribution bus and holes, PCB’s structure has at least substrate, copper layer, solder resist and screen printing.

6. Function

Breadboard supports components in a mechanical way, it does not perform electrical functions. PCB connects circuits in a mechanical and electrical way.

7. Appearance

The appearance of a breadboard is almost unchanging and relatively homogeneous. Whereas PCBs can be customized in various shapes, colors.

Choosing breadboards or PCBs?

If you are a circuit enthusiast or a beginner, breadboard can meet your needs. Breadboards can be easily prototyped and are relatively inexpensive. If you are looking for a long term, feature rich device, then a PCB is obviously the best choice.

Do you want to turn your breadboard prototype into a PCB?

After you have completed your development testing, you need to generate the Gerber files and Bom list for manufacturing your PCB.  Then send these files to a professional PCB manufacturer, such as KingPCB, and we will carefully review your files and provide a quick quote, and then you can produce and assemble your PCB.

If you have any questions or want to get more information about PCB manufacturing, contact us now or send emails at sales@kingpcb.com

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PCB Blog

Quickly Build New Products By Using PCB Assembly Prototypes

What is PCB Assembly Prototyping?

PCB assembly prototyping is the trial production of circuit boards before mass production.

It mainly applied to electronic engineers in the design of the circuit, and complete the PCB Layout, to the reliable PCBA manufacturer for small batch PCB trial production process.

That is, the rapid prototyping of circuit boards. General engineers in the product design is not completed to confirm and complete testing before, are called PCB prototyping.

What do I need to check for PCB prototyping?

Before you choose a PCB assembly service, it is important to have a clear understanding of your project requirements.

Knowing all production requirements in advance will help you narrow down your search and find the right assembly service for your project.

Prototyping needs to confirm a few basic parameters

1, Board material.

2, Finished plate thickness.

3, Copper thickness.

2, Number of layers.

3, Hole diameter

4, Plating

5, Solder resist layer.

6, Surface treatment process

7, Character

What files are required for PCB prototyping?

Among the documents required for assembly, the most important are Gerber/ODB++, coordinate files, assembly drawings, and BOMs. As a PCB design engineer, if you do not communicate the necessary information to your contract manufacturer (CM) through these documents, a number of errors may occur. These include mismatched component counts, missing pin 1 and polarity markings, missing orientation indicators, packages, etc.

Make sure the Gerber file and BOM file are accurate, replace components with long lead times with components that can be ordered and picked up immediately, because sampling is only a preliminary verification of product design, so you can use alternative materials to save sampling time, or have a long lead time with the supplier before sampling, and then pick up the materials directly when you want to sample, this is also a way to reduce This is also a common method to reduce the waiting time for materials.

PCB & PCBA Fabrication Process:

place order → confirm production information → procurement→ inspection→ production → verification (pics)

Place order

Customers place orders according to their actual needs PCBA processing factory, and put forward specific requirements. And the processing factory will evaluate by their own ability to see if they can complete the order.

Confirm production information

After the customer decides to place an order, he will provide a series of documents and lists to the PCBA processing factory, such as PCB electronic files, coordinate files and BOM lists, etc., which are required for production.

Procurement of raw materials

PCBA fabrication factory according to the documents provided by the customer to the designated suppliers to purchase the relevant raw materials.

Incoming Material Inspection

Before PCB & PCBA processing, all raw materials to be used are subject to strict quality inspection to ensure that they are qualified and put into production.

PCBA production

In the time of PCB & PCBA processing, in order to ensure the quality of production, whether SMD or welding production, manufacturers need to strictly control the furnace temperature.

PCBA testing

PCBA processing factory for strict product testing, through the test PCB board delivery to customers.

Packaging after-sales

Factors Affecting the PCBs Cost

  • Material selection:

The price diversity caused by the different materials used in PCB, board material generally FR-4, CEM-3, etc., board thickness, copper thickness will cause huge differences.

  • Production process:

Different production process costs are also different. For example, sink gold board and OSP, gold plating surface treatment process; solder resist layer ink, ordinary heat-set oil and photopolymer green oil; production shape of the gong board and beer board; the use of silk screen lines and dry film lines, etc. will also affect the price of prototyping

  • PCB design:

Different designs will have different problems. For example, two kinds of circuit boards with different apertures, line width spacing will also have different production costs; for example, a panel with more than 4, 5 different designs, the complexity of the machine in the gong board will become higher, the difficulty of the higher scrap rate, the inevitable cost increases.

  • Customer requirements:

The level of customer requirements will directly affect the board factory’s yield, such as a board by ipc-a-600e, class1 requirements have 98% pass rate, but by class3 requirements may only 90% pass rate.

  • PCB manufacturers capacity:

Even if the same product, but because of different manufacturers process equipment, technology level is different, will also form different costs.

Explore KingPCB’s PCB prototyping services

KingPCB engaged in the electronics industry for more than 20 years of experience, professional and efficient team is committed to providing customers with the best PCB one-stop procurement, assembly, manufacturing services for industrial, consumer electronics, aviation, medical, automotive and other fields.

Contact us now for your project with quick quotation!

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PCB Blog

Why is a PCB Assembly Quote Important for Your PCB Project?

After completing your PCB design, the next step is to choose the right PCB supplier to bring your design to life.

So as a first step, it is crucial to request a PCB quote. To get an accurate quote, be sure to provide your PCB supplier with relevant information about your project.

In general, a PCB assembly service quote contains the following components.

PCB assembly service quote

In simple terms, a standard PCB assembly service quote contains two parts, one is the cost of manufacturing the board, and the second is the price of PCB assembly.

Before requesting an accurate quote, you should provide as much of this important information as possible to ensure that the price and run time estimates:

Documents required for PCB assembly quotation

Accurate quotation depends on the availability of the following documents.

Bare board printing or manufacturing drawings

It provides mainly the following information.

In addition to this, you will need to provide Gerber files, preferably in 274-x format.

Bill of materials

BOM (Bill of materials) is another important document, the more detailed it is, the better for the PCB supplier to estimate the price. The BOM sheet mainly contains information such as part description, number, reference mark, etc.

Assembly print

With assembly printing, information about the location of the parts can be conveyed.

Supplier list

Ideally a list of approved suppliers and the manufacturer’s part number can be provided.

Information often missed when requesting a quote for PCB assembly

The following is some of the information that is often omitted

Stacking

Include the number of layers, thickness, and details related to the lamination

Solder resist

Soldermask type

Impedance

For high-speed PCB manufacturing, impedance details are essential

Depanelization method

The size and location of the cutout is essential to get an accurate quote for PCB assembly

Silkscreen

Silkscreen files and color selection are also essential details

Surface finish

The type of surface finish has a significant impact on the cost

The main factors affecting the cost of PCB assembly

Mounting technology

The use of SMT (surface mount technology) or through-hole assembly will affect the cost. Compared to through-hole assembly surface mount technology is faster and more automated.

Number of layers

The cost of assembling multi-layer PCBs usually requires higher technology, so the cost is also higher.

Surface finish

As mentioned earlier, the choice of surface finish has a significant impact on cost. Some surface finishes have longer shelf life and higher cost.

Delivery time

Usually delivery time and PCB assembly cost is inversely proportional

Shipping costs

High volume PCB production means more packaging, more volume, and more shipping costs.

Explore KingPCB’s PCB assembly services

PCB assembly quotes depend on many factors, and it is important to provide us with detailed information in order to give you an accurate quote. While price is not a deciding factor in choosing a particular supplier, professionalism can be seen in a detailed and professional quotation form.

KingPCB offers reliable, high quality PCB manufacturing and assembly services, contact us now to get a quote for any type of fast PCB assembly service.

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PCB Blog

How to calculate the cost of a PCB prototype

Introduction

Prototyping occurs at the earliest stages of design and the ultimate goal of prototyping is to obtain an accurate, efficient and successful product that meets specifications.

If you have a PCB project and are looking for a circuit board prototyping service, you may have some questions.

“How soon can a prototype take”

“Do I need a prototype”

“How much does a PCB prototype cost? ” Or other questions.

This article will answer each of these questions.

What is included in the cost of a PCB prototype?

With regard to PCB prototypes, there are several important factors that determine the total cost

  • Board size: relatively speaking, the larger the board size, the higher the cost
  • Materials: Some substrates and PCB lamination materials will cost more. If you need to manufacture high performance multilayer PCBs or HDI PCBs, then the materials will be more expensive.
  • Complexity: If there are a large number of components involved, the total cost will also be much higher for complex and dense wiring designs.
  • Lead time: If your PCB project is urgent, lead time is also in the cost range.

What is the cost range for a PCB prototype?

The cost of a PCB prototype depends heavily on the above factors: size, design, materials, PCB complexity, etc. It is difficult to give an absolute price. Before working with your PCB supplier, you should carefully understand each factor that may add to the cost.

But you can remember the rule of thumb: the smaller the production batch, the higher the cost of prototyping!

The cost difference between producing 1,000 PCBs and producing 10 PCBs is also relatively large, and for 10 boards the assembly costs will be a little higher.

How much time does it take to make a PCB prototype?

As with the cost of a PCB prototype, the time taken to manufacture a PCB prototype is also dependent on the design of the board. The complexity of the board, simple boards can be delivered in a few weeks, while other complex boards can take several months. Of course, there can also be delays in delivery if the supplier is disrupted.

Why PCB prototyping?

Gather more accurate requirements

Developing a PCB prototype can help to consolidate the functionality of the final design requirements.

Understand the problem from a technical point of view

Solve technical challenges that may be encountered in device design.

Identify problems and at low cost

True innovation always involves the risk of failure. By building prototypes, you can quickly weed out ineffective approaches and focus on the ones that work.

Assemble financial support

By developing a prototype to make an idea feasible, you reduce the risk of investment and thus increase the likelihood of securing funding.

Easier patenting

Key components of a patent application, such as patent drawings and inventor’s logs, can be developed through the prototyping process.

To summarise

PCB prototyping is still proving to be the best and safest way to ‘reduce practice’. Sometimes the simplest boards can cause the most trouble, so it is always worth investing in a prototype.

Determining the final manufacturing cost of a PCB prototype requires a lot of work and KingPCB, as a leading PCB manufacturer, can provide in-depth and comprehensive costing to make your design goals a breeze

To find out more about our PCB prototype manufacturing, contact us now or by sales@kingpcb.com.

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PCB Blog

Options That Come With Inexpensive China PCB Prototype

PCB Prototype

Options That Come With Inexpensive China PCB Prototype.

PCB represents Printed Circuit Boards. They’re an innovative wonder and have driven significantly to smooth business methodology. If you feel these circuit board prototypes are expensive, at that point, this is what’s promising. Presently you can get modest China PCB Prototype  wealthy in quality execution. On the off chance that you’ve, despite everything, got a few questions concerning the costs, at that point, have a moment online statement. The easy-to-comprehend quote structure gives you an idea concerning the immense limits. The web evaluating item is speedy will assist you with making a value examination alongside other help organizations.

China PCB Prototype

Prototyping won’t uncover any blemishes as now, and again the design is excellent. China PCB prototyping for this situation will be utilized and re-find out that the PCBs execution is predictable. The manufacturer or the clients would then be able to offer their input about the PCB alongside different proposals/upgrades they may have. The PCB designers ought to consistently be set up for any possible results. In this way, any adjusting at this stage should advance, not be considered as an additional expense. Bypassing prototyping and taking part in the large scale manufacturing of a PCB just for it to bomb it will positively be disastrous as far as squandered exertion, time, and cash.

These come in varying kinds like CAP or Foil development, dazzle prototype PCB, flex China PCB prototype, rigid-flex PCB, and blended materials like blended copper loads. Besides this, you will discover aluminum center PCBs too, which are made utilizing single, twofold on the sides and numerous layer aluminum core. For the individuals who have any prerequisites, the diminished expense China PCB prototypes could be customized to meet your necessities. You can pick the material, surface completion bind veil, the thickness of the copper layer, overlay type, and significantly more. To be sure, this spot is a one-stop answer for your specialized needs. Plus, there’s no shrouded charge. The company is straightforward concerning the costs. You won’t be charged for accelerating or testing requirements.

At Rush Pcb., we interface with PCB creation houses as to board designs outfitted by our clients to whom we are giving board gathering and manufacturing administrations. However, we understand that innumerable others in different associations which are occupied with requesting crude boards or board get together administrations may discover or hear the term Gerber documents without having any information on the term, and this article is especially for them.

Reasonable China PCB Prototypes – A Feasible Choice.

Talking about proto PCB, simply the best will work. With different manufactures giving a wide range of China PCB prototypes to choose from, there is today an extensive range of decisions. As an ever-increasing number of individuals are using the web, individuals are getting inspired by the online market. Among the main hunts related to it is look, similar to a PCB printed with the prototypes.

Nowadays, numerous sites give reasonably evaluated decisions in an ease circuit board. The main sites offer online citations for ease China PCB prototypes, as indicated by singular necessities. A citation for the printed prototypes may helpfully be secured in no time flat by entering explicit subtleties like least follow or space, silkscreen, last thickness, patch cover, recent completion, least opening size, veil shading, the material used, layers, the board size, and silkscreen shading.

Alongside proposing them dependent on the previously mentioned subtleties, conspicuous sites additionally give the enhancement of indicating inclination between tab directing, scoring, and bounce scoring.

Depending just on the Best

While picking a minimal effort China PCB prototype, going for a site that mixes quality with moderate expenses and compelling client care goes far away from inconveniences later on. The more significant part of the main sites offering such prototypes offers the convenience of getting immediate citations without the need to render an email address.

With different kinds of minimal effort PCB arrangements accessible nowadays, due consideration is essential to pick the best. You ought to consistently be distrustful talking about picking fitting circuit board prototypes, and other comparable prototypes.

The PCB business is advancing as new production advances are opening up at a low cost. Direct advanced printing is improving the ordinary photolithography and screen printing strategies that have been used to manufacture PCB in the previous two decades.

Here we will underscore the usage of direct advanced printing to tweak PCBs not long before they get together. The objective is to print one of a kind mix on each board that can be used to recognize the board. The imprint ought to be lasting and will perhaps contain 1D or 2D machine lucid codes alongside alphanumeric characters. The print ought to have 600 DPI (specks per inch) goals or something better because of the size restrictions of the PCB. At these volumes, mechanized material dealing with begins to turn out to be extremely crucial to the general achievement of the framework.

Top-quality PCB fabricators use screen printing with thermally relieved ink to print the legends that incorporate each side of the board. Right now, advanced printing can’t print the whole side of the board at a value that rivals screen printing.

Coming up next are the summed up stages in China PCB prototyping. The first is known as the breadboard test or verification of standard. This checks if the rationale behind the PCB is feasible. Next is inspecting the size (best measurements) parts of the foreseen PCB. After this stage, a visual model is created, and whenever endorsed, the last stage, which is capacity and appearance, is begun. Whatever is accomplished at this point is the nearest to what the genuine PCB will resemble. Regularly, in prototyping for PCBs, the reproduction of the current stream in the board and the state of the circuitry are the two most significant procedures. It is just until the reenacted framework fills in as necessitated that real parts and materials are executed for the last model or prototype.

The production of prototypes is a procedure restricted by time – it should require some investment conceivable to clear route for the genuine manufacture. Organizations offering China PCB prototyping administrations are additionally prone to be associated with manufacture. Like this, these organizations endeavor to grow great/impeccable prototypes. Headway in innovation and all the more so computerization has sped up the procedures of prototyping and manufacturing PCBs and made them as blunder free as could reasonably be expected. Likewise, It is savvy to pick a PCB company which has the most recent innovation, a capacity which will guarantee that the mistake edge is right around zero, the utilization of hurtful synthetic concoctions is evaded, and PCB sizes are kept as little as conceivable however similarly as they are as required for current electronic gadgets.