[sdiy] PCB Pool CAD software: Target 3001

[Neil Johnson]

Hi Theo,

> I tried a free demo version of target 2001 some time ago. Seemed
> "better" than Eagle to me. Then again I never liked Eagle, even in its
> Atari days and IMO it only got worse.

*sigh*  Yeah, nothing seems to get better these days!!

> PCB pool is ok, but there are similar services in Europe that are worth a
> look and cheaper to use.
> Although I don't think any of them offer free PCB software.
> The one I use is:
> http://www.eurocircuits.com

Thanks for the link.  After looking at their site (which does not work in
Netscape running on Linux---BIG NEGATIVE---had to fire the remote desktop
server) I did a quick comparison with PCB Pool, for a 100mm x 160mm
double-sided PTH board, with solder mask and silk screen, 10 day delivery.

* PCB Pool: E 97.01

* EuroCcts: E 75.75

So, EuroCircuits are about 22% cheaper.

Then I looked at what file formats each accepts.

* PCB Pool accepts 12 different formats, many direct from the supported
CAD packages (Eagle, Target, OrCad, Protel, etc) as well as Gerber.

* EuroCircuits accept Gerber, and you also need to supply drill plots.

Perhaps if if I was going for production I might lean towards
EuroCircuits, but for one-off prototypes I much prefer the ease (and lower
risk) of the PCB Pool route.  Nothing worse than getting top and bottom
layers mixed up, especially on surface-mount boards!!

Anyway, if I were doing a bulk run I'd check out Olimex.

Certainly if were a beginner I'd find the PCB Pool service easier to get
into---just send them the file from your CAD package, no need to faff
around with exporting Gerber files and drill plots.

But, each to their own!!

Cheers,
Neil

--
Neil Johnson :: Computer Laboratory :: University of Cambridge ::
http://www.njohnson.co.uk          http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~nej22
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