[sdiy] rising cost of PCB's?

[Adam Schabtach]

> Doesn't sending gerber files away for professionally 
> manufactured, double-sided, through-hole-plated pcbs take a 
> big chunk of the "diy" out of the "synth-diy"?

Depends on where your interests lie, I suppose. I really enjoy _laying out_
PCBs, but the actual fabrication doesn't interest me much. I'd rather pay
BatchPCB.com to do it for me, in most cases. 

> I can print a pattern, transfer it to a blank pcb, etch it, 
> drill it, and be stuffing and soldering it, all within about 
> an hour, and all for about $3 per board. 

You must be much better at the process than I. Last time I did a board it
took several hours, including the false starts because of printer problems
and one do-over because of mis-aligning the top and bottom layers when I
transferred the toner.

> Plus, it's fun (and 
> the boards work just fine).

It is fun, I'll agree. It's a neat process. But when I'm soldering the
boards, I do miss the plating and solder mask. I particularly miss the
through-hole plating.

Different strokes for different folks, in short, I'd say.

--Adam