Homebrew PCBs

My reasons are similar. For quite a while I used the ExpressPCB prototype
service to get three 2.8"x3.5" double sided plated through boards (no solder
mask or silk screen) for $60. But eventually I found myself going through
all sorts of contortions to make my designs fit that size board and finally
realized it was limiting me too much. Solderless breadboard works fine for
some things but not for noise-sensitive or high-current applications, which
is what I'm mostly doing these days. I tried making a soldered breadboard
but there are just too many components that don't fit the 0.1" grid. It
quickly becomes a major hassle. Mistakes quickly get too costly if you're
paying hundreds of dollars each for prototype boards. So I finally decided
to bite the bullet and get set up to make one-off PCBs.
--
Phil Mattison
http://www.ohmikron.com/
Motors::Drivers::Controllers::Software

----- Original Message -----
From: scratch_6057 <dml.empsrch@...>
To: <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, January 28, 2007 11:06 AM
Subject: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Why roll your own ?

> To answer the question, I `Roll My Own" because
> I'm impatient; I don't want to wait for a prototype board to
> come back from a board house. I'm also cheap, I don't need
> to pay for 3 ~ 10 boards when all I need is one. I don't like
> point to point wiring, if I can avoid it I will.
> Breadboards are unreliable, sneeze and something will come loose.
> Breadboards are also NOT a good idea for HIGH voltages or currents
> and they induce their own capacitance.
> Final thought off the top of my head, breadboards are EXTREMELY
> DANGEROUS when you're working with AC (Mains) power!
>
>