BatchHack

LVL1 Batch PCB Ordering Service

Batch PCB offers the hacker and maker community a valuable service at a reasonably low price. We can do better for the LVL1 Community, though. Batch PCB charges $2.50 per square inch, plus a $10 setup fee.

The cost of a 10"x14.5" panel from Gold Phoenix is $130, shipped 3 day from Hubei, China. The lead-time on a board is typically 3 days. This amounts to a cost of $1.12 per quare inch. Unfortunately, the packing density of a panelized board is likely to be under 70%. Assuming a 66% packing density, actual cost is $1.67 per square inch. Rounding to an easy number, the final cost will be $1.75 per square inch, with no setup fee.

So, here's the offer: I (Brad Luyster) will panelize and manage ordering and shipping of PCBs for LVL1 (and friends) at a cost of $1.75 per square inch. I make no guarantees as to how quickly the panel will fill up, and if you want to retract the order before the board gets sent to Gold Phoenix I'll refund what you paid. If the total cost of the panel is less than $1.75 per square inch, I'll refund the surplus money.

Simply send your eagle files (or Gerbers) to BradLuyster+lvl1pcb@gmail.com. Note how many copies of the board you'd like, and any other special instructions. I'll email you back with payment instructions (I'll take Paypal, Cash, Check, whatever).

I'll continually update this page on the statistics of how full the panel is, and the cost per square inch. When the board gets sent to China, I'll notify everyone, and refund you to account for the actual cost of the board. Once the board is in China, expect about 8 business days for it to be in your hands.

I make not guarantees about Gerbers made in programs other than Eagle, nor to your own ability to lay out a PCB. No internal routes. For oddly shaped boards, the area is calculated as the smallest rectangle which can contain the PCB. No limits on holes or vias, smallest feature size is 6 mils.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask: BradLuyster+lvl1pcb@gmail.com