Cheap PCB sourcing from less than reputable vendors can be costly.  Poor quality standards is a typical issue, but there are other important factors to take into consideration, such as turnaround time, consistency, and service.  Cheap PCB manufacturers in China and Taiwan usually have long lead times and since boards have to be shipped across the world there are high shipping costs if faster shipping is required.  Not to mention frequent U.S. Customs delays and even import duties to be paid once you receive the boards.  Communication and customer service from some of these “no touch” PCB manufacturers can also be an issue.

Looking for Cheap PCB Prototyping without Sacrificing Quality & Lead-Time?

Advanced Circuits has created a special pricing option for 2 and 4 layer printed circuit boards that are made using the same high-tech equipment, materials, and quality standards as our Standard Spec and Custom Spec options.  This option is great for prototyping because it was created for those that need very small quantities and are shipped in as fast as one day.  There are three low-cost PCB prototyping options available:

For 2 Layer PCBs:

• BareBones – Our BareBones is a very basic board on FR4 material with 1 oz. copper and Tin Finish.  BareBones do not have solder mask or silkscreen, but the biggest benefit to ordering these boards for prototyping is the ability to order as few as just 1 piece with the turn time of just 1 day!  Note that you can get your BareBones for free when you place a Standard or Custom Spec order for the same part number – click here for details.
• $33Each – Our $33Each deal is also a simple 2 layer board on FR4 material with 1 oz. copper and Lead-Free Solder Finish but it does include solder mask and silkscreen on both sides.  The great benefit to using this deal is you can order as few as just 3 pieces that ship in 5 days and you can have a board as big as 60 square inches without additional charges for the size of your board.

For 4 Layer PCBs:

• $66 Layers – This deal is great for simple 4 layer boards with 1 oz. copper and Lead-Free Solder Finish.  Boards can be as big as 30 square inches and still qualify for this deal!  Order as few as 4 pieces with a turn time of just 5 days.

These low-cost alternatives can give you peace-of-mind knowing that your prototypes will be manufactured quickly and arrive on time with the high quality standards you can expect from Advanced Circuits.

Advanced Circuits “Hands-On” Approach: Did you know all circuit board design files are manually inspected by our experienced CAM engineers to find manufacturability issues prior to production?  This helps customers fix any possible issue before production starts to avoid receiving boards that are not usable.

To learn more about our 2 and 4 layer PCB special pricing options, please click here for details.