I’m working on a design where I have a min pcb board and would like a small extra board with for LEDs on a panel, connecting the two pcbs with flat cable.
It is one design, and I would like to keep it as one gerber to be produced at JLCPCB.
How do I make the break line so it is easy to break the small board off?
Thanks in advance and kind regards Mads
You need to work with JLC to have them understand what you want.
Probably an edge-cut around the entire perimeter, and then “mouse bites” between the two boards.
There’s a “mouse bite” footprint that a user has created somewhere on the web.
One of solutions possible I have shown some time ago:
It’s been awhile but they did a v-score for me with no problem. It was noted as such somewhere. Don’t remember now.
Thanks guys. V-Cut seems the most convenient way to go. Will look further into that.
Pretty unlikely that a v-cut will be allowed in the middle of a board.
Correct. It has to go all the way horizontally left to right (or vertically top to bottom). More info here: PCB Panelization and here: Technical Guidance: V-Cut Panelization Standards (you may need a translator for the 2nd link)
I regularly do this (Elecrow never complain). I create a rectangular edge cut box (slot) in the area I want to separate and just leave some board at each end that can easily be trimmed off., 1mm slot is sufficient.
My local PCB manufacturer said that 2mm milling cutter is their standard. It is much stronger than 1mm one. So I’m just using 2mm slot.
Such thin routers are indeed quite weak, as Piotr mentioned. As a result, the routing goes slower, and time costs money on such machines. Often PCB manufacturers have some guidelines on their website for preferred dimensions, and this slot width is sometimes also listed. It’s likely they will make narrower slots without complaints (Customer is King), but it will just cost a bit more. They don’t do it for free.
