I am attempting to have JLCPCB build and solder all the SMD parts to my board. I have about 190 SMD parts that I am trying to source through JCLPCB. I am a bit confused on how to proceed. I am looking for some pointers from those on the list who use JCLPCB to make their boards and populate the parts. I have only had them make boards for me, and I soldered all the parts.
I am also confused a bit by the Extended parts, Consignment, and Global Sourcing. Do I really need to pay for a reel of 5000 1K 0805 resistors to have one installed on my board? What happens to the other 4999 resistors I paid for? I am not looking at large quantity production, so can I sell them to someone?
This is the explanation of Basic, Extended, etc parts from JLCPCB itself: PCB Assembly FAQs You can also get them to source parts for you but of course that will cost. You can even ship parts to them but them you would have to pay shipping, duties and custom clearance charges, which can be hefty, so I read. And of course you could always assemble some parts yourself.
I believe excess parts are kept in your account for future orders. You can’t have them refunded, shipped to you, or sell them. Resistors would be basic parts so you wouldn’t have to buy a full reel but there would be a wastage margin (20 I think), so that’s why it’s to your benefit to have fewer different part values.
I don’t think the experience with other Chinese fabs will be much different, but the smaller ones, due to them not being affiliated with a parts supplier, like JLCPCB has LCSC, will have less automation and quote on request for each job.
It is definitely a process one has to learn. It took me a while as well. Now I design my schematic with their database on the second screen so I keep their catalogue in mind when selecting parts. At some point you have your own database with the parts available at JLC so it becomes faster over time.
Thanks so much for the JCLPCB parts app link! A much faster way to find parts!
I have read the FAQs. I was confused by the min parts quantity - some were for an entire reel of parts (3000) when I only need 1 per board on a 5 board order.
Those product info pages are for shopping with LCSC. If you were buying stock then yes you would have to buy in reels. But you are getting assembly so JLCPCB order rules apply for Basic and Extended parts. Their web page will give you a breakdown of the prices when you take the order to before payment.
If in doubt, reach out to their customer service, that’s what they’re there for.
PS: One more tip, when you search for a part sometimes you will get several results. For example the 74HC595 is made by more than one manufacturer. Look for the one that’s a Basic or Extended part. It pays not to be rigid and insist on a particular manufacturer but to be willing to accept equivalents. So there may be an iterative process which loops back to the choice of parts at the schematic level. And if you want to be pinch even more pennies, you may find that for example 0603 is a whisker cheaper than 0805. Since you are getting assembly, and not doing it by hand, you don’t have to worry about your eyes. But you then have to go back to the layout editor.
I was able to easily find all the parts on my board using the Github link you gave me. I found that when searching for the part, I would clicked on Stock to sort by the most in stock parts, then select that part. I also spent a bit of time switching out resistors based on size to get Basic parts over Extended or a lot of parts in stock, and made a few adjustments to the layout. Overall, it worked much better than the native JLCPCB parts search page.