Okay, so I’m just about ready to submit my design for fab and I’m heavily leaning towards using OSH Park. I know they accept both KiCad files and Gerber files. Which is better to use and why? Is there a preference or reason to use one over the other? I have plotted my Gerbers to make sure they look correct, but I’m not sure which files I should submit.
Thanks!
I’ve had good experience sending my KiCad pcb file to OSHPark. It depends on your version though. OSHPark only claims compatibility with up to v4.0.7. I wouldn’t expect them to support v5 yet.
No problem. I’m using version 4.0.7.
Well, we’ll see how it goes. I just submitted my Kicad file to OSH Park.
Got my PCBs back and the quality is very good. My only complaint is that the board is thinner that I expected. The quote was for 0.0.63" (1.6mm) boards and I got 0.031" (0.8mm) boards. I’m not sure if that’s my fault, but the original quote was for 0.063".
When you actually go to order the board if you select the 2oz copper you will get the thinner board (same cost). The regular board thickness (1/16") is 1oz copper.
Another big difference is the regular board turn time is quoted as 12 calendar days. Since it was 23 days since you submitted the order that lines up with the 2-3 week turn time for the thinner boards.
Ahh. That explains it. I wanted the 2 oz copper since the board is for a stepper motor controller. I didn’t realize the board was thinner.
It’s all good.
Here’s the finished PCB both populated and running and bare. Thanks to the KiCad team the tools to create something so professional for free!
Why does the heavier copper require a thinner board material? My intuition suggests the opposite - that heavier copper may be available only on thicker board substrates.
Dale
My guess would be it is used most often on inner layers for power planes so it is probably a stock/volume related issue more than anything else.
Copper build up for 1 oz vs 2 oz.
This is my first foray into hobby PCB’s. In our commercial boards we would normally specify 1 oz copper plated to 2 oz. So we would expect the plated thru holes and vias to be 1 oz copper (all “nominally”)
If this is the case then the inner layers need to be thicker as they won’t be “plated up”.
Does anyone one know that to expect with 1 oz vs the 2oz with OSHPARK? I would eventually have asked OSHPARK but I’ve already learned the board thickness situation from this thread so I though a user might have additional insight.
BTW if your power driver uses thermal vias to a heatsink the thinner board might be to your benefit.
John
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