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Cheap PCB’s Are Not the Way to Go |
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 When it comes to designing a PCB, cheaper is not always the ways to go. Cheap PCB’s are easy to come by and even the most expensive manufacturers are going in a downward direction in terms of cost. While it is true that technology is getting less expensive to produce and PCB’s, especially the ones with common and frequent purposes, are cheaper, there are some mills out there the produce them for pennies on the dollar. Potential buyers should be suspicious of these mills. There are many corners that they may cut at the expense of a properly working PCB.
Production
 A cheap printed circuit board may have some layout issues that arise in the production of the PCB. Companies will frequently change the layout in terms of materials to save some money on ordering new parts. They will also frequently incorrectly place parts or get the sizes of certain parts wrong. Cheap pcb will have problems starting at the source of production. They will frequently cut costs by only using the materials that are available.
Assembly Errors Post Production
 Often times, errors will continue in the mill after the production of the PCB. These manufacturers will cut costs by haphazardly and quickly assemble the parts of the board without regards to how they are placed, a change of materials, incorrect manufacturing techniques, a change in the number of layers, the wrong components being installed and the wrong location of the components, marginal circuit design, defective components, misplaced components, out of tolerance components, and solder problems. Any one of these problems can compromise the integrity of the PCB and derail the project. Often, the errors will not be addressed until consumer’s report errors to the producer of the electronic product. This can result in an absolute public relations disaster for any company should they have defective parts.
Voltage
One of the most catastrophic issues that can arise from a poorly built PCB is having the wrong voltages assigned. The purpose of there even being an electronic board is to transmit currents through the device to perform an often complex task. The last thing that an electronic device needs is to have the wrong currents going through. It can, and often does, result in a disaster.
Design
 One of the biggest issues with a cheaply made PCB is in the design of the board. The design of a board is very important, because it is the design that makes sure that a board will work before production. In addition to the design, the documentation and the schematics need to be in check as well. Any discrepancies in any of these documents before the production of the board could mean that something might go wrong. Looking for the best price on developing a PCB is paramount in this day and age. Even though they are relatively inexpensive to initially produce and the main production could be just a few dollars, there are those out there that are just trying to make money at the expense of quality, and that is never a good thing. |
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