Comparing hobby PCB vendors

lcamtuf’s thing on Substack looks at having circuit boards for Sir Box-a-Lot handhelds made by different PCB manufacturers.

I ended up ordering the same printed circuit boards from several hobbyist-friendly vendors. Numerous comparisons of quality and cost for different PCB manufacturers can be found on the internet, but many of them are dated or suspect — so I figured it’s worthwhile to experiment and share my notes for 2023.

As this was for family & friends, it was not a comprehensive look but boards were sent to:

  • OSH Park
  • DigiKey Red
  • JLCPCB

And notes that Germany-based Aisler and PCBWay need to be looked at.

See the comparison here.

Note: Adafruit does not endorse any particular vendor, we only note this third-party comparison.


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