Things to Consider when Buying Printed Circuit Boards

So let's start with the ordering process. There are some things to do before you actually order the boards, one is to check if the manufacturer you are considering offers short runs or standard sizes, as that will allow you to buy a cheap set and not have to pay upfront for a large batch of custom boards when you only need one or two.

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First thing to do is to have a circuit design and schematic, because why would you need a circuit board if you don't even have a circuit in the first place?. There are many free tools out there that will help you with creating your schematic, and I suggest you look for one that will allow you test and simulate the behavior of the circuit, and also to create at least one working prototype of your project to ensure that it will work before ordering your boards, because if the circuit is defective, a good board can't do much to make it work like its supposed to.

Now that you have your schematic and prototype tested and built, you need to actually design your printed circuit board.

This process can cover quite a bit of time and a lot of working knowledge of how the routing of the tracks affects the performance of your circuit, but for the first and simple circuits, it can be quite easy to do. There are many manufacturers that offer their own software solution for the design of the boards, make sure to check their sites for a download and instructions on how to use them.

Also note that since you most likely will be ordering one of their standard sized boards, you need to set the project for your design using those dimensions, or they may not be able to built it for the price specified, since they most likely will consider it a custom job.

One of the benefits of using software to design the boards is that the output files have been standardized to the Gerber file format, that is used for the plotters when actually printing the tracks on the boards, so any tool you use should have the option to export the design to said format.

Again, its time to double check your design, prototype and now the board layout, since any defects in this stage will cost you money on replacements if you discover them after ordering the boards, so make sure to get them right. After that, getting the boards is as easy as selecting the boards you want to order, upload the Gerber file and pay.

First thing to do once you have your boards is to check them for manufacturing defects and shipping damage, such as broken boards, holes not drilled or tracks incomplete or defective. Doing this before you start soldering the parts will allow you to have a replacement quickly in case of defect, while saving you money on replacements or having to desolder your work before sending in for replacement or refund.

Last notes
Now that you have your boards safe and working, its time to actually build your circuit, which should work as you double and triple checked them before ordering the boards.

Having your circuit in a printed circuit board is a great asset to your project, as it makes them look professional and depending on complexity, even impressive by themselves.

Good luck in your projects, and have fun making electronic circuits!

A lot of PCBA cost is in NRE (non-recurring engineering). They have to set up equipment on the line whether the ordered quantity is 1 or 10k. Depending on board complexity and component choices, they might forego certain steps or equipment on the line and hand-assemble or selective solder, etc.

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Also consider that the board house might have to dedicate equipment for a block of time to your single board run, but it could have been running some other larger job, earning them more money. They are going to adjust your price to make it worth their while.

As you order larger quantities, the unit cost will decrease significantly as NRE is spread among your boards.

If you are working with a quality board house, $800 for full PCBA sounds about right. Shop around, but remember: you get what you pay for.

If you PCB is "standard", ie 1 or 2 layers, no ball grid array components, no very thin traces or clearances, rectangular shape, ... and if a "prototyping" quality is enough for you, then you have plenty of PCB assembly companies that offer very low prices (<50$ exclusing the cost of components). They are often based in china, and simply do several "standard" prototypes (for different clients) at once on the same PCB, and cut it afterwards.

If you don't require high reliability, nor ultra fast assembly, then it might be an interesting solution.

As soon as you start to have some specific requirements on the PCB itself or assembly (ie more than 2 layers, ball grid array, sizes bigger than usually 100*100mm, ...) prices increase, but often remain in the 50-200$ range.

You also get some similar prototyping services in many countries, which is a bit faster, but more expensive.

On the other hand, if you expect "industrial production" with full testing (X-ray, continuity test, isolation test, functional tests, on circuit programming of microcontolers, ...) for a single unit, then it will be very expansive for a single unit.

If you ask a manufacturer specialized in big series, then you will likely pay use setup costs (making the price very high for a single PCB).

So basically, if you want a single PCB (and don't plan a big series of the same wanting to order it from the same manufacturer), then make sure to choose a manufacturer specialized in prototypes. Then you choose between cheep manufacturing in China (with random quality), or expensive manufacturing locally.

PS : from your question, I would guess that you are not very used to have PCBs manufactured and assembled. So excepted if you are in a hurry (which you don't seem to be) or if you have very special requirements, I would start with a cheep assembly, in order to validate your design. If you have to modify something, you avoid paying twice the high price. If it is fine, then you can decide if the prototype is of good enough quality, or if you want to order a "final" version of better quality (this time, without doubts if the design is correct or not), the prototype the being a spare in case you get any issue with the new one.

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