After selling all of the first batch of PCBs from DirtyPCBs, I put in an order for a second batch. They arrived this week so I thought I’d put together a quick update.
| Batch 1 | Batch 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Order submitted | May 23rd | July 30th |
| Dispatched | May 28th | August 6th |
| Received | June 9th | August 16th |
| Quantity | 66 | 74 |
As with the previous order, where I ended up with some bonus PCBs, this time around I ordered 60 PCBs and was surprised to find 74 in the box.
They were also packed much more securely, so I’m hoping there are fewer damaged PCBs in this lot.
Here’s a quick photo of a couple of PCBs from this batch:
And for comparison here’s the first batch:
Despite the photo suggesting otherwise, the ENIG finish is almost identical. The one major difference you’ll notice is in the FR4. The first batch was more transparent and purple-y whereas the second batch is much more what you’d expect, being a yellow-green colour. I suspect that DirtyPCBs uses a number of fab houses to fulfil their orders.
Otherwise the only other manufacturing difference is the addition of the reference numbers on the silk screen. Fortunately these ended up on the back again! These are different due to the fact that I made a few small tweaks to the board between orders. I’ve soldered enough of these now and the switch always ends up being the trickiest to solder, so I thought I’d enlarge the pads a little.
Boards in hand, I better get to putting some kits together!