I have obtained permission from sparkfun to create a new pivot collection for their website http://www.batchpcb.com
http://batchpcb.kurtnelle.com/#/Home
It updates daily.
Cool. Now you’ve got me thinking that I should publish the PCB design for my IR module. Perhaps once I get feedback that the first batch is actually working. 
Yea totally. It’s a nice way to get feedback. The community seems small with only 700 ish boards though.
@ devhammer I actually was looking for your name there 
Found another familiar name, though - Circuits@ Home
@ kurtnelle Nice work by the way.Cross-link your other pivots.
@ Architect
Heh. Me, too, until I remembered that I hadn’t published the project. I’ll definitely do that…just want to close the feedback loop with the first few users before I do, in case there’s a need to revise the hardware at all.
Cross Link them. That might be a good Idea. This one makes number 4; I should make hyperlinks to the others or at least back to the main site.
@ devhammer, what is the board that you are making?
@ kurtnelle
IR LED Array module for Gadgeteer:
Got the first batch of boards on Saturday, and once Ian, Gus, Pete, and Architect have had a chance to work them over and make sure they work OK, I’ll make the design available for folks to make. Here’ a pic of the board. Apart from one extra bit of silkscreening, I’m REALLY happy with the result.
Oh that looks cool. I thought those boards had to be black?
That’s a recommendation, not a requirement. From the Module Builder’s Guide:
[quote]Solder-Resistance and Silkscreen Colors
For most modules, the solder-resistant color should ideally be black but can be a
standard green. Vias should be tented to improve silkscreen readability. Silkscreen
color should be white.
If the module acts as a power supply, for example, if it provides power to the
mainboard when it connected to the board, the solder-resistant color must be red. [/quote]
http://gadgeteer.codeplex.com/releases/view/72208#DownloadId=273356
Oh, I had thought it was a requirement. Thanks for the head’s up.
Btw, what software do you use to design PCBs? Could you do a design for moi?
Cadsoft Eagle Light:
http://www.cadsoftusa.com/downloads/freeware/?language=en
I just went ahead and sprung for the Eagle Light license. It’s only $69, and given that the freeware version doesn’t allow commercial use, I wanted to be sure to be properly licensed. IMO, it’s a pretty good deal for a nice piece of software.
As for doing a design, this was my first PCB, and it’s a very simple one, so I’m not sure that I’m the one you want designing your boards. 
That said, I’d be happy to help and advise, if you want to kick off a separate thread.
I was hoping you’d say Altium Designer Ah well. Will batch PCB produce a panel of boards that you can then send to a PCB assembler?
Why Altium? Yes it is a better tool but you surly wouldn’t need it for a simple board. Eagle is just fine, we even made hydra using it, that is a complex ARM9 with external SDRAM.
In my opinion, if you do not have an BGA with over 300 balls and 6 layer or more PCB then Altium is not the right tool to get started. Altium has way too many options that are very powerful but will take too long to learn these. The 30 day evaluation is not enough to do anything with Altium.
Note that I said Altium is a better tool but it is not a hobby tool nor it is affordable! But ofcourse if oyu liek challenges then Altium is full of cool features.
Look how cool Altium can be… just to tease you more
I liked Altium because it is a commercial tool; for my commercial purposes. I use Visual Studio Ultimate and Team Foundation Server for the same reason (albeit the employer pays for it).
…but I’m going to lean on your wisdom Gus… Eagle it is.
And, FYI, I started from some of the Eagle files for existing Gadgeteer modules. That helped me get over some of the initial learning curve.
And why eagle is not commercial? Your design will be more complex than arm9 with sdram? Still, learning altium is good for finding jobs with better pay
If what you’re doing is too advanced for Eagle, then either you’re being paid to do it, or you should be 
Ugh. Let me explain my past software experience:
In the past I’ve been a strong Visual Studio man; the best IDE on the market. Then one day I tried Eclipse. Let’s just say that I don’t work at that company anymore. I knew people that swear by Eclipse day in and day out, and I still believe that they are wrong; Visual Studio FTW.
The next is Propellerhead’s Reason, which is one of the best if not the best software for pc based music composition. I’ve seen Fruity Loops, and it can’t do what Reason Does but massive amounts of people swear by it.
The MicroStrategy Business Intelligence software (which I used to use) is the best BI software in the world, yet people still swear by Business Objects. Why, because it sells more. SQL Server Analysis Services has nothing on MicroStrategy.
It is for these reasons why I have the stigma against Eagle Cad; I’ve been using Express PCB all this time. I launched the trial
(Disclaimer: these opinions are in my humble)
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