A couple of pieces of information I think might be relevant.
I'm doing a small scale project for myself, I lack the skill to do surface mount work but can handle through hole things.
My intent is to use JLCPCB to print the boards and do the SMD mounting and then do the through hole stuff myself. I want a printed board rather than a perf board for compactness and reliability. I hope to 3d print an enclosure to put the PCB in.
When reviewing the options for placing an order I saw a couple of options that I understood but didn't fully understand the implications.
It looks like I can design a single panel and then have that created multiple times. Or I can design a single panel with sub-panels that I break apart myself.
My project has a central power board, and remote connector boards. Each central board could theoretically use as many as 12 connector boards or as few as 3.
When placing the order I saw an option that identified if I would be printing different layouts.
Is there a method that would be less expensive/complex than another?
The way I see it I could order a board that has everything on it and break apart into multiple little boards.
Or I could order the minimum number(5 I think) of boards of each board.
Or something in the middle.
Given my desire to have all the surface mounting done by JLCPCB, and the various extra costs associated with that, which method is preferred?
I could play around with it trying all the various configurations but I thought someone might know the answer off-hand.
Thank you
