PCB manufacturers in Europe, that can make this PCB

[neazoi]

Hi, I am looking for PCB manufacturers, preferably in Europe but not only, that can do limited quantity orders (relatively cheap for hobby projects) and they are able to produce this kind of PCB attached.

If you see the PCBs attached, these are thick gold plated.
Also, the FR4 is bare (not painted with any mask) and it's color is mainly white with greenish-blueish color. Not the common yellow color found elsewhere.

These are the characteristics I am looking.
Anyone knowing such a manufacturer please reply here.

 

[KlausST]

Hi,

Where do you see the problem?
* if you want it bare FR4, then just buy it "without solder mask"
This can do any PCB manufacturer.

But you still have to defiine
* what "limited quantity order" means
* what "relatively cheap" means.
* what "thick" gold plated means.

Some PCB manufacturers have online price calculators.
But almost any, or better say "every good" PCB manufacturer has online informations about their process...like gold plating.

Google for "Greece PCB manufacturer"...or similar

Klaus

 

[betwixt]

I suspect the 'common yellow color" you refer to isn't FR4 but a paper laminate type. FR4 naturally is like the board in the photographs.

Ask for FR4, quoting the thickness (looks like 1.6mm) with gold plating, no solder mask and black silk-screen print. There are many companies that will do it for you quickly and cheaply. Make sure they can accept the artwork in the format you use, most will accept Gerber but quite a few will also accept Kicad, Eagle etc. as well.

Brian.

 

[neazoi]

I suspect the 'common yellow color" you refer to isn't FR4 but a paper laminate type. FR4 naturally is like the board in the photographs.

Ask for FR4, quoting the thickness (looks like 1.6mm) with gold plating, no solder mask and black silk-screen print. There are many companies that will do it for you quickly and cheaply. Make sure they can accept the artwork in the format you use, most will accept Gerber but quite a few will also accept Kicad, Eagle etc. as well.

Brian.

So this is more likely to be paper laminate? **broken link removed**
All the photosensitive pcbs in my town are yellowish like this one.

 

[betwixt]

Those are FR4 or an equivalent. The exact color depends on the resin used in manufacture so there will be some variation. In general, if you can see the tracks on the reverse side through it, it's fiber glass and probably FR4. The paper ones pass far less light. Veroboard is paper based for example.

Brian.

 

[marce]

Thick gold plating is not a good idea for pads that are going to be soldered (can cause bad joints and gold embrittlement), in fact its only generally used for finger connectors as it is less conductive than copper.
You can see the glass weave in the material in your photos so it looks like some glass reinforced material...

 

[neazoi]

Thick gold plating is not a good idea for pads that are going to be soldered (can cause bad joints and gold embrittlement), in fact its only generally used for finger connectors as it is less conductive than copper.

I do not think so. If so, TEK wouldn't use gold plating in expensive military equipment like TEK 491. After so many decades and these machines work like a charm.
Unless it is not the same material in this gold plating.
Note, lead-based solder was used there was no rohs back then.

 

[betwixt]

I do not think so. If so, TEK wouldn't use gold plating in expensive military equipment like TEK 491. After so many decades and these machines work like a charm.

Quite possibly the gold is applied through a screening process so it doesn't cover pads. The problem with gold plating everything is it increases the costs and although gold is quite solderable, it doesn't bond to copper particularly well. On connectors that isn't a problem but solder joints obviously get hot and I've seen components soldered to gold but the whole joint detached from the underlying pad/track. As a protective layer, it prevents corrosion but so does a normal solder mask at a fraction of the cost. The plating process also involves cyanide salts which are extremely toxic.
Note also that the Tek 491 only had a very short production run 52 years ago when PCB production was in relative infancy and modern plating and screening was "new technology".

Brian.

 

[neazoi]

Quite possibly the gold is applied through a screening process so it doesn't cover pads. The problem with gold plating everything is it increases the costs and although gold is quite solderable, it doesn't bond to copper particularly well. On connectors that isn't a problem but solder joints obviously get hot and I've seen components soldered to gold but the whole joint detached from the underlying pad/track. As a protective layer, it prevents corrosion but so does a normal solder mask at a fraction of the cost. The plating process also involves cyanide salts which are extremely toxic.
Note also that the Tek 491 only had a very short production run 52 years ago when PCB production was in relative infancy and modern plating and screening was "new technology".

Brian.

Could it be gold all the way through in these PCBs and no copper tracks inside? The cost of these TEK PCBs seem to me very high, the quality looks top.

 

[betwixt]

Tek = expensive but good.

Using gold as the track material would not be practical. Consider that much of the equipment of that period was hand wired on tag strips, even from Tek. The cost of specially producing gold layers then etching them away to make the board would be prohibitive. Microprocessors didn't exist and even the 74 series TTL IC were still around 5 years from production. It's old technology and that model had a very short production run because it's performance wasn't good and it wasn't good value for money.

Brian.

 

[Raghav Kapur]

Hi! You can try using PCB Directory - https://www.pcbdirectory.com/manufacturers

You can narrow down on the list of vendors by country and their capabilities. This will help you find a vendor that that help you.

You can also request a quotation on a PCB Requirement from multiple vendors by filling our a single form by using the get quotation tool. This will save you a lot of time.

Hope this helps!