PCB Singles 732/481-2535 Making PCB prototypes accessible to the individual enthusiast.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Will you recreate a damaged board for me?
Why isn't the derivation mechanism picking up all of the holes in my design?
How can I determine the precise location of a hole?
How do I specify the diameters of my holes?
Do I have to use the mirror option when I print?
Why is my preview window blank?
How do I adjust trace placement?
Can I submit panelized boards?
Blue Border - Can my trace-work enter this region?
Red-Cross Hole Indicators - Why do they appear to be off-center?
I am logged in, I created my user ID. I am trying to place an order, but I can't find a place where I can do that.
What is a P-O number?
How can I print an invoice from a previous order?
Will you recreate a damaged board for me?

No, but you can recreate your damaged board using our service. You would remove the components, scan the board, touch up the digital image and then print the image to us using our driver. Note that our boards have a maximum size of 4" x 6" and you will have to cut any special physical features (besides the holes) into the board yourself.

Why isn't the derivation mechanism picking up all of the holes in my design?

The Min. Compactness attribute on the Advanced tab is used to control the selectiveness of the hole derivation algorithm (see Min Compactness definition below). If you increase this attribute, you will get fewer holes. If you set it to 1000, you will prevent any holes from being generated.

Minimum Compactness - The hole derivation process uses a feature attribute known as Compactness. Compactness is equal to 4000 * PI * Area / Perimeter Squared. The most compact shape is a circle with a compactness of 1000. All other shapes are less compact. As Minimum Compactness is set to smaller values, the hole derivation process allows less circle like shapes to be considered holes.

How can I determine the precise location of a hole?

It is sometimes useful to determine the precise location of a hole in order to adjust trace placement. In order to determine the precise location of a hole, zoom in on the hole using the zoom bar to the left of the preview and the scroll bars to the right and bottom of the preview. Once zoomed in to the maximum extent (slide bar is all the way to the top), use the scroll bars to move the red-cross hole indicator to the left edge of the preview window. The y-component of the hole can be determined from the ruler to the left of the preview window. The same approach can be used to determine the x-component of the hole using the horizontal ruler at the top of the preview. When zoomed in to the maximum extent, the ruler is split into 0.01" increments. It is therefore possible to locate the hole to about +/- 0.001".

How do I specify the diameters of my holes?

Hole diameters are derived from the printed image. When the diameter is less than 0.050", the most appropriate of the following 13 drill bits is used: 0.016", 0.020", 0.0225", 0.025", 0.0276", 0.0295", 0.031", 0.033", 0.038", 0.0394", 0.0441", 0.0465", 0.050". When the diameter is greater than 0.050", the hole is milled.

Do I have to use the mirror option when I print?

You will receive in copper what is displayed in black in the driver preview window with the FR4 behind it. The printer driver includes a mirror option that can be invoked at anytime. It is suggested that you print to the driver with out using any application specific mirror option. Then, use the printer driver mirror option if required.

Why is my preview window blank?

PCB Singles uses the bottom left 4" by 6" region of the content that is printed by default. If your trace-work lies within the top 5" of the page as printed to a standard 8.5" by 11" piece of paper, the default PCB Singles preview will be blank. Use the x and y Location adjustments in the Options tab to move your trace-work into view as described in, How do I adjust trace placement?

Color can also cause the preview to be blank. The Black / White Transition slide bar in the Advanced tab determines how the driver translates colors to black or white as a function of brightness. Yellow is translated to white using the default setting but becomes black if the slide bar is pulled to the left. Yellow traces would cause the preview to be blank until the transition was adjusted.

How do I adjust trace placement?

The options tab includes x and y Location options that allow you to tune the placement of your trace work on the PCB. The Preview button on the bottom right corner will appear after modifying these options. Use it to see the adjusted placement.

PCB Singles uses the bottom left 4" by 6" region of the content that is printed by default. An x value of -4.5 and y value of -5 in the Options tab tells the driver to use the top right 4" by 6" region of standard 8.5" x 11" output.

Can I submit panelized boards?

While PCB Singles produces 4" x 6" boards, lines of small holes can be placed to allow sub-boards to break apart. In this way, the 24 square inches can be applied anyway the user sees fit whether it be multiple instances of the same design or completely independent designs.

Blue Border - Can my trace-work enter this region?

The blue border is a margin indicator. Traces can be in the margin but holes should not be.

Red-Cross Hole Indicators - Why do they appear to be off-center?

Since the red-cross hole indicators are drawn in discrete pixel space, they can only be approximations of the true center of your through-holes. Zoom into your trace-work using the vertical slide bar to the left of the preview in order to get a better representation hole centers from the indicators.

I am logged in, I created my user ID. I am trying to place an order, but I can't find a place where I can do that.

To order a PCB, login to My PCB Singles and use the My PCBs link to view available tracework. The Order link corresponding to the tracework to be purchaced will start the ordering process.

What is a PO number?

A PO number is a user defined "Purchace Order" number that appears on the invoice and shipping slip. It is not a required field and is used only as an internal reference number to you.

How can I print an invoice from a previous order?

Login to My PCB Singles and use the My Orders link to view all orders. Use the Invoice link corresponding to the order to be printed to view the invoice. The invoice page includes a Print link.

 
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