{"id":7212,"date":"2022-06-05T12:39:12","date_gmt":"2022-06-05T07:09:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nuclearrambo.com\/wordpress\/?p=7212"},"modified":"2024-10-03T15:06:24","modified_gmt":"2024-10-03T09:36:24","slug":"seeed-fusion-pcb-fabrication-review-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nuclearrambo.com\/wordpress\/seeed-fusion-pcb-fabrication-review-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Seeed Fusion PCB fabrication review 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I reviewed JLCPCB PCB<\/a> fabrication service a few years ago. Since then a lot has changed. There have been stories, both good and bad about JLCPCB. You can read the comments on that post. For today, we will be looking at the Seeed Fusion PCB fabrication service. I will try to keep this review short and to the point. Seeed did sponsor the PCB fabrication for this review, but that won’t affect my view about them anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preparing your PCB<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Seeed Fusion can fabricate up to 6 layers according to their ordering page. For a higher number of layers, they offer professional services that can be a bit costly for hobbyists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to two-layer boards, PCB thickness options go from 0.6mm and 2.0mm with the standard surface finish options such as ENIG, HASL, etc. Fortunately, you can also have Matte Black finish on your PCB. Not everyone offers this solder mask finish, and Matte Black is one of my favourites. Unfortunately, Matte Black solder mask costs extra money whereas, all other colour options don’t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Seeed Fusion ordering options<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While going for a higher number of layers, sticking to their default board stack-up proves to be an economical choice. A custom stack-up costs a lot of extra money and quickly becomes unreasonable for a hobbyist unless you are into designing exotic RF circuits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A standard stack-up for multi-layer PCBs can be found at this FAQ link<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my case, I could only fabricate a 2 layer PCB within 100 x 100 mm. dimensions without blowing up too much money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apart from that, when you upload your gerbers you have the option to view your PCB in their gerber viewer. Unfortunately, the gerber viewer seems broken and doesn’t behave the way it’s supposed to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Broken zoom and movement<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A word about PCB assembly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you wish to get your PCB assembled with them, you will need to ensure that you also upload the BOM along with your gerbers. When opting for PCBA, the exact price estimate comes a bit later, depending on the stock. Additionally, Seeed Fusion also offers basic PCB functional testing upon assembly. Compared to others offering similar services, the Seeed Service was on a higher side. I cannot comment more on this since, I only went with the PCB fabrication and dropped my assembly plans after seeing the cost. For a company doing this for commercial purpose, the pricing is super competitive. On the other hand, a hobbyist with a minimal budget like me may prefer to assemble the PCB independently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Seeed Fusion PCBA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n