About PCB Layout
Screaming Circuits provides rapid access to professional layout services. Through years of working with our in-house electrical and manufacturing engineers, we've accumulated the know-how to create custom designs that succeed. We design to IPC standards and have done layout work to meet all major certification standards (UL, CE, TUV, etc.)
PCB Layout FAQ
Have questions about how to quote and order? Wondering if your job fits our standard job profile? Check out our PCB Layout FAQ.
Our History
As a division of MEC we have 51 years of industry experience. MEC offers Engineering, materials and production services with facilities in Wisconsin, Oregon, California and Mexico.
Have Questions?
- What type of project is considered "Non-Standard"?
- My project is considered "Non-Standard," now what?
- What do I need to get a quote?
- What are "Components," "Nets," and "Nodes"?
- How long will it take to get my final quote?
- Are you going to Auto-Route my boards?
- How soon will my layout be done?
- What if I don't like the layout?
- My quote seems excessive... ?
- How do I get a netlist?
- My board needs to fit in a particular case / location. How can we make that work?
- How do I review my board during the check points?
- How can I be sure my board is properly designed for manufacture (DFM)?
- What about testability?
- What will you deliver?
- What if I need other engineering help?
What type of project is considered "Non-Standard"?
- If your project requires: RF routing, Controlled impedance traces, Matched line lengths, Differential pairs, or Voltages over 50V; or has more than 1 PCB per netlist, requires irregularly shaped PCBs (not rectangular or round), or has more than 2 predefined component placements, it is considered Non-Standard.
My project is considered "Non-Standard," now what?
- Don't worry, we can still help! We'll just need more info in order to provide an accurate quote. Go ahead and submit you job's basic details here and include the keyword "Non-standard" in the "Special Instructions" field along with any details you have. We'll contact you with additional questions and provide a final quote based on the additional info you provide. If you prefer, feel free to contact us at Layout@ScreamingCircuits.com | 1-866-784-5887
What do I need to get a quote?
- Just answer a few questions about your board here to get started. After that we will contact you to get the ASCII netlist from your layout software and ask a few follow-up questions. Specifically, we'll need to know the board size (unless you want us to determine it), whether you want parts on one or both sides of the board, and if you have any special features, like a particular shape, RF traces, matched line lengths, or if you need components or mounting holes placed in particular locations.
What are "Components," "Nets," and "Nodes"?
- We need three data points to provide a quick Quote:
- # of Components: The total number of electrical parts contained in your design. For example, if you have 10 of the same resistors, 5 capacitors, and 2 ICs, your project would have 17 components.
- # of Nets: The number of unique electrical connections between devices / components.
- # of Nodes: The number of used pins / connection points in your design. For example, a pass-thru design with two 20-pin connectors would have 40 nodes.
How long will it take to get my final quote?
- If your board has no special requirements and fits our standard job profile, we will deliver a quote instantly online. If we need more information from you it may take two days after we get your details.
Are you going to Auto-Route my boards?
- No, experienced PCB designers who have been supporting our in-house design engineers for years perform our layouts. They provide the ‘common sense' and expertise that auto-routers lack. They know how to optimize a board for manufacture and keep it within IPC specs. They're also experts at meeting regulatory requirements for UL, CE, and all major certifications.
How soon will my layout be done?
- Boards vary from simple to complex, but we'll tell you how long it will take when we quote your boards. Our layout team is fast, but will take the time required to ensure that you receive a quality layout. We will have two reviews with you; one at part placement and one after routing. Your response time at these two points will impact our delivery time, but we plan ahead, so you can too!
What if I don't like the layout?
- We have two check-points in the layout process to make sure that the layout you receive will meet your needs. We'll send you check prints and schedule a review after the board outline is done and components have been placed, then again after routing. These are opportunities for you to provide feedback to ensure a successful design. If you have design requirements that fall outside the originally provided information we can quote further changes.
My quote seems excessive... ?
- Give us a call, and tell us why. We're refining our quoting process all the time. Your board may have features that are throwing off our calculations. If you draw our attention to it, we'll give your layout a closer review and modify our quote and our quoting process if you help us identify a shortcoming.
How do I get a netlist?
- We can help you. If you had your design performed out of house, you may have a .net or .asc file that is the netlist, or we can help you extract one from your schematic entry program. Let us know and we'll have an engineer contact you.
My board needs to fit in a particular case / location. How can we make that work?
- Give us a call and we'll have an engineer get back to you. If you have a mechanical drawing of what you want we can work from that. If you don't, we can design one for you.
How do I review my board during the check points?
- We'll send you plots in PDF format for you to look at ahead of time. At that time we'll also schedule a "live" review. During the live review we'll teleconference with you using a simple online conferencing program so that you and your layout engineer can see the board and discuss potential changes in real time.
How can I be sure my board is properly designed for manufacture (DFM)?
- Leave it to us! Our experienced engineers will provide you a list of suggestions if there are manufacturability issues with your design. We'll then work with you to make your board what you want.
What about testability?
- Our engineers have extensive experience with designing for test, as well. Whether you want simple MDA (Manufacturing Defect Analysis) or more comprehensive functional testing, we can design with those goals in mind – just let us know!
What will you deliver?
- We'll deliver a complete set of Gerbers, including drill chart, and mechanical drawings – everything a board house needs to make your board.
What if I need other engineering help?
- Let us know – we have electrical, software and mechanical engineers – an entire design team, plus manufacturing facilities. We regularly take projects from concept through production and product sustaining – we can help you with any step in the process. Give us a call and we'll have an engineer get back to you.