JLCPCB : thanks people for your feedback !
![ThumbsUp :-+](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/icon_smile_thumbsup.gif.pagespeed.ce._JElyJQqdB.gif)
Wow so you can get any shape routed free of charge, I honestly would never have believed it.. PCB manufacturing gets cheaper and better year after year, definitely a fast moving industry ! My last and first project, 15 years ago, I got the PCB done by " PCBPool ", a Scottish company IIRC. Took 3 weeks to get the boards, and cost me an arm and a leg. Like 85 Euros (100+ bucks) for a Euro size (160x100mm) through-hole double sided PCB, drilled, no solder mask and and no silkscreen, or else it would have been more like 250 Euros... Stencil was available but cost a mega fortune. Of course I got only one single board, not 2 nor 3 never mind 5 of them.
Had I known they would route any shape for free, I would have saved a good amount of money : but too late I just ordered today ! :-(
Initially my board was 20x15mm, and I had made a "notch" on one edge, so that the board can clear the 3 wires as they come out of the cable strain relief piece. I thought pfff... gonna have to file that notch by hand for every single board.. that more work/time during assembly. So I tried to make the board more compact, so I can get rid of the notch by making the board smaller 20x11mm.... was quite proud of myself, managed to fit it all, got rid of the notch, yeahhhh... A "panel" was made, so I can get V-scoring. 45 boards on a 100x100mm "panel". I ordered, price was dirt cheap, 2 USD + 1 USD for lead-free finish.. for 5 of them ! 3 bucks.... and only 2 buck for shipping to France, incredible. Grand total with customs and taxes.. 7+ USD ! Truly unbelievable.
So I paid that. 30 minutes later I get an e-mail saying : HEY ! Your board as too freaking small, one of the dimensions is less than 15mm ! This will make V-scoring a pain for us ! So we request that you pay a 15 USD supplement ! IF you don't you lose oyur order and the money you have already paid ! ".
Cool.... 3 bucks now turned into 18.... 500% increase.. and I don't get to cancel my order or submit new Gerber files / design... no, you just have to pay whatever we say we want !
![Sad :(](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/xsad.gif.pagespeed.ic.L3FGyzQrjB.png)
So ha dI known... I would have just submitted my first design, 20x15 with the notch, they would not have complained about the size, and the notch would have been routed, wouldn't even have to file it by hand !
Also, made a fake order this time submitting a single board rather a panel of 45. Turned out 3 times cheaper this way !
![Angry >:(](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/xangry.gif.pagespeed.ic.0w4zhwjvDw.png)
Lesson(s) learned....
Luckily in the grand scheme of things even with the 15 USD supplement, the grand total is still only 20 Euros or so.. which is probably 5 times cheaper than what it would have cost me had I get the boards done by one of western European PCB houses... so, still quite happy with JLCPCB none the less!
![Cool 8)](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/xcool.gif.pagespeed.ic.cOxV6sPNRd.png)