Welcome to the Electrical and Computer Engineering Printed Circuit Board Help Page

ATTENTION: THERE IS A ONE WEEK TURNAROUND FOR PCBs AND 3D PRINTS. ORDERS WILL BE PROCESSED IN THE ORDER THEY ARE RECEIVED.

Links to DesignSpark PCB Tips.

If you need to use DesignSpark PCB 7.1 off-campus, please, follow the instructions here to set up a remote connection to our ECE Software Server.

To request fabrication

Click here to see PCB Specifications for Fabrication. Be sure to meet all design specifications for your chosen fabricator.

Out-of-House PCB

  1. Generally you'll produce the following Gerber(*.gbr) and drill files (*.drl) in your PCB layout software package:
    • Copper top and bottom
    • Solder mask top and bottom
    • Silkscreen top (include your group number and member names if you like and there is room)
    • Board outline
    • NC Drill file
    • NOTE: Oshpark has a specific naming convention. See the PCB Specifications page for more details.
  2. For Advanced Circuits boards only, upload your files on FreeDFM first. Fix any problems they send back to you and try again until the problems are resolved.
  3. Fill out the ECE Parts Order Form (write or type) https://www.ndsu.edu/ece/resources/forms/
  4. Have your advisor sign the form if you're ordering more than one board, if your board is more than 2 layers, if it is extra large or for anything else that increases the cost above the standard price. Otherwise, Jeff will sign/okay it himself.
  5. Email the zipped files to Jeff. You must also include the board's dimensions in inches (x" X y")
  6. Jeff will place the order. He will likely put the PCB(s) on your station when it arrives. Feel free to check in with him to make sure that he placed the order and to find out if the fab house has shipped it yet.

In-House PCB

  • Generate your PCB design using your favorite software. We recommend using DesignSpark PCB.
  • Generate the Gerber files for your design, specifically we need the Top Copper, Bottom Copper, and Outline layers along with the NC Drill File (not the one labeled unplated).
  • Compress these into a *.zip file named with your Senior Design Group Number and short, descriptive title (EX: SD0101-rectifier.zip)
  • Send an email to ndsuece@gmail.com titled with your Senior Design Group Number and "PCB Fab" (EX: SD0101 PCB Fab) with the zip attached. If you have any specific requests, put them in the body of your email

In-House 3D Printing

  • Generate your 3D CAD file using your favorite software.
  • From this 3D CAD file, generate a *.stl. If your design is large, consider breaking it up into multiple *.stl files.
  • Compress your file(s) into a *.zip file named with your Senior Design Group Number and short, descriptive title (EX: SD0101-box.zip)
  • Send an email to ndsuece@gmail.com titled with your Senior Design Group Number and "3D Print" (EX: SD0101 3D Print) with the zip attached. If you have any specific requests, put them in the body of your email