Seven evergreen articles on how boards are designed, quoted, built and inspected. None of them report a company event — they explain the engineering behind the price.
Every article below is a working note rather than a report. Filter by category, or read the full text.
A working method for estimating what a layer count will cost you: which line items scale with layers, which scale with area, and how to test whether your design can drop a layer before you order one.
Annular ring, aspect ratio, copper balance, mask dam, creepage, outline and test access: the manufacturability checks worth running on the Gerbers before anything is cut, and the ones that still get missed.
Two routes to the same thin envelope: a bendable flex section that removes the connector, or a denser interconnect stack that removes the area. The cost, yield and reliability trade-offs differ in kind, not just in price.
Solderability, planarity, contact resistance, thermal behaviour and cost: how the four mainstream finishes differ, where each one fails in practice, and which single question about your board should decide the choice for you.
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