I just got an order from JLCPCB, and they screwed up the front panels. If you’re using a recent version of my panels footprints, be warned there may be a similar problem awaiting you.
I got this email after uploading my order:
Sorry to bother you, but there is an issue that we want to confirm with you before proceeding.
As shown below,the yellow solder mask opening can’t match the circles, is that normal? Shall we proceed as per gerber file?
Nevertheless I uploaded for them newly generated Gerbers in case there was in fact a problem with them. To that I received no reply, instead they put the order into production, and this is what I got:
Note that these were done using exactly the same footprints as I have used for multiple orders and the same major version of KiCad as for my order last September, and there has never been a problem; all of these were fabricated correctly. And again, both Gerber viewers show the mask aligned correctly. So evidently at JLCPCB their production software has some new bug in it — and their engineers are not understanding the meaning of the phrase “not correct” when I tell it to them.
I have sent them a sternly worded email. I would hope they will acknowledge their error, rerun the boards correctly, and send them to me without charge and without needing me to ship the faulty ones back. I hope.
I hear they take quality very seriously, so I bet they will do that. But it’s gotta be annoying to lose time.
Despite the fancy order form, the JLC process seems quite manual.
Someone mentioned one of my boards that they accepted just fine on my orders caused an upsell to ENIG during their own review.
One of my orders with 2 boards had the normal PCB accepted within two minutes, but the panel with a note saying “Ignore electrical error” took two hours to be accepted (of course, I don’t mind such a short wait, but it shows the panel was “escalated” to a different reviewer). I also received 10 of those panels instead of the 5 ordered (with no quality issues).
For SMD designs, they suggest having silkscreen mark showing Pin 1 for the chips so they can confirm visually your rotations are OK, I hear they frequently have to adjust them (sometimes chips can be available in multiple rotations on the reels).
Whatever you send, expect some engineer on the other end will do a few manual adjustments in a hurry
I’m glad to hear they’re offering to redo them! I ordered some of your YASH pcbs and boards as a hopefully-start-the-new-year-off-right project a weekish ago. They went through the manufacturing process with no issues, so I’ll be curious to see what I get in the mail.
I’ve had several problems with jlc and for the most part they have been quite cooperative - eventually. It feels like their policy is to offer as little compensation as possible, but if you persist they usually resolve the problems as you request.
