Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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Question: I am new here. Can you help me navigate through this website? What are the things I can do on this website?
Answer: See our quick link page here for all the features on this website. |
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You can help to ensure that your PCBs gets manufactured without being put on hold. Please review these common reason for on-holds.
- Any file is corrupt or missing
- PCB Fabrication Print is not supplied, or it is missing the following:
- Material type and finished thickness of the board
- Finished copper weight
- Board dimensions and outline
- Cut outs or slots information
- Discrepancies between Gerber files and PCB Fabrication Print
- Board Construction is not defined
- Surface finish not defined
- No Drill file available.
- Drill file is not ASCII format
- Missing holes
- Plated and Non-Plated holes not defined
- No Aperture list available
- No layer stack up information available
- Gerber files not scaled one to one
- Thermal connections missing on plane layers
- Plane Layers should be supplied in negative format for the following reasons:
- Negative layers, in many cases, are not as large of a file size as positive layer files
- Negative layers are much quicker to work with when we run our Engineering Analysis
- Positive layers contribute to longer test times in final test.
- Polygons in plane layers and signal layers are not desired for the following reasons:
- Our CAD program will attempt to fill the polygons automatically but can miss some areas on the layers. This would result in missing data and possibly a non-functional board.
Important note for customers who want Electrical Testing of their circuit boards:
We expect customers to provide IPC Netlist for the boards that need to be electricaly tested. If IPC Netlist is not provided in 356 format, Sierra Circuits will create a netlist from the incoming customer Gerber files to generate an electrical test program. In such cases, Sierra Circuits cannot guarantee, nor can it be liable for the electrical performance of the boards, since the test program itself is derived from the files submitted.
Q. How can I establish credit?
Answer: (Note that Internet orders are through credit card (Amex/Visa/MC/Discover) only).
For orders through your Account Managers, standard terms are net 30. Anything
different must have written approval. Fax your credit information to
408-735-1408 with Attn: Credit Department on the cover sheet.
Please fax the following: Your name, company, address, bank references and at
least 3 trade references.
Q. How are taxes calculated?
Answer: No Sales Tax is charged for orders shipped to a location outside of
California. All Engineering charges are taxed as per California tax law. To
exempt a standard, full service order from tax, you must submit a purchase order
clearly stating that boards are for resale and include resale number on the day
of the order, as well as a resale card.
For our online specials, you can upload resale card information on the website while placing the order.
Q. Can I use my own FedEx account?
Answer: For Full Service Internet orders, we accept your FedEx account number.
Please use your Account Manager to place orders with your FedEx account number.
(1) For orders shipped to a California address, appropriate CA sales tax WILL be charged to your account unless re-sale information has been provided. Please call customer service if you have any questions about this.
(2) The order Ship Date will be calculated based on when we receive your complete and accurate design files. We now recommend sending us your files during the order process for quicker processing.
(3) We have the right to refuse or requote any order within 24 hours of order placement.
(4) Cut off time is 5 pm PST. Any orders received by that time will start next business day as Day 1.
(5) Limited Liability: Warranty extends only to bare PCBs and does not apply after components are added by you or others. Our liability shall not exceed price paid by you for the ordered PCBs. No change or addition to the terms on our Quote, or any additional or different terms on your purchase order, shall be binding on us unless executed in writing by one of our officers.
(6) Manufacturing Optimizations: As most other PCB manufacturers, we may make simple optimizations to your design to ensure boards are manufactured correctly. Such changes do not affect the electrical functionality of your design. These may include:
A) Teardrops may be added to pad/trace interfaces to ensure better connectivity.
B) Slivers less than .005" may be filled in to prevent resist slivers on the panels.
C) Soldermask dams that are less than .004" wide between SMD pads which have a .003" minimum clearance may be gang relieved.
D) Silkscreen may be clipped to ensure it does not get on top of pads/copper features.
E) If your design calls for green LPI soldermask, please note that we may elect to use the new Taiyo LDI green soldermask (PSR 9000 LDI), which is slightly different visually but otherwise has same functionality as regular soldermask.
(7) If you have chosen to get Electrical Testing for your PCBs, we recommend you provide the IPC Netlist in 356 format. If you can not provide this, we will create a netlist from the incoming customer Gerber files to generate an electrical test program. In such cases, we cannot guarantee, nor can we be liable for the electrical performance of the boards, since the electrical test program itself is derived from the files you submitted.
8) TOLERANCES: If specific tolerances are not provided, Sierra Circuits will typically use these guidelines:
- Tolerances on Hole diameters will be +/- .003”
- Tolerances on Routed features will be +/- .010” edge to edge and +/- .005” hole to edge (or feature to edge)
(9) We take customer data security very seriously. Any credit card information is stored in a strongly encrypted format. We may retain credit card information for 6 or more months for our accounting needs or to enable you to easily re-order.
(10) All orders are FOB Sunnyvale, California, unless otherwise specified in writing by us.
Disclaimer: We strive to keep information on this page relevant and
accurate. However, some information may change over time or may be out-of-date
at the time you read it. You can confirm any information by contacting our
Customer Service.
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