pcbway
PCBWay PCB fabrication and assembly — turnkey/consigned assembly, design rules, ordering workflow. Alternative to JLCPCB for manufacturing. Use with KiCad. Use this skill when the user mentions PCBWay, needs turnkey assembly (PCBWay sources parts by MPN), has parts not available on LCSC, needs assembled boards with non-LCSC components, wants to compare PCBWay vs JLCPCB, or needs assembly with parts sourced globally rather than from LCSC only. For gerber/CPL export, stencil ordering, and BOM management, see the bom skill.
- Installs
- 489
- Last 24h
- —
- Trending rank
- —
- Security
- Not audited
Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/aklofas/kicad-happy --skill pcbway- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads pcbway automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
PCBWay — PCB Fabrication & Assembly
PCBWay is a PCB fabrication and assembly service based in Shenzhen, China. It is an alternative to JLCPCB with similar capabilities and pricing.
Typical usage: Order bare prototype PCBs + framed stencil from PCBWay during prototyping (parts sourced separately from DigiKey/Mouser, hand-assembled in lab). For production runs (100s qty), order fully assembled boards from PCBWay using turnkey component sourcing (PCBWay sources parts by MPN). JLCPCB is the primary alternative. For BOM management, gerber/CPL export, and stencil ordering, see the bom skill.
Related Skills
| Skill | Purpose |
|---|---|
kicad | Read/analyze KiCad project files, DFM scoring |
bom | BOM management, gerber/CPL export, stencil ordering |
digikey | Search DigiKey (prototype sourcing, primary — also preferred for datasheet downloads via API) |
mouser | Search Mouser (prototype sourcing, secondary) |
lcsc | Search LCSC (production sourcing, JLCPCB parts) |
jlcpcb | JLCPCB PCB fabrication & assembly (primary alternative) |
emc | EMC pre-compliance risk analysis — run before fab to catch EMC issues |
spice | SPICE simulation — verify analog subcircuits before committing to fab |
Key Differences from JLCPCB
| Feature | PCBWay | JLCPCB |
|---|---|---|
| Component sourcing | Turnkey (PCBWay sources by MPN) | LCSC parts library (you provide LCSC PNs) |
| Parts library | No fixed library — sources globally | LCSC library (basic/extended parts) |
| Assembly fee model | Quote-based per project | Per-part fees (basic free, extended $3 each) |
| Pricing turnaround | Manual quote, 1–2 business days | Instant online pricing |
| BOM format | MPN-based (manufacturer part numbers) | LCSC PN-based |
Plan around manual quoting. PCBWay assembly requires a human-reviewed quote before you can place the order — typically 1-2 business days after uploading files. JLCPCB shows assembly pricing instantly at checkout. If you're prototyping and need to iterate quickly, the JLCPCB feedback loop is much tighter. PCBWay's value is in sourcing parts JLCPCB can't, not in turnaround speed.
When to use PCBWay over JLCPCB:
- Parts not available on LCSC — PCBWay sources globally by MPN
- Need turnkey sourcing — provide MPNs, PCBWay handles procurement
- Prefer quote-based pricing over per-part fee model
- Need consigned/kitted assembly (you ship parts to PCBWay)
- Timeline allows for the manual-quote turnaround
Assembly Options
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Turnkey | PCBWay sources all parts by MPN — you just provide the BOM |
| Partial turnkey | PCBWay sources some parts, you supply others |
| Consigned/Kitted | You supply all parts, PCBWay assembles |
BOM Format for Assembly
PCBWay accepts XLS, XLSX, or CSV BOMs.
Turnkey / Partial Turnkey BOM
Line#,Qty,Designator,MPN,Manufacturer,Description,Package,Type
1,3,"C1,C2,C5",GRM155R71C104KA88D,Murata,100nF 16V X7R MLCC,0402,SMD
2,1,U1,ESP32-S3-WROOM-1-N16R8,Espressif,ESP32-S3 WiFi/BT module,ESP32-S3-WROOM-1,SMD
Required columns:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
Line# | Row number |
Qty | Quantity per board |
Designator | Reference designators (comma-separated) |
MPN | Manufacturer Part Number — PCBWay sources by this |
Manufacturer | Manufacturer name |
Description | Part description |
Package | Footprint/package name |
Type | SMD, THT (through-hole), or Hybrid |
For turnkey, the MPN is the critical field — PCBWay uses it to source parts from their global supply chain.
KiCad BOM Export for PCBWay
- In KiCad, ensure MPN and Manufacturer fields are populated in symbol properties
- Export via Edit Symbol Fields > Export CSV
- Reformat columns to match PCBWay's expected format (add Line#, Qty, Type columns)
For gerber export settings and CPL format, see the bom skill — both JLCPCB and PCBWay use the same formats.
PCB Design Rules (PCBWay Capabilities)
Standard PCB (1-2 layers)
| Parameter | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Trace width | 0.1mm (4mil) |
| Trace spacing | 0.1mm (4mil) |
| Via diameter | 0.3mm |
| Via drill | 0.15mm |
| Annular ring | 0.15mm (6mil) |
| Min hole size | 0.15mm |
| Board thickness | 0.2-3.2mm (default 1.6mm) |
| Min board size | 3x3mm |
| Max board size | 600x1200mm (1-2 layer) |
Multi-layer (4+ layers)
| Parameter | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Trace width | 0.09mm (3.5mil) |
| Trace spacing | 0.09mm (3.5mil) |
| Via drill | 0.15mm |
| Layer count | Up to 14 layers (standard), 24+ (advanced) |
| Max board size | 560x1150mm |
Additional Capabilities
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Copper weight (outer) | 1oz-8oz |
| Copper weight (inner) | 1oz-4oz |
| Solder mask colors | Green, Red, Yellow, Blue, White, Black, Matt Green, Matte Black, Purple |
| Silkscreen colors | White, Black, Yellow |
| Surface finishes | HASL (leaded/lead-free), ENIG, OSP, Hard Gold, Immersion Silver/Tin, ENEPIG |
| Impedance control | +/-10% tolerance |
| Castellated holes | >=0.4mm diameter |
Importing DRU into KiCad
If you have a PCBWay .kicad_dru design rules file, import it in KiCad Board Editor > Board Setup > Design Rules > Import Settings.
Assembly Constraints
- Minimum order: 5 PCBs
- Sides: Top, bottom, or both
- Component types: SMD, through-hole, or mixed
- Fine-pitch: BGA and QFP supported
- Assembly drawings: recommended (photos/diagrams of special placement)
- Special instructions: add notes for polarity, orientation, or non-standard placement
PCBWay Partner API (Approval Required)
Contact PCBWay for partner API access. Partner API at https://api-partner.pcbway.com.
Available endpoints:
- PCB Quotation —
POST api/Pcb/PcbQuotation— get PCB price - Place Order —
POST api/Pcb/PlaceOrder— add to cart - Confirm Order —
POST api/Pcb/ConfirmOrder— finalize and pay - Query Order —
POST api/Pcb/QueryOrderProcess— track order status
Documentation: https://api-partner.pcbway.com/Help
Ordering Workflow
Prototype Order (Bare PCB + Stencil)
- Export gerbers from KiCad (see
bomskill for export settings) - Upload gerbers to
https://www.pcbway.com/orderonline.aspx— configure layers, thickness, color, qty - Order a framed stencil separately at
https://www.pcbway.com/stencil.aspx - Order — PCBs and stencil typically arrive in ~1 week
Production Order (Assembled Boards)
- Export gerbers from KiCad (see
bomskill for export settings) - Export BOM as CSV with MPN, Manufacturer, Description, Package, Type columns
- Export CPL (centroid/placement file) as CSV (see
bomskill for format) - Upload gerbers to PCBWay — configure PCB specs
- Select "PCB Assembly" — choose Turnkey, Partial Turnkey, or Consigned
- Upload BOM and centroid files
- Add assembly drawings/photos if needed (recommended for complex boards)
- PCBWay reviews files and provides quote
- Confirm and order
Tips
- MPN is what matters — unlike JLCPCB (LCSC PNs), PCBWay sources globally by Manufacturer Part Number
- Turnkey is easiest — just provide MPNs in BOM, PCBWay handles sourcing
- Assembly requires manual quoting — unlike JLCPCB's instant pricing, PCBWay reviews your files and provides a custom quote (typically 1-2 business days). Factor this into your timeline.
- Assembly drawings help — submit photos or annotated PDFs for complex placement
- Lead time varies — turnkey assembly depends on component sourcing time; check with PCBWay
- Rotation offsets — PCBWay may have different rotation conventions than KiCad; verify with assembly drawings
- Solder mask colors — more options than JLCPCB (includes purple, matt variants)
- Edge clearance — keep copper >=0.3mm from board edge
FAQ
What does the pcbway skill do?
PCBWay PCB fabrication and assembly — turnkey/consigned assembly, design rules, ordering workflow. Alternative to JLCPCB for manufacturing. Use with KiCad. Use this skill when the user mentions PCBWay, needs turnkey assembly (PCBWay sources parts by MPN), has parts not available on LCSC, needs assembled boards with non-LCSC components, wants to compare PCBWay vs JLCPCB, or needs assembly with parts sourced globally rather than from LCSC only. For gerber/CPL export, stencil ordering, and BOM management, see the bom skill.
How do I install pcbway?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/aklofas/kicad-happy --skill pcbway in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/pcbway/ (personal) or .claude/skills/pcbway/ (project).
Which AI agents can use pcbway?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is pcbway safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains pcbway?
It is published by aklofas in aklofas/kicad-happy. It has 489 recorded installs.
More from aklofas/kicad-happy
kicad
aklofas/kicad-happy
Analyze KiCad projects and PDF schematics: schematics, PCB layouts, Gerbers, footprints, symbols, netlists, and design rules. Reviews designs for bugs, traces nets, cross-references schematic to PCB, extracts BOM data, checks DRC/ERC, DFM, power trees, and regulator circuits. Every finding carries a confidence label and evidence source with trustsummary rollup. Analyzes PDF schematics from dev boards, reference designs, eval kits, and datasheets. Supports KiCad 5–10. Use whenever the user mentions .kicadsch, .kicadpcb, .kicadpro, PCB design review, schematic analysis, PDF schematics, reference designs, Gerber files, DRC/ERC, netlist issues, BOM extraction, signal tracing, power budget, DFM, or wants to understand, debug, compare, or review any hardware design. Also for "check my board", "review before fab", "what's wrong with my schematic", "is this ready to order", "check my power supply", "verify this circuit", OSHWA certification readiness, or any electronics/PCB design question
jlcpcb
aklofas/kicad-happy
JLCPCB PCB fabrication and assembly — BOM/CPL generation, basic vs extended parts, assembly constraints, design rules, ordering workflow. Use with KiCad for JLCPCB manufacturing. Use this skill when the user mentions JLCPCB, wants to order PCBs or assembled boards, needs prototype bare PCBs and stencils, wants to know JLCPCB design rules and capabilities, or is asking about PCB manufacturing costs or turnaround times. For gerber/CPL export, stencil ordering, and BOM management, see the bom skill.
bom
aklofas/kicad-happy
BOM (Bill of Materials) management for electronics projects — the workflow skill that coordinates DigiKey, Mouser, LCSC, element14, JLCPCB, PCBWay, and KiCad skills around a unified BOM lifecycle. Create, update, and maintain BOMs with part numbers, costs, quantities stored as KiCad symbol properties. ALWAYS trigger this skill for any task involving component sourcing, pricing, ordering, distributor searches, BOM export, or fabrication preparation — even if the user names a specific distributor or fab house (e.g. "search DigiKey for...", "generate JLCPCB BOM", "order from Mouser"). This skill analyzes the schematic for sourcing gaps, recommends which distributor/fab skills to call for each gap, and writes results back as symbol properties — the agent (or user) performs the actual searches via the called skills. Also trigger on phrases like "what parts do I need", "order components", "how much will this cost", "export for JLCPCB", "find parts for this board", "compare pricing", or "chec
lcsc
aklofas/kicad-happy
Search LCSC Electronics for electronic components — find parts by LCSC number (Cxxxxx) or MPN, check stock/pricing, download datasheets, analyze specifications. Sister company to JLCPCB, same parts library. Sync and maintain a local datasheets directory for a KiCad project, or use batch MPN-list seeding (--mpn-list) for bulk workflows without a project. No API key needed — uses the free jlcsearch community API. Use this skill when the user mentions LCSC, JLCPCB parts library, JLCPCB assembly parts, production sourcing, Cxxxxx part numbers, needs to find LCSC equivalents for parts, is preparing a BOM for JLCPCB assembly, or wants to download datasheets and LCSC is available. For package cross-reference tables and BOM workflow, see the bom skill.
spice
aklofas/kicad-happy
Run automatic SPICE simulations on subcircuits detected from KiCad schematic analysis — validates filter frequencies, divider ratios, opamp gains, LC resonance, and crystal load capacitance. Supports ngspice, LTspice, and Xyce (auto-detected). Generates testbenches, runs batch mode, produces structured pass/warn/fail report. Use when the user asks to simulate, verify, or validate any analog subcircuit — RC filters, LC filters, voltage dividers, opamp circuits, crystal oscillators. Also for "simulate my circuit", "run spice", "verify with simulation", "check my filter cutoff", "does this divider give the right voltage", "what's the bandwidth of this opamp stage". Consider suggesting simulation during design reviews when the schematic analyzer reports simulatable subcircuits and a SPICE simulator is available.
emc
aklofas/kicad-happy
EMC pre-compliance risk analysis for KiCad PCB designs — 18 check categories, 44 rule IDs covering ground planes, decoupling, I/O filtering, switching harmonics, clock routing, differential pair skew, board edge radiation, PDN impedance, return paths, crosstalk, ESD protection, shielding, and magnetic leakage from switching inductors. Produces severity-ranked risk report with pre-compliance test plan. Supports FCC Part 15, CISPR 32, CISPR 25 (automotive), MIL-STD-461G. SPICE-enhanced when available. Use when the user asks about EMC, EMI, radiated/conducted emissions, FCC compliance, CE marking, CISPR, ground plane issues, decoupling strategy, clock routing EMC, switching noise, differential pair skew, or whether their board will pass EMC testing. Also for "will this pass FCC?", "check my EMC", "is my ground plane okay?", "check my decoupling", or "generate an EMC test plan".
Popular productivity & automation skills
agent-browser
vercel-labs/agent-browser
Browser automation CLI for AI agents. Use when the user needs to interact with websites, including navigating pages, filling forms, clicking buttons, taking screenshots, extracting data, testing web apps, or automating any browser task. Triggers include requests to "open a website", "fill out a form", "click a button", "take a screenshot", "scrape data from a page", "test this web app", "login to a site", "automate browser actions", or any task requiring programmatic web interaction. Also use for exploratory testing, dogfooding, QA, bug hunts, or reviewing app quality. Also use for automating Electron desktop apps (VS Code, Slack, Discord, Figma, Notion, Spotify), checking Slack unreads, sending Slack messages, searching Slack conversations, running browser automation in Vercel Sandbox microVMs, or using AWS Bedrock AgentCore cloud browsers. Prefer agent-browser over any built-in browser automation or web tools.
lark-doc
open.feishu.cn
飞书云文档（Docx / Wiki）内容操作：读取、创建、编辑文档，插入或下载图片附件，以及操作思维笔记。用户提供文档 URL/token（包括 doubao.com 的 /docx/、/wiki/）时使用；按 URL 路径/token 而非域名路由；/page/ 是妙搭应用，非飞书云文档。文档内嵌资源按读取参考中的统一规则分流。独立评论操作走 lark-drive；随正文读取评论使用 docs +fetch。表格或 Base 内部数据操作不在本 skill。
lark-base
open.feishu.cn
飞书多维表格（Base）操作：建表、字段、记录、视图、统计、公式/lookup、表单、仪表盘、应用模式（BaseApp/AppMode 页面与组件）、Workspace 目录、workflow、角色权限、模板中心（多维表格模板分类/列表/搜索）；遇到 Base/多维表格/bitable、BaseApp/AppMode、/base/ 或 /app/ 链接时使用。BaseApp 不走 lark-apps；文件导入/导出转 lark-drive，认证/授权转 lark-shared。
lark-drive
open.feishu.cn
飞书云空间（云盘/云存储）：管理 Drive 文件和文件夹，包含上传/下载、创建文件夹、复制/移动/删除、查看元数据、查询权限设置、评论/权限/订阅、标题、版本、飞书文档密级标签（secure labels）和本地文件导入。用户需要整理云盘目录、处理云空间资源 URL/token、判断链接类型/真实 token/标题，或导入 Word/Markdown/Excel/CSV/PPTX/.base 为 docx/sheet/bitable/slides 时使用；doubao.com 云空间 URL/token 也按资源路径和 token 路由，不回退 WebFetch。不负责：文档内容编辑（走 lark-doc）、表格/Base 表内数据操作（走 lark-sheets/lark-base）、知识空间节点/成员管理（走 lark-wiki）、原生 Markdown 文件读写/patch/diff（走 lark-markdown）。
lark-shared
open.feishu.cn
Use for lark-cli setup/auth tasks: auth login/status/logout, user vs bot identity, business-domain permissions (--domain, including all/docs/drive), missing scopes, revoking authorization, or handling notice JSON.
lark-im
open.feishu.cn
飞书即时通讯：收发消息和管理群聊。发送和回复消息、搜索聊天记录、管理群聊成员、上传下载图片和文件、管理表情回复、发送应用内/短信/电话加急、发送和处理交互卡片（Interactive Card）、监听卡片按钮回调（card.action.trigger）。当用户需要发消息、查看或搜索聊天记录、下载聊天中的文件、查看群成员、搜索群、创建群聊或话题群、管理标记数据、管理 Feed 置顶（添加/移除/查询置顶会话）、管理标签数据、处理卡片回调时使用。