From EasyEDA Pro to JLCPCB: One-Click Ordering and SMT Assembly

Generating the Fabrication Files

Imagine you have finished routing your board in EasyEDA Pro, every trace drawn and every part placed — the next step is turning that virtual design into a real copper board you can hold. This is where the fabrication files and one-click ordering to JLCPCB come in. In this article we walk you through generating Gerber, BOM, and CPL, pushing them straight into the JLCPCB cart, choosing fab options and SMT assembly, and reviewing the 3D preview before final confirmation.

The foundation of any order is the Gerber files: standard text files that describe each layer of the board (copper, solder mask, silkscreen, board outline) as a 2D drawing, plus the drill file that defines the position and diameter of every hole.

How to generate them in EasyEDA Pro

• From the PCB editor, open the fabrication output function (Fabrication / Gerber).
• The tool produces a Gerber + Drill package compressed into a single ZIP, ready to upload.
• Use the built-in Gerber viewer to verify the layers before sending — confirm the board outline (Edge) is closed and the solder mask exposes the correct pads.

Tip: if you use one-click ordering you do not need to export the ZIP manually — EasyEDA Pro generates the files internally and pushes them directly. Still, it is wise to preview the layers first.

The BOM and Pick-and-Place (CPL) Files

If you want the factory to solder the parts for you (not just fabricate the bare board), you need two extra files: the BOM and the CPL.

The Bill of Materials (BOM) is a table listing every component on the board:

The Pick-and-Place (CPL) file tells the placement machine where to put each part:

• X and Y coordinates of each component center.
• Rotation angle.
• Side (top / bottom).

The big advantage in EasyEDA Pro: because the parts carry LCSC numbers from the library, the BOM and CPL are generated automatically with correct part-number mapping — no error-prone manual entry.

One-Click Ordering From JLCPCB

The feature that sets EasyEDA Pro apart is its direct integration with JLCPCB (both belong to the same parent company). Instead of exporting files and uploading them by hand, the tool pushes the Gerber + BOM + CPL package straight into a JLCPCB cart that is pre-filled with all your design data.

Contrast this with the KiCad workflow:

In practice you click the order button inside the editor, the JLCPCB page opens already populated with the layer count, board dimensions, and component list — you only need to review the specs and confirm.

Choosing Fabrication Specifications

Once your order reaches JLCPCB, the fabrication options appear. The defaults suit most prototypes, but it helps to understand each one:

The key technical decision here is the surface finish: HASL (tin) is cheaper and fine for hand soldering, while ENIG (gold) is flatter and better suited to fine-pitch footprints like QFN and BGA.

To choose thickness, copper weight, and finish correctly for your application, see the manufacturing standards article (IPC-2221) in this wiki before locking in your options.

SMT Assembly Service

If you enable the SMT assembly service, the factory solders the surface-mount parts onto the board automatically. The main choices:

1. Side: pick which side (top or bottom) gets populated — assembling one side is cheaper.
2. Service level: Economic is cheaper and slower, while Standard is faster and supports finer parts and both sides.
3. Part availability: check each part's classification:
   • Basic: always loaded on the placement machines, no extra setup fee.
   • Extended: requires a manual reel load, adding a fee per type.
4. Stencil: if you decide to hand-solder later, order a metal stencil to apply solder paste precisely.

Prefer Basic parts wherever possible during design — they save setup fees and speed up fabrication noticeably.

Reviewing the 3D Preview and Confirming

Before you pay, JLCPCB shows a 3D preview of the board with the parts placed. This step is not cosmetic — it is your last line of defense against the most common assembly errors.

Inspect with your eyes:

• Each part's placement: is it over the correct footprint?
• Rotation angle: are the ICs oriented correctly? Rotation mismatch is the number-one error in automated assembly.
• Polarity: verify the orientation of diodes, polarized capacitors, and ICs (the Pin 1 marker).

If you notice a part that is flipped or rotated wrong, go back to the PCB editor, fix the footprint orientation, and regenerate. When every part looks right, confirm the order and pay.

Cost and Lead Time

One of the best things about this pipeline is that the prototype cost is very low: a small 2-layer board can cost just a few dollars, with an assembly setup fee added on top.

Factors that raise the cost:

• Layer count: moving from 2 to 4 layers raises the price.
• Assembly: the number of parts and how many sides are populated.
• Extended parts: each Extended type adds a load fee.
• Shipping: often the largest line on a prototype invoice — faster shipping costs more.

Lead time is the fabrication time (a few days for a bare board, longer with assembly) plus international shipping time.

Summary

We saw how an EasyEDA Pro design becomes a real board through one integrated pipeline:

1. Generate Gerber + Drill and verify the layers.
2. BOM and CPL are produced automatically with LCSC part mapping.
3. One-click ordering pushes everything into a pre-filled JLCPCB cart.
4. Choose fabrication specs (1.6mm, 1oz, HASL/ENIG).
5. Enable SMT assembly and check part availability.
6. Review the 3D preview to catch rotation and polarity errors.
7. Confirm the order at a low prototype cost.

This direct integration removes most manual upload steps and reduces errors — taking you from idea to an assembled board with the least possible friction.