What are the current options for homemade PCB boards?
I was intrigued by something I heard about ironing and laser printers but after furhter research this seems to be very difficult and over-the-top compared to a UV light box like we used to have at school as it still requires the acid etching.
Matt
I was intrigued by something I heard about ironing and laser printers but after furhter research this seems to be very difficult and over-the-top compared to a UV light box like we used to have at school as it still requires the acid etching.
Matt
PCBs
I've made a ton of Homebrew PCBoards.
Currently I think the easiet way for DIYers is with a laser printer and special transfer paper. I transfer the board art with an old iron. PRetty Simple.
You can use a board layout program to design the board art. There are a few available for free online. In school I used a version of P-Spice that included board layout, but on my home computer I use a program called "Eagle Layout."
Find lots of info about Transfer paper and other info at:
http://www.techniks.com/
I've made a ton of Homebrew PCBoards.
Currently I think the easiet way for DIYers is with a laser printer and special transfer paper. I transfer the board art with an old iron. PRetty Simple.
You can use a board layout program to design the board art. There are a few available for free online. In school I used a version of P-Spice that included board layout, but on my home computer I use a program called "Eagle Layout."
Find lots of info about Transfer paper and other info at:
http://www.techniks.com/
Eagle? As in cadsoft eagle? from www.cadsoft.de ??
If it's the one you use, it's a very nice program. Use it at work, and use it at home. The free version is nice, but in my opinion worth the money for the schematic editor.
As for board options, I agree that a UV light source is best. I use an inkjet printer, and transparencies to do my photo work. I bought a blacklight for $20, and set it on some 6 inch spacers above my artwork. Takes about 6 minutes to expose a board. Works fine, and makes a neat party light too!
I've also found a few good board houses. (Check a thread "Boardhouses, who's good". Some are as low as $14 each! (very good deal!)
-Dan
If it's the one you use, it's a very nice program. Use it at work, and use it at home. The free version is nice, but in my opinion worth the money for the schematic editor.
As for board options, I agree that a UV light source is best. I use an inkjet printer, and transparencies to do my photo work. I bought a blacklight for $20, and set it on some 6 inch spacers above my artwork. Takes about 6 minutes to expose a board. Works fine, and makes a neat party light too!
I've also found a few good board houses. (Check a thread "Boardhouses, who's good". Some are as low as $14 each! (very good deal!)
-Dan
After struggling with most budget DIY PCB production techniques including iron-on (waste of time) I realised the only way was to spend some money.
I now use a light box made from an aluminium camera case, 4 UV tubes,some angle bracket and a piece of glass. For drilling I use a Minicraft pillar drill (often on ebay) and a tungsten bit. HSS bits are a waste of time because the fibreglass boards blunt them almost immediately. Tungsten bits cost more and last forever but will break if used in a handheld drill.
I use an inkjet printer for producing the transparencies, I make two copies and align one on the other to achieve the density. Boards should be exposed with the ink-side against the board.
Ikea sell some high sided storage boxes with lids that are ideal for developing and etching and are about half the price of etching trays.
The total cost was under £200 and I can now produce consistent boards quickly and with very little waste and no frustration.
I now use a light box made from an aluminium camera case, 4 UV tubes,some angle bracket and a piece of glass. For drilling I use a Minicraft pillar drill (often on ebay) and a tungsten bit. HSS bits are a waste of time because the fibreglass boards blunt them almost immediately. Tungsten bits cost more and last forever but will break if used in a handheld drill.
I use an inkjet printer for producing the transparencies, I make two copies and align one on the other to achieve the density. Boards should be exposed with the ink-side against the board.
Ikea sell some high sided storage boxes with lids that are ideal for developing and etching and are about half the price of etching trays.
The total cost was under £200 and I can now produce consistent boards quickly and with very little waste and no frustration.
I've had perfectly good results from a big-ish (250W photoflood) bulb, which is probably cheaper than a UV tube. Exposure time is something like 90 seconds, at a distance of 30cm. It requires a bit of experimentation, particularly if you make up the developer solution yourself - too strong and everything washes off.
I found the spray-on photoresist is perfectly OK and much cheaper than ready-made photoresist boards; baking it overnight in the airing cupboard(*) helps to ensure good adhesion.
For the transparencies, to be honest I usually do it with old-fashioned drafting film, drawing pens and transfers - attempts with an old inkjet printer proved insufficiently opaque. Photocopying onto overheap projector transparencies seems to work (if somewhat longwinded).
Cheers
IH
(*) a small cupboard containing the water heater or hot water tank - its main virtues here being dark and warm (~40 deg C).
I found the spray-on photoresist is perfectly OK and much cheaper than ready-made photoresist boards; baking it overnight in the airing cupboard(*) helps to ensure good adhesion.
For the transparencies, to be honest I usually do it with old-fashioned drafting film, drawing pens and transfers - attempts with an old inkjet printer proved insufficiently opaque. Photocopying onto overheap projector transparencies seems to work (if somewhat longwinded).
Cheers
IH
(*) a small cupboard containing the water heater or hot water tank - its main virtues here being dark and warm (~40 deg C).
audioaction said:
A Silk screen, is like a window screen (but with very fine mesh) that has a emulsion affixed to it. The emulsion etched by a photo process, much like the photoresist used to etch the copper. This leaves a pattern with all of the text and symbols wanted on the board. Paint is then wiped across the screen, and passes through to the board where there is no emulsion. This leaves the paint where it's wanted. You need one screen for each color of paint to be used. (Check with any local hobby shop that prints T-shirts with silk a screen process, they may be able to show you the procedure)
As far as I know, that's how the silk screen is added to the board. There may be a more modern approach, that I'm not aware of.
-Dan
There is a cheaper alternative to using specially designed transfer paper. Check out this post I made a while back:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=22110#post22110
The paper is around $11 or $12usd for a package of 100 sheets.
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=22110#post22110
The paper is around $11 or $12usd for a package of 100 sheets.
For transferring my artwork to the photoresistant, I use the cheapest method possible: Print it on normal paper using my laser printer, and later making that normal paper transparent by applying cooking oil. Exposure time will be a bit higher and you have to clean your light box afterwards, but it works very good. I once tried this when I ran out of transparent paper at a weekend and never came back to buying exotic stuff.
Another thing I found is that it gives way better results if you apply the photoresistant yourself rather than buying pre-made boards. They don't last very long and if you don't buy from shops with a very short shelf live, you're lost.
I'm one of those who make a PCB for everything, and I've done 100s with this method. Works good for me.
Another thing I found is that it gives way better results if you apply the photoresistant yourself rather than buying pre-made boards. They don't last very long and if you don't buy from shops with a very short shelf live, you're lost.
I'm one of those who make a PCB for everything, and I've done 100s with this method. Works good for me.
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