DIY plated through hole PCBs?

[Bricolo]

Hi,


I wanted to know if there is a method to make double side boards, with plated through holes.

Does someone know such a method?

thanks
Alex

 

[peranders]

One method is to tape on one side and create a groundplane. This pcb is made of a handmade original of black pcb tape. The picture shows a headphone amp made of Supertex mosfets. I was made in 1984-1986, not sure.

A second pcb is here

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.

 

[Bricolo]

Sure! But look at your red wima cap, and imagine you have to solder one of its leg to ground.

How do you do this?

 

[peranders]

In that case you have to lift it 2 mm or so. You can also drill an extra hole beside the cap and then bend the wire on the solder side.

Those big darkblue caps are solderd into the groundplane from the upper side. You must have a little technique, that's all.

If you check the second picture you can see the tin under the cap.
http://home5.swipnet.se/~w-50674/hifi_pics/hifi_100pr/qsxm2_old.jpg

 

[Bricolo]

That's how I also did it.

But I wanted to know it the plated through hols technique was available to the average diyer 😉


thanks

 

[SupraGuy]

I've seen a kit for through-hole plating, so it can be done. The through-hole is kind of like a rivet, and you flatten out the pads on either end.

 

[kilowattski]

What you are looking for is called a "Via". It is not a plated thru hole but as the last poster put it a rivet type device that can be inserted so the top and bottom lands can contact each other.

 

[DSchmidt]

There is a good web page that has some information on the bottom about DIY plated through holes. Not much info and it points to a process that you might not be using already but its worth a read:


web.media.mit.edu/~ladyada/resources/inhouseetch.html

I was wondering the same thing, but can only figure on soldering from the top when required. If you find more info, please pass it along.

David

 

[Bricolo]

here's what I found

http://www.cif.fr/new/produits_aff.php3?cat=1&scat=5&sscat=35&p=346&lng=en

I haven't bought it now

 

[Henrik Juhl]

Reichelt (www.reichelt.de) has what you are looking for - do a search for 'BEL FAVORIT' and you will find a handpress which presses a bushing through the predrilled hole and sets it.

I do not have any hands-on experience in this, but it looks straightforward and doable - the price is 187 € though.

If you try it - please let us know your observations

 

[Bricolo]

cif's one is cheaper 😉 (50€)

 

[Nixie]

I emailed CIF asking if I can purchase their kit in North America. If not, I'm going to make voodoo dolls of their executives and do Very Bad things to them.

 

[Nixie]

Well, they didn't reply...

 

[PaulWanamaker]

I searched all over and couldn't find a good method creating Vias for a stepper controller board I was making, so I invented a cheap DIY method of doing it.

You can read the article at paulwanamaker.wordpress.com <a href="http://paulwanamaker.wordpress.com" >Here.</a>

I also have an article on a sub that I made, and some other PCB topics. Hope it helps those that search for this here.

 

[AuroraB]

Using component legs as vias isancient technology. Tube type IC sockets are perfect for creating vias for IC pads. Larger block type components like the Vima caps can be liftes a couple of millimeters to get underneat, as PerAnders says. Been done for ages in double sided prototyping- or set another pad on the side and use a small piece of wire for the via.
Keystone also make eyelets in a lot of sizes, available US side by Mouser, Digikey etc. etc.
There's also stuff like this...We sometimes use this at work - good product, but costly...
Through-hole-plating

 

[dmfraser]

The process is: You drill all the holes in the PCB first. Coat the board with a conductive solution. Electroplate the entire board, which will also plate the holes. Then you print the resist pattern on both sides, filling the holes with resist. Etch the board and strip the resist and you are done.

You need NC equipment to drill the holes first so generally this whole process is left to professionals. For the hobbyist you are better off just to solder the leads of each part on both sides of the PCB. Radial capacitors will have to sit slightly above the PCB or only make contact on the bottom.

 

[counter culture]

For the hobbyist you are better off just to solder the leads of each part on both sides of the PCB.

Except, of course, that it is is not always possible to achieve a truly satisfactory joint, such as when a track approaches a pin from underneath an IC. In this case things can be improved by leaving a projecting stub of trace outside the footprint, but results can still be far from ideal.

I've made lots of PCBs, double- and single-sided. I've used the rivets, they're not 100% satisfactory, you have to solder them in and then remove the excess solder with a sucker, and then you can still have a problem that there's still no solder connecting the rivet and the anulus of the pad. There's a swaged connection between the rivet and pad, but I always had concerns about its long-term reliability with the board heating and cooling. If you're just building a prototype, this may not be a big concern. You need a big rivet if it's going to pass thicker component leads tho'.

I bought the Favorit rivet press, but the replaceable tools did not mate accurately. Placing the rivets is laborious and time-consuming.

Because I still use hand-made PCBs I have a number of practices to ease the pain.

1. Use SMT where possible. (There are other good reasons for this, including toaster oven soldering). You can surface-mount conventional ICs.

2. Make all connections to leaded components on the solder side. Take the track through with a via if necessary.

3. Place all wire vias before anything else. Put the board on a piece of sponge or similar material which will permit the entry of wires like a pincushion. Cut the wires at an angle to obtain a sharp point. Place all the vias, solder them all and trim them before turning the board over to solder the obverse.

A manufactured board with TPHs will always be capable of a slightly superior layout to a hand-made one when real estate is at a premium. You can bring up vias underneath components where a soldered wire via would be in the way. The soldered vias themselves can contribute to congestion, making it difficult to get access with the tip of the iron, a situation compounded in the absence of solder resist.

The other thing which is not really viable (sic.) in hand-made is via-in-pad, which is de rigeur for the best possible placement of decoupling caps.

One of the most economical ways of getting quality boards is to make them fit the 100 * 100 mm template which is offered by Seeed Studio. They do a special in this size, 10 boards for $24.90 + shipping, and you can even combine layouts if you're prepared to cut them up yourself. I have a scroll saw for this.

It's good practise to route into a dimensioned board outline. This will help clarify any ideas about an enclosure and positioning of any controls or connectors.

 

[CBS240]

The process is: You drill all the holes in the PCB first. Coat the board with a conductive solution. Electroplate the entire board, which will also plate the holes. Then you print the resist pattern on both sides, filling the holes with resist. Etch the board and strip the resist and you are done.

You need NC equipment to drill the holes first so generally this whole process is left to professionals. For the hobbyist you are better off just to solder the leads of each part on both sides of the PCB. Radial capacitors will have to sit slightly above the PCB or only make contact on the bottom.

Or you can search the web to find a company with a deal. For example, here is a company that offers a new customer special, 3) 2-layer prototype PCBs for $10.00 each. They will do: Top & bottom copper, top & bottom solder mask, and top & bottom silk screen. SMD pitch .019 and the plated holes or via size can be 10 mil min diameter and qualify for the deal. 10 mil via is pretty small for an average PCB. It seems like a good deal when you consider all you need are the CAM files. I have a few boards on the way for a new project, I'm curious of the quality.