MANUFACTURE PCB

[ANDREAS]

I begin a new thread for the manufacture PCBs. I saw in sites method printing drawing on PCB with inkjet printer.This method I think is very easy. Any knows helps for the manufacture with Inkjet printer in order to we can easily manufacture 1-2 pcb for personaluse.
regards

[Fred]

Hi Andreas
I i not sure what you mean with inkjet method.
I make my pcb´s with photosensitive boards,after design is printed with inkjet on transparent paper.then etched in acid.With some use you can make perfect PCBs,and not so expensive.
Regards,
Fred.

[Unregistered]

I will tell you a number of things I did before I started having my boards made.

1. Screen printing. This works good but you have to use the fine mesh screen. I used this for many boards.

2. Printer Iron on. This is an ok method but would be my last choice.

3. Rubber Stamp. This works very well single boards. You would have to print the board out and bring to someone that makes stamps like address stamps date stamps etc. Press firm and even. After a few trys you will get a print that you can etch.

Tim

[Carl-NC]

I've had great results with the Press-n-Peel Blue iron-on method. Very fine lines, very clean results.

[Fred]

Attention, iron method works only with photocopiers and laser printers, not inkjet!
regards,
Fred.

[ANDREAS]

?

Hi all
Look http://techref.massmind.org/techref/pcb/etch/c84-st.htm
or use google key "printing pcb inkjet"
with this method is not essential use photosensitive boards, acid e.t.c. Only simple board and one inkjet
sorry for my bad English, but now I think you understand me
regards

[joecoin]

Here is an alternative method:

http://www.fullnet.com/~tomg/gooteepc.htm

I have not tried this myself.

[Kyle]

Toner Transfer

I have used the Toner transfer method with photo paper a few times. The trick is lots of heat and lots pressure.

I did it with the Hammer Head board and then used electrolysis. The cathode end was wrapped in a salt water soaked cotton ball and brushed across the board. This worked pretty darn well but was a bit slow. the biggest thing is you can not just chuck it in the tank and let it etch, it will eat your board up.

Next time I most likely will just buy ferric chloride.

http://www.instructables.com/id/The-...-etch-process/

Here is a pic of my board.

[Kyle]

Details

I forgot to mention board preparation is key. For the Above board I first sanded the surface lightly with 150 grit paper, then cleaned it with alcohol (really nasty vodka), then I transfered the toner to it.

[ANDREAS]

?

Thanks you Kyle for your informationsBut I search a better method for make PCBs. If you see http://techref.massmind.org/techref/pcb/etch/c84-st.htm with this method we want only a simple inkjet printer and hot air for stampility draw. Don't neccesary photo paper... e.t.cI think is interest manufacture a inkjet from make pcb with silscreen e.t.c
any idea?
regards
Andreas

[nick_f]

I am also using the Press-n-Peel sheets with pretty good results. I didn't get good boards everytime, sometimes I had the iron too cold or too hot and other times I pressed too hard on the iron and the tracks flattened.
What I want to point out is that I found what I consider to be almost a perfect marker to fix the errors on the board. I tried with the Sharpie Permanent Marker and I wasn't happy with it. But with the RED Staedtler Permanent Lumocolor (made in Germany, available in Australia), I got very good results. I haven't tried other colours.

Regards,
Nicolae

[Carl-NC]

I am also using the Press-n-Peel sheets with pretty good results. I didn't get good boards everytime, sometimes I had the iron too cold or too hot and other times I pressed too hard on the iron and the tracks flattened.

I had the best results using a modeler's iron, the kind used for putting Monocoat on R/C planes. It is much smaller and easier to "feel" what's going on.

- Carl

[Max]

the best method

Hi,
I used many of these ways... all have good and bad points... but just ONE is the method: photographic process.

It's simple... do you need perfection ? If so, you need that way and no other.

All the rest simply don't apply when you go for perfection...

You just need these things to get started:

1. a bromograph... though the word is complicate you can make one for less than 50$ and old flatbed scanner as example look here:

http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/pcbs.html
http://www.turbokeu.com/myprojects/pcb.htm
http://hackedgadgets.com/2007/02/24/...osure-scanner/

2. some presensitized uv pcb boards ready to use

3. a developer solution like these:

http://www.pcbfab.com/develop.html

you'll buy in reality a small bag with sodium salt to mix with water... and that's it.

Then try, make errors and get used to the method... at the end you'll make perfect pcb, no matter of other things or methods, you'll beat all them at once.

The only lack is that you cannot add a funky e.g. silkscreen to boards that way... but pcb will be absolutely perfect.

Kind regards,
Max

[Qiaozhi]

Hi,
I used many of these ways... all have good and bad points... but just ONE is the method: photographic process.

It's simple... do you need perfection ? If so, you need that way and no other.

All the rest simply don't apply when you go for perfection...

You just need these things to get started:

1. a bromograph... though the word is complicate you can make one for less than 50$ and old flatbed scanner as example look here:

http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/pcbs.html
http://www.turbokeu.com/myprojects/pcb.htm
http://hackedgadgets.com/2007/02/24/...osure-scanner/

2. some presensitized uv pcb boards ready to use

3. a developer solution like these:

http://www.pcbfab.com/develop.html

you'll buy in reality a small bag with sodium salt to mix with water... and that's it.

Then try, make errors and get used to the method... at the end you'll make perfect pcb, no matter of other things or methods, you'll beat all them at once.

The only lack is that you cannot add a funky e.g. silkscreen to boards that way... but pcb will be absolutely perfect.

Kind regards,
Max

Through-hole boards using rivets ... never seen that before - neat trick!
Of course, the other way is to avoid vias altogether, and to use only component pins to swap sides.
Interesting links.

[Cyclonite]

DIY PCB Manufacturing

I had originally posted these links in an other thread. But as I am learning every day here on this lovely forum, I now see that these links will nicely blend in here into an on-topic discussion about DIY PCB Manufacturing started by @ANDREAS.

And I would like to start off by adding a link to Mike Harrison's site, who gives excellent guidelines to those of you who would like to make there own High Quality PCB's.

How to Make Really Really Good Homemade PCBs - By Mike Harrison:
http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/pcbs.html

Note: And here you have the plagiarized copy of Mike Harrison's site by the "Indian Electronics Magazine" credited to a rip-off artist called Indrani Bose in PDF-format:

How to Make Good Homemade PCB's - By Indrani Bose.pdf:
http://www.efymagonline.com/pdf/Pcbs.pdf

DIY Printed Circuit Board Using Photo Etching Method:
http://www.youritronics.com/diy-prin...tching-method/

Transferring Your Design to a Board:
http://www.solarbotics.net/library/t...cb_trnsfr.html

DIY Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Manufacturing:
http://www.turbokeu.com/myprojects/pcb.htm

DIY Printed Circuit Board (YouTube Video) - High Quality PCB at Home:
http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-...circuit-board/

How to make PCB's at Home (Links):
http://free-pcb.100webspace.net/how-...cb-in-home.php

Easy Printed Circuit Board Fabrication - Using Laser Printer Toner Transfer:
http://www.fullnet.com/~tomg/gooteepc.htm

Laser printing of PCB's (Links):
http://on.blogdns.org/laser-printing-of-pcb.php

Direct to PCB InkJet Resist Printing:
http://techref.massmind.org/techref/pcb/etch/c84-st.htm

Hacking a Printer to Directly Print PCB's (a very comprehensive discussion going on here):
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30951

DIY UV LED Double Sided PCB Exposure Box:
http://hackedgadgets.com/2009/04/21/...-exposure-box/

Note: I use a single-bulb sun lamp through a 4mm window pane glass plate (regular glass is a UV-filter, and that's why quarts (Siliciumdioxide, SiO2) is used instead) at a distance of about 50 cm, and with an exposure time of about 5 minutes. This exposure time is rather long based on the intensity of the UV radiation given off by this sun lamps quartz bulb. But remember, regular window pane glass filters out a lot of the UV rays. Interesting however, is that a single-bulb sun lamp is a point source emitter, so you will have less underneath exposure deviation. What I mean is, if the light comes from one small spot light emitting source, then there is less indirect light that can penetrate via the PCB mask-film onto your photosensitive PCB from the sides at an angle. PCB traces generally become narrower when the PCB mask is struck by light at an angle.


Making double-sided through-hole PCB's are by far the most problematic, and difficult to manufacture for the Home Brewer. Especially if you want the top and bottom layer through-hole galvanically interconnected too. And here you have a few interesting links to DIY through-hole PCB manufacturing, that lubricates this matter like a soothing ointment on a sore butt-hole.

Acid Copper Through-Hole Plating:
http://www.thinktink.com/stack/volum...I/copplate.htm

PCB Through-Hole at Home:
http://www.colinmackenzie.net/index....=14cb&Itemid=6

Through Hole (EDAboard Thread Links):
http://search.edaboard.com/through-hole-via.html

Good luck, and happy PCB manufacturing!

Regards,

Robert