For the last couple day I have been playing with the Toner Transfer method and failed completely.. I am using the Brother HL-L2305W laser jet printer.. Tried using the glossy paper and wax paper too and both failed.... Right now I am at a loss and looking for other avenues.. The Blue Press-n-peel looks good but not sure if it work with the brother laser jet and not cheap to boot .. The photo resist seems the only option, but I am allergic to UV light which makes it even more fun lol.. So has anyone had any luck with the cheap ebay photo resist kit or have another suggestion???

 

Get a different printer. The HP works well.

You can just print direct, if you go with another printer.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Modification-of-the-Pantum-2502W-for-Direct-Laser-/?ALLSTEPS

 

I agree with spinnaker. I have no idea what it is with brother but they just don't work for toner transfer.

 

Right now I don't have the money for a new printer unless you guys plan on Donating for one ??

 

Not sure if you have the same thing in the US, but here is AUS we have printer leasing company that sell old stock that comes back to them. Most printers are around 3 years old and can be had for about $50-100. Not sure if this is cheaper the a UV kit and all the developers needed.

Or this -http://www.ebay.com/itm/Refurbushed-Lexmark-E260d-Laser-Printer-w-Duplexer-E260/272387447792?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D38530%26meid%3D7e17d0e1201f44259cfd26fc2ce2b4f5%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D262659951099

 

You can by new for that price. I have one of these and it works well.

http://www.bonanza.com/listings/HP-...&ad_type=pla&gclid=CLresff_l9ECFduPswodimoHHA

You can find refurbished for cheaper.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_re=hp_laserjet-_-9SIA6TP2MV6260-_-Product

 

You can by new for that price. I have one of these and it works well.

http://www.bonanza.com/listings/HP-...&ad_type=pla&gclid=CLresff_l9ECFduPswodimoHHA

You can find refurbished for cheaper.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...&cm_re=hp_laserjet-_-9SIA6TP2MV6260-_-Product

Sorry, my mistake. I did not notice my ebay printer was in USD.
Point still stands, a new printer will be cheaper then a UV setup.

Here is a company that sells DIY PCB transfer paper that makes mention of your problem?
http://www.pcbfx.com/main_site/pages/start_here/printer_info.html


I don't know where article is anymore but I had read it is because brothers printer use a toner that has a much higher melting point then HP printer etc. In fact I had to heat the iron with a torch in order to get the toner to melt. One way or another it takes practice to get it to stick right, I would encourage trying different methods of how you work the iron, you can find different approaches on youtube. What worked for me the best is to work the whole piece over and over with the tip of the iron.

I find the best paper that works for me is the crappy waxed ragwort that kmark catalogs are made from. I get them free in my letterbox each month. What you need to look for is something that looks shiny , but turners to pulp as soon as it gets wet.

 

Yes, Brother printers won't work. The melting point of the toner is too high. I use a HP printer and it works fine. If you can't afford a different printer, print your circuit out onto plain paper and go to a place that has a copier (library, Kinkos, etc) and copy the original to your transfer medium. BTW, I use the products from pcbfx.com and they work great, worth the money
.

 

Yes, Brother printers won't work. The melting point of the toner is too high. I use a HP printer and it works fine. If you can't afford a different printer, print your circuit out onto plain paper and go to a place that has a copier (library, Kinkos, etc) and copy the original to your transfer medium. BTW, I use the products from pcbfx.com and they work great, worth the money
.

Great Idea you have there.

Sorry, my mistake. I did not notice my ebay printer was in USD.
Point still stands, a new printer will be cheaper then a UV setup.

How ???
The average ebay dry film kit is $5 from china and a laminator for $15 shipped and all I need is uv or compact florescent.

 

Sorry, my mistake. I did not notice my ebay printer was in USD.
Point still stands, a new printer will be cheaper then a UV setup.



I find the best paper that works for me is the crappy waxed ragwort that kmark catalogs are made from. I get them free in my letterbox each month. What you need to look for is something that looks shiny , but turners to pulp as soon as it gets wet.

Jaycar flyers are good for this paper, ARB 4x4 Accessories are really good for toner transfer, nigh on 100 odd pages for nix.

For one offs I find toner transfer quicker than the photo process. Tho it will be admitted that the photo process will give you more consistent results.

I've started adding a drop of detergent in the water prior to dropping the board in. I don't let the board cool down before I slide it into cool water. Generally I design with the largest width tracks possible, 10 thou tracks aren't a big issue as long as there are several other tracks in the same area.
The biggest issue I have ATM with the photo process is finding a decent medium to for the film. I am experimenting with just etching isolation between tracks, similar to isolation routing.

All in all I give toner transfer the thumbs up. BTW I'm getting better results with Jaycar flyers than with PBFx products.

 

How ???
The average ebay dry film kit is $5 from china and a laminator for $15 shipped and all I need is uv or compact florescent.

Might be different in the US as everything is expensive here in Aus. Still, I think I could get about 1000 PCBs out of one toner. Say you can get one for $150, could you get all the chemicals required to do photo transfer for less? Lot less work with toner transfer too.

I think the most important thing I did to get the toner transfer working well every time is to modify a laminator to allow it to get to 210c and switching from ammonium sulphate to ferric chloride. Yes it may be messy but the etch is far better.

 

HP's with good amount of toner are dead cheap on ebay, mostly cheaper than buying a toner refill. I found a 6P by the side of the road over 5 years ago and it's still great, picked up a 5000N for $25 on ebay, no fun carrying the bugger through Ol' Sydney tho. Same weight as a 40Kg bag of cement but no where as easy to throw on the old shoulder. lol

I'm still getting good results with Ammonium Persulphate, just gotta have it at the right temp, once a batch is done a bit of time in the sun and just store the crystals.

 

Ah the old 40kg cement bags. That was back when men where men and could sling one over there shoulders with one hand . Now we need to lift 4 times as many bags..
Going to lie down, back is sore just thinking about it...

 

Last night I play with a couple setting on the brother laser jet and here are the results...
I am not sure if this work but came out alot better..

 

Not too bad. Your narrower traces look a little ragged but the rest seem fine.

Place you board on a scanner, if you have one. You will get better results for the photo.

 

This was just messing around to see if I would get a better result or nothing at all .. It's not to bad but needs improvement and need to make a toner transfer test file to better tone my skills.. Also that's the best pic I have because I already cleaned the toner off the pcb with goof off.. But plan on trying some more later to see if I can get a better result and pic..

 

cleaned the toner off the pcb with goof off.

You can also use acetone. Nail polish remover will also work in a pinch.

 

The real test in toner transfer is the etching.

But by all reports Brother toner is quite poor or unusable for etching boards.

A modded laminator is a good thing as well.

 

Would have modded the original post but couldn't due to time limits.

Link to modding a laminator, this is a product local to Down Under, possibly Un Zud as well. But for $AUD 20.00 it's cheap enough to buy two, one modded for toner transfer, one unmodded for normal duties....BTW don't use one modded for hi heat for photo resist material, even standards ones are a little on the hot side. Maybe a 3rd one for about 100'C might be an idea.
Anywhoo here's the link http://ultrakeet.com.au/write-ups/superFuserV2

 

Thanks for the Great information everyone..
Right now it will be on hold till I find a job since I got laid off today..