PCB test Print

Thread Starter

Dr.killjoy

Joined Apr 28, 2013
1,196
Well I got a laser printer and a nice clothes iron for making my very own PCBs ... But I was looking to see if someone has a file for a test print or something like Dave's Jones ruler that I can use to see how my prints come out ????



Thanks
Jay Sr
 

JohnInTX

Joined Jun 26, 2012
4,787
Make a simple PCB layout with a couple of traces of known length i.e. if plotting on 8 1/2 by 11, make some 8" and 10.5" long. Do them in both X and Y directions. Measure the results. Your printer driver / PCB package should have scaling settings. Monkey with them until you get exact values for the known lengths. Try a few trace widths to verify the fills as well. A Fowler scale-magnifier or similar is useful for that kind of thing.


Have fun.
 

sirch2

Joined Jan 21, 2013
1,037
I'd draw something up yourself in the software you intend to use for designing PCBs and then measure that, that way you get an end-to-end test. A 20 way connector at 0.1" pitch should measure 2", drop a few of those around a board edge and measure
 

Thread Starter

Dr.killjoy

Joined Apr 28, 2013
1,196
Sorry about log distance between answering you guys... I was looking for a guide and reference for how small I can with my setup can go and quality ??
 

BobTPH

Joined Jun 5, 2013
8,813
Then I would suggest drawing traces with different widths and separations and see how they come out.

My experience with toner transfer is that you can get pretty good resolution, but it is hard to get the entire board to transfer.

Bob
 

Thread Starter

Dr.killjoy

Joined Apr 28, 2013
1,196
I was looking into building my own test print using DesignSpark ... I am just need to know what size traces I should start with and end with
? What size hole and pad diameters?? Are there and designs I should use for the traces so I can best see how each trace will come out
?



Thanks
 

ISB123

Joined May 21, 2014
1,236
Start with 1,5mm trace and then go down by 25% every trace.
Holes are gonna vary since it depends on the component.I just use 1mm for everything.
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
For through hole, I generally use round 68 mil pads with 22 mil holes. The small holes allow the tapered bit to self-center when you drill holes.

If I have to run traces between pads, then I use 60 or even 50 mil wide oval pads that are 90 mils long.

The recommendations in DesignSpark are good - 20 mil for signals and 40 to 50 mils for power. Add thickness for more power. The laser toner transfer method is kind of limited to 12 or 15mil for thinnest trace. Big areas of copper are tough because they tend to leave gaps and not adhere well to the copper over the whole area so you will get some pitting and gaps in the large copper islands.
 
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