I was thinking about posting these pictures in this thread, but then I thought I didn't want people to think I was hijacking it. So I'm tagging its main participants here, see if they find it interesting.
@nerdegutta, @DerStrom8, @Lestraveled, @jpanhalt, @atferrari, @JDR04, @A_Maine96, @MrAl, @Dr.killjoy
This is how I start my PCB process. First I draw my circuits in AutoCAD ('cause I'm an expert... and I've been too lazy to learn a specialized software... so maybe I'm just drawing pretty pictures, as @WBahn once said, but what the heck.
)
Then I print the layout using the magic paper that I described in this thread.
After that, I cut the circuit layout to its adequate size, depending on the board size I'll be using. Like here, with a 10 x 15 cm board:
And then I place it on my press iron, using a 1/8" thick of red silicon sheet as a separator so that the paper won't burn. This also helps distribute the pressure more evenly.
After ironing, I cut the excess board and very easily peel the paper off.
The paper will come off very easily if it's out of a new package. As the paper ages, it becomes a little harder to peel, until eventually, after about 18 months, it just won't work anymore and will stubbornly stick to the board, and will even jam at the printer quite often.
You can tell that the transfer was a success if no ink toner was left on the paper.
It took me several years of trial and error until I came up with a satisfactory design for my etching tank. The tank is made by using 3 layers of sheet glass 1/4" thick, with the middle layer working as the tank's cavity. This helps make sure that the PCB is thoroughly immersed in the etching solution, and it also allows for a 200W halogen light to be placed behind it, so as to warm the whole thing at once and speed things up a bit.
Here you can see the PCB just prior to being dumped into the tank. The PCB is held by a nylon fishing line to make it easy to extract after the process is completed.
If the ferric chloride in the tank is new out of the bottle, and it hasn't been used to etch anything yet, it will allow the light from the halogen lamp to shine right through it.
@nerdegutta, @DerStrom8, @Lestraveled, @jpanhalt, @atferrari, @JDR04, @A_Maine96, @MrAl, @Dr.killjoy
This is how I start my PCB process. First I draw my circuits in AutoCAD ('cause I'm an expert... and I've been too lazy to learn a specialized software... so maybe I'm just drawing pretty pictures, as @WBahn once said, but what the heck.
)Then I print the layout using the magic paper that I described in this thread.
After that, I cut the circuit layout to its adequate size, depending on the board size I'll be using. Like here, with a 10 x 15 cm board:
And then I place it on my press iron, using a 1/8" thick of red silicon sheet as a separator so that the paper won't burn. This also helps distribute the pressure more evenly.
After ironing, I cut the excess board and very easily peel the paper off.
The paper will come off very easily if it's out of a new package. As the paper ages, it becomes a little harder to peel, until eventually, after about 18 months, it just won't work anymore and will stubbornly stick to the board, and will even jam at the printer quite often.
You can tell that the transfer was a success if no ink toner was left on the paper.
It took me several years of trial and error until I came up with a satisfactory design for my etching tank. The tank is made by using 3 layers of sheet glass 1/4" thick, with the middle layer working as the tank's cavity. This helps make sure that the PCB is thoroughly immersed in the etching solution, and it also allows for a 200W halogen light to be placed behind it, so as to warm the whole thing at once and speed things up a bit.
Here you can see the PCB just prior to being dumped into the tank. The PCB is held by a nylon fishing line to make it easy to extract after the process is completed.
If the ferric chloride in the tank is new out of the bottle, and it hasn't been used to etch anything yet, it will allow the light from the halogen lamp to shine right through it.
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