PCB design and fabrication section?

Thread Starter

Bosparra

Joined Feb 17, 2010
79
This forum is great and very active, I have learned allot from some of the members. I have a suggestion, almost all things electronic needs a PCB at some point. Why not add a dedicated section to PCB design and fabrication?

I am sure there are allot of value to add and knowledge to share, especially from hobbyists who make their PCBs at home.

Just a thought....
 

retched

Joined Dec 5, 2009
5,208
That would be the WORST idea EVER!

Oh...no, no it wouldn't. I would rather enjoy learning a bit more about higher speed designs and smd designs for the hobbyist/student.

It would be a good resource on the n00b front. Many people have questions. It would also be a good area for discussion of different techniques and styles.

I second that motion. ;)
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
I don't see what it would accomplish. We already have extensive threads on how to etch and some other design basics. There are also good references for general design recommendations, such as this.

Let's stick to real questions and homework problems. This is not a library, it is a forum for timely discussion of specific questions.

John
 

retched

Joined Dec 5, 2009
5,208
Aw crap John! Why do you always gotta knock the fun out of funeral? ;)

I do understand what you are getting at.. But we do have a library-esque feel.

The 'Sites list' and the 'cheatsheets' and the 'this' and 'that'.

What about a section in the eBook then?
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
What about a section in the eBook then?
That may be worth looking at. The easiest part would probably be the design elements. It is the making of the PCB that gets controversial, like religion.

There are congregations of toner transfer advocates and photoresist advocates. A few fringe elements want to print directly to the PCB using modified inkjet printers, but they seem to stay in the DIY PCB forum.

Similarly, for etching, there are the wanna be McGyvers and those who are more interested in the quality of the result. Frankly, table salt plus a little vinegar and an aquarium pump is all you really need. :D

Anyway, both the resist and etching subjects have been discussed ad nauseam here, and I see little value in repeating the many testimonials.

John
 

retched

Joined Dec 5, 2009
5,208
Anyway, both the resist and etching subjects have been discussed ad nauseam here, and I see little value in repeating the many testimonials.
True. We still get folks who want to give it a whirl and link to those pages. They ask if it really works. So I think an eBook page, with a peer-agreed way to go about hobby/diy single sided PCBs, would be beneficial.
 

bertus

Joined Apr 5, 2008
22,266
Hello,

Lets make it a little broader than only PCB.
How about a section to discuss construction techniques?
These can be:
PCB design and fabrication.
Housing design and fabrication.
Front plate design for the finishing touch.
The use of breadboards.
The use of the dead bug technique.
The use of the "manhattan" prototyping technique.

Bertus
 

retched

Joined Dec 5, 2009
5,208
I think I like it.

It would be good to have the steps AFTER the schematic is made or obtained.

A project box, a PCB, or deadbug, point-to-point, Manhattan, etc.

A prototyping technique area. I like it.
 

bertus

Joined Apr 5, 2008
22,266
Hello,

@jpanhalt, In my opinion it could be both.
There can be an e-book section about this prototyping and a forum section to discuss it.
We have to see what jrap (or dave, although he is not seen lately) has to say about it.

Bertus
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
The reason I ask that is that if it is e-book, then the author(s) can come up with any organization they want.

If Forum, I would suggest splitting the subjects a little differently. That is, keep toner transfer, photo-resists, and other resist/masking methods separate, keep etching separate from other methods (e.g, milling, electro-deposition/plating, electrolysis/reverse plating), and keep board design separate from board fabrication. You might also consider keeping solder masks and artwork on the board separate from the track making methods.

I suspect there is far more interest in making the PCB per se, than in making the enclosure. Making faceplates could be pretty interesting, at least for those of us who do not have a home CNC mill.

John
 

Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,408
This is slightly off topic, but the new labelers are a godsend to people who DIY. I hated those old Dynamo labelers.

This would be a good job for Tom Gotee, he is a member of this forum, though hes not visited in a blue moon.
 
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