DIYstompboxes.com

DIY Stompboxes => Building your own stompbox => Topic started by: Paul Perry (Frostwave) on January 30, 2004, 07:34:54 PM

Title: PCBs by hand: another way..
Post by: Paul Perry (Frostwave) on January 30, 2004, 07:34:54 PM
Saw a reference somewhere to yet another way to handmake PCBs.
You make a "parallel bladed" cutter by clamping two blades in a holder with a spacer between them. Now when you cut (hard) through the copper on a pcb, you are makng parallel tracks & you can (with difficulty) peel up the inner track.
OK, it sounds like crap to me too, and tedious, because to make a track you have to make two paths around it (like making a PCB with a tiny routing  machine) but, a lot of stuff that looks like crap to me works for others!
Also possibly dangerous, because you have to press hard with those blades. Anyway, that's it, FWIW.
Title: PCBs by hand: another way..
Post by: KCblues on January 31, 2004, 02:23:39 AM
Well I'm new around here so sorry if I bring something up you all know already.

Years ago I used to do some RF work, and we would breadboard on double-sided copper clad. We'd route out and isolate pads to connect the nodes of the components with a dremel tool.  This technique also left yoiu with a nice ground plane which was good for RF. You could connect the far side copper for an even better ground plane.

HTH,
Larry
Title: There ya go...
Post by: petemoore on January 31, 2004, 02:40:08 AM
very fine work for even a dremel, but with a 'ratio guide' [word]...you follow a large template or drawing say 20'' x 40',' and the dremel cuts the same shapes in a 2'' x 4'' board. using a buncha connecting arms...can't think of what they're called, 'cutting reduction jig?'.
Title: Re: There ya go...
Post by: Paul Perry (Frostwave) on January 31, 2004, 03:10:06 AM
Quote from: petemoore.you follow a large template or drawing say 20'' x 40',' and the dremel cuts the same shapes in a 2'' x 4'' board. using a buncha connecting arms...can't think of what they're called, .

"pantograph" I think.