Making your own PCB?

[youngcoby]

Hello everybody,

I need some help.  Several months ago I surfed a bit around and I remember I saw a website where they sold things to make your own PCB, using an iron (for ironing clothes).

Does anyone know what site it is?  Has anyone tried this method?

Thanks for your help

[Tony Forestiere]

Try Steve's Press'N'Peel Blue down the page.

Good luck.

Tony

http://www.smallbearelec.com/Ordering/Stocklist.htm

[youngcoby]

No, it wasn't this one.  But it is very helpful, thanks a lot.

On the site was a detailed explanation about how to use it.

[Tony Forestiere]

Try this link from TonePad!

http://www.tonepad.com/photoessay.asp?photoEssayID=10&sequenceNo=1

[Chris R]

http://www.diystompboxes.com/sboxforum/viewtopic.php?t=19065&highlight=photo

[MarkB]

I like this method..

http://www.5bears.com/pcb.htm
"-)

[bobbletrox]

I took a sheet of P'n'P to a copy center about a month ago and the copy guy took one look at it and said: "That's plastic.  I'm not sticking that in my copier."  I even explained what it's used for and he pretty much said that he's not risking his $10,000 machine on a 10c job.  I can't blame the guy though because I'd probably say the same if some stranger was waving a sheet of mysterious blue plastic in my face.  

But still...darn.

These days I draw my layouts onto the copper using a ruler and an etch resistant pen.

[thumposaurus]

I like this method..

http://www.5bears.com/pcb.htm
"-)

Me too, but I was having trouble with it untill I started taping the paper to the backside of the board so it can't slide around. Now I have more PCB's laying around then I have parts to put in them.

[GuitarLord5000]

Quote "These days I draw my layouts onto the copper using a ruler and an etch resistant pen."

I have been having much trouble with Sharpie markers.  When I etch, I can be guaranteed that at least on of my pads and one of my circuit paths will be etched away.  I have recently started using a liquid paper pen as my resist.  They are a little hard to get the hang of, but since I've started using them, none of my pads or traces have been etched away.  Hell, I dont even have pitting anymore!  But it's a real pain to get the hang of.  :cry:

[bobbletrox]

I got my pen from Dick Smith Electronics (think Radioshack).  It's more opaque and thicker than regular sharpie ink...and I have to use nail polish remover to scrub it off.

[Mark Hammer]

1) It is unlikely that folks working in photocopy outlets will have seen PnP, however it IS likely they have made overhead transparencies on acetate sheets.  The acetate sheet that the blue stuff is adhered to is no different than acetate transparency sheets they work with all the time.  If the copier can't handle/feed acetate sheets, that's one thing.  If they CAN make overhead transparencies, this is no different at all.  Think of it like an acetate sheet that has already been used to make a photocopied transparency....except that the image was all blue and took up all the space on the sheet.  You can always go to the Press-N-Peel website, print out their photoessay on using the stuff, and bring THAT to the photocopy place as evidence of its normal use.

2) I outlined, in a note earlier this year (somewhere in the archives), my very positive experiences with using glossy photopaper for laser printers in place of PnP.  Should anyone have difficulty obtaining PnP, or finding somewhere that will let you copy onto PnP, you can always substitute laser-printer/photocopier glossy paper.  The image transferred to it can be used the same way PnP is used, although the resolution is a little bit less and you have to relearn your ironing technique.  You may also have to touch up the transferred resist image with a waterproof pen here and there, but the same thing can easily happen with PnP too.  You can expect to pay under 50 cents a sheet *AT* the photocopy outlet, so there should be no problem in getting the copies made.

3) I've been using fine-tipped Staedtler Lumocolor waterproof pens to make and touch up boards for well over 20 years and they work quite well.  One of the things I like to do is use two colours, for instance, red and black.  The pattern is first drawn with the red (or whatever the lighter colour is in your instance), and then drawn over top with the darker of the two pens.  The dual colour thing is simply to keep track of what has and hasn't received two coats.  Keep a nice narriw-tipped pen eraser handy to correct mismarkings, and KEEP YOUR DAMN FINGERS OFF THE BOARD!  Copper surfaces that are not spotlessly clean take longer to etch.  The longer the board sits in the etchant, the more likely the etchant is to be eating away at the sides of traces in one part of the board while it is still getting started on *creating* separate traces on another part.  Do not mistake such problems as due to the pen.  The pen works fine, but it needs to be applied to a board that remains clean and is used with relatively fresh etchant.  I recommend having a sheet of onion-skin paper or plastic wrap to rest your non-pen hand on while holding the board down and drawing with your other hand.

[Davide]

i've decided to use only a bit of patience and precision...
with some measurements i draw the whole thing by hand.. nice results !

[Jay Doyle]

Etching is sort of a black art. It is worth the cost and time to use a sheet of PnP as practice and get the process down using your own iron.

The inconsistency, I think, derives from everyone's irons having different temps at the same settings.

The biggest tip that I can give is to PREHEAT the board. For me to get perfect results, I set my iron to 1.5 settings greater than polyester (PnP recommends the polyester setting) and heat the board for about 5 minutes at this setting. Then I lay my pattern down on the copper. Because the board is hot, the toner immediately fuses to the copper and the pattern stays in place without tape. Then I use a blank sheet of paper between the iron and the pattern and iron for about 3 minutes using some pressure.

Dunk it in water to cool it off and peel it off.

Once I found the right temperature on the iron, I have had about a 95% success rate, even on large boards.

Hope this helps...

Jay Doyle

[Mark Hammer]

Since I started using glossy photopaper, I actually aim my heat gun (on lower setting, but it's still plenty hot) at the paper to augment what the iron does/accomplishes.  In some ways, the heat in the iron is just to keep it from cooling off the paper when I press down.

Eventually, you get a sense of how to read the surface of the sheet when you're ironing it.  Usually, when it is properly adhered to the copper, you will be able to see the faint outline of the pattern in relief through the back of the PnP sheet (the shinyness of the sheet helps there).  The places where it is still smooth will generally need some touching up with the iron.

PLEASE note that copper-clad board is a very efficient heat conductor.  If you place the board on a painted surface or anything that can be affected by heat the heat from the iron (or whatever else you use) will transfer through the board into the surface beneath it.  I was going to strip the paint on my bay window ledge in the office anyway, but, uh, I have to do it a little sooner now. :roll: Best to iron on the patterns with the board resting on top pf a piece of plywood or something similar.

[Jim Jones]

If you're having trouble with Sharpie's get this kind - no more problems.  They work perfectly!!!

http://www.sharpie.com/sanford/consumer/sharpie/productcatalog/tipfamilydetail.jhtml?attributeId=SNATT40202¤tType=SNTYPE004

Jim