[XCSSA] Printed Circuit Borad Fabrication

[X-otic Computer Systems of San Antonio]

I etch my own boards using Acid Cupric Chloride, it's pretty easy to
make and can be regenerated with a cheap fish tank bubbler. (Or just
shake in an watertight container)

http://members.optusnet.com.au/eseychell/PCB/etching_CuCl/index.html

I store it in a plastic bottle and shake it up before etching. My
boards are pretty small, larger boards might require a bubbler.

Here it is in action etching a small board for a project I'm working on:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/antonolsen/2652586029/in/photostream/

I use the toner transfer method as a resist and it works well. Print
on glossy photo paper in a laser printer and iron onto the copper. Be
sure the iron is hot and the copper cleaned. I clean it with a green
scrubby then sand it with 1000 grit emery cloth.

Double sided PCBs can be done easily if you print the design so it can
be folded exactly in half. You want the fold to be a little ways from
the edge of the pcb or it might not stay centered. The link below is
the pattern I used. I can get the sides close enough to line up the
small square vias. I drill them with a 0.0145" bit and use a piece of
30 guage wire to make the connection.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/antonolsen/2654252799/in/photostream/

A product called Liquid Tin can be used if you want the board to look
good and last longer. So far I'm just building prototypes and I
haven't bothered to get any yet.

Oh, and for a cheap source of PCBs and drill bits, I recommend
Electronics Goldmine. The small bits must be used in a good drill
press or dremil press and even then you'll break a few.
http://www.goldmine-elec.com/

Anton


On Thu, Apr 9, 2009 at 6:34 PM, X-otic Computer Systems of San Antonio
<xcssa at xcssa.org> wrote:
> On Wednesday 08 April 2009, X-otic Computer Systems of San Antonio wrote:
>> Are there any local pcb fab shops available?
>>
>> Have a small 4.9 X 2.6 board that I need a
>> couple produced from photo positive on
>> 1/32" FR3 material.   Total holes 265 each.
>> I can drill the holes myself if necessary.
>
> You stuck on using your own photo board process yourself?  Single layer or
> dual layer?  I've done single layer.. but never had much luck with two layer
> photo stuff myself. Honestly.. that's how folks did it 15 years ago.. But if
> you can generate gerber files then I would just send it to a web-fab shop
> like
>        http://4pcb.com/
>
> Some of the other XCSSA guys have favorite fab shops too..
>
>> My old Rat Shack photo resist kit burst and
>> the chemicals did the rest (nasty corrosive
>> mess), unfortunately R/S no longer sells this.
>
> Really?  That's a shame..  But yeah... take it as an omen man.  You can have a
> professionally made board for like $30 now days.. and it ends up looking like
> this:
>        http://theweeks.org/tmp/SHOW/2_b_demux-pop1-rear_l.jpg
>
> instead of this:
>        http://hackadaycom.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/dsc02291.jpg
>
> hehe..
>
> Tweeks
>
>
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