Etching boards and drill bit sizes?

[murdog47]

So I've decided to dive into etching my own boards    I've been reading up a ton and think I'm going to go with the magazine paper transfer/ferric chloride approach.  I was wonder what size and type of drill bits everyone else uses and if you have any first timer tips. Thanks!

[irmcdermott]

http://drillcity.stores.yahoo.net/restool.html

I keep plenty of #60 and #65 on my bench. #65 for all components, and #60 to accomodate slightly larger leads etc.

Resharpened ones are fine.

[9Lives]

ferric chloride takes a long time for me. And makes a huge mess. You can get a jug of muriatic acid and some peroxide. You can mix your own that works SOOO much faster and efficient. Seriously think about it. 10 bucks at radio shack for a bottle of ferric. It stains everything. The other solution is 2 parts peroxide 1 part m.acid. You'll save your self a gigantic head ache.

[murdog47]

I was thinking of trying both..I've read that ferric chloride is better to start with because it is less aggressive and less likely to eat the masked copper  Also where is a good place to buy quality copper clad online?

[asatbluesboy]

Whatever is the smallest Dremel bit size Brazilian stores carry (I think it's 1/32"). I have to enlarge the holes a bit depending on the wire gauge I use, but it's not a huge pain.

[irmcdermott]

The only place I buy from

http://stores.ebay.com/pcblaminatescopperclad

[madbean]

I really like #70 for components. You need to use a larger bit for 1n4001s, like the #65. #60 for PCB mounted pots.

The one thing about re-sharpened bits at drillcity: sometime they identify the drill size incorrectly. I've gotten a number of bits that were not exactly the size they were labeled as for whatever reason.

[irmcdermott]

I really like #70 for components. You need to use a larger bit for 1n4001s, like the #65. #60 for PCB mounted pots.

#60 has never worked for me on PCB mounted pots they are always too small

[hoodoo]

G'day,with regards to etching the pcb's, Chromesphere has a great instructional how to video, that even i, as a newcomer to this great new religion lol, could follow and understand. The solution that he recommended and that worked first time easily for me, was ammonium persulphate, takes about 5min's.
Take it easy, Matt.

[nzCdog]

0.8mm for most components and 0.85 -0.9mm for larger lead components here

[murdog47]

Is there a standard thickness good for pedal PCB etching or will anything work?

[LaceSensor]

I go 0.8mm for all standard parts, and 1mm for rotary switches.

Board mount pots I assume Id use 1mm but mostly I "roll my own" so its standard 0.8mm holes.

In terms of etching, in the UK I buy this powder from RApid electronics, dissolves in water, no mess, no stains, tunrs blue once etched. At 45 degrees its very fast to etch. The box says "contains sodium persulphate".

Works for me

[murdog47]

I ordered some boards from the place Ian recommended and got some pretty thin boards, .032 thickness.  They seem like they will work fine but I am wondering if anyone has ever had any issues with this thin of boards. The copper is listed as 2oz.

[irmcdermott]

I've used the .032 boards with no problem, although the do seem flimsy. I ordered one batch and probably won't order more. I try to go thicker when possible, I prefer the .047 CEM. It's sturdier and still easy to drill. The 2oz couple takes a LONG time to etch, but I like it. I don't know if this matters, but it seems like when I use the 2oz, I have less pads being lifted off the board if I have to do a lot of desoldering/re-soldering.

But yeah, just know that the 2oz takes a long time to etch, be patient. If it's been a while and doesn't look like it's done much, just wait a while.

Ian