Success: My first home-etched double-sided PCB

[Ettore_M]

Success!!
AT LAST! After two failed tries (to sensitise the board), I actually made it! 
My first home-etched double-sided PCB, using a photosensitive board.
It's a PiDuino! An Arduino that stacks on the GPIOs of a Raspberry Pi, with the possibility to program not only ATMega's, but an ATTiny2313 or an ATTiny25/45/85.
Run through a couple of problems, but all sorted out now.



Hope you like it! 

Hector

[rullywowr]

Hector, that's great!  I have etched a lot but never a double sided etch at home. Congrats.

[selfdestroyer]

Hector, that's great!  I have etched a lot but never a double sided etch at home. Congrats.

Same here. I would love to give it a try. Can you share how you made sure it was all lined up properly Hector?

[Vallhagen]

Impressing:) Very cool!

[culturejam]

I am impressed. 

[Ettore_M]

Thanks for the kind words, guys! It was a huge amount of work. But that's what is happening when you try something for the first time, right? Trial and error!

The way to do this is quite simple actually. You print two transparencies (one bottom, one top) and you line them up. You make sure that they won't move using some tape. You get the PCB in and make sure too that it won't move. You make something like a parcel. Then, you sensitise it ( I use a UV-LED board I made with about 80 LEDs.) for something like 7-8 minutes (it depends) on each side. The rest of the progress is known. 

This way is really accurate. The deviation on this board was something like 0.5mm or less. Yes, they won't line up perfectly, but it's pretty impressive for a home-etched board.

Hector

[GrindCustoms]

That's hot, congrats!

Enjoy the IC flashing!

[atreidesheir]

that is good diy.

[Gledison]

That´s look really nice! great work mate!
look, im still etching only single face boards but wondering how would goes with double sided using tone transfer.
We all know that tone transfer can be a PITA but im not into the photosensitive boards (at least yet).
what do you think?protecting one side first, etching one side. drilling some holes in order to fix the transfer paper on the other side....etc..
Cheers

[Ettore_M]

That´s look really nice! great work mate!
look, im still etching only single face boards but wondering how would goes with double sided using tone transfer.
We all know that tone transfer can be a PITA but im not into the photosensitive boards (at least yet).
what do you think?protecting one side first, etching one side. drilling some holes in order to fix the transfer paper on the other side....etc..
Cheers

I don't think this would work, because when you'll try to transfer the second side, the first side will probably melt.

There are plenty of tutorials on the internet. Search on Google "etching double sided pcb". You'll find just what you need.

Hector

[stevie1556]

That is impressive! I used to etch my own boards, and I tried a few times to do double sided and each time was an epic failure. I tip my hat to you!

Sent from my thumbs using Tapatalk!

[Ettore_M]

That is impressive! I used to etch my own boards, and I tried a few times to do double sided and each time was an epic failure. I tip my hat to you!

Sent from my thumbs using Tapatalk!

Thank you!  It was my ultimate goal as far as etching is concerned!
Ι also had two epic failures before I made this. This PCB is 5cm x 6cm. And I almost mess up a whole 10x15cm copper clad until I made this..

Hector

[pickdropper]

Great job Ettore!  There are a lot of ways that sort of thing can go wrong.  Nice execution.