Finally etched my own pcbs....

[ch1naski]

I had done a few years and years ago, some Craig Anderton projects, but that was before wide availability of laser printers (we had dot matrix back then).

Remarkably, all turned out perfect on the first try.

Normally I will continue to support the community by purchasing in-production boards.

But these were ready to go, so that's what I went with. Honestly, I didn't expect them to be useable on my first try....

[jimilee]

And now....the drill!!!!

[ch1naski]

Yea...don't remind me! All I have is a crappy harbor freight 9 volt rotary tool. This is where I will probably ruin a board.

[jimilee]

Yea...don't remind me! All I have is a crappy harbor freight 9 volt rotary tool. This is where I will probably ruin a board.

He shoots,he scores!

[Stomptown]

Yea...don't remind me! All I have is a crappy harbor freight 9 volt rotary tool. This is where I will probably ruin a board.

Looks great! I bought the cheapest dremel and got the pack of tini drill bits (the smallest they make) and it works perfect for drilling pcb's. Also, the thicker the copper the easier it is to drill out. Of course, it takes longer to etch so there is a trade off...

[Hangingmonkey]

Wow, thats a great etch. Thats the thing ive never been able to get down, the toner transfer. The drilling is easy.

[stevie1556]

Congrats on the great etch! Really satisfying when you get a good etch eh?

For the drilling, I have a small rotary tool (cheaper and crapier version of a Dremmel), and it works well for them. However, the drill bits will go blunt quite quickly, probably 200-300 holes. Don't buy the proper Dremmel ones when you need new ones, get 0.8mm and 1mm HSS bits off eBay. 0.8mm are good for components, and 1mm is good for wires. Works out to be a hell of a lot cheaper.

Sent from my thumbs using Tapatalk!

[hammerheadmusicman]

Definitley rewarding!!

what kind of board did you use? i found that the board makes a big difference, the old fashoined mica type board has thinner copper and doesn't etch as well (well the stuff i get in the UK anyway). Where as the fiber glass more modern stuff is just great! Also, the toner you use has a massive impact too! The place i used to use has real crap toner in their printer, so it never used to come out right..

once you find the method that works for you, just run with it!

George

[Stomptown]

Definitley rewarding!!

what kind of board did you use? i found that the board makes a big difference, the old fashoined mica type board has thinner copper and doesn't etch as well (well the stuff i get in the UK anyway). Where as the fiber glass more modern stuff is just great! Also, the toner you use has a massive impact too! The place i used to use has real crap toner in their printer, so it never used to come out right..

once you find the method that works for you, just run with it!

George

This!

I had really poor results when I was using the radio shack copper clad boards, but the modern stuff (i.e. FR-4) is amazing. I also agree that the quality of laser printer makes a huge difference. When I first started I was trying to use magazine paper for the transfer, but the Press n peel blue is way better IMO...

[gtangas]

Nice first etch..  very rewarding job.... Put it at light and let it shine

My first try on etching was with photo paper.... Didn't came out so good..

After that I'm using magazine paper with excellent results. A good laser print, I use the job printer that allows to chosse cad quality
For the paper I choose more thicker paper, not the thinner

I don't use the iron at max power because sometimes it smudges the traces... Ho and don't apply to much pressure on the iron.... After a fews minutes I put the board on warm water that helps to peal.

The last boards I star using a product to tin the board and the differences are amazing.. It's a stuff called pratex heehe people use this to clean the silver

A fews days go a I had to take some parts from a reverb project that I did a time a go. I think it was the 3 build I did. Didn't treat the board and didn't use Nail polish to cover it and man the copper was with a very bad look

But as George said find the best solution that fits you... And enjoy the hobby

Sérgio

[hammerheadmusicman]

One thing I have recently found, is this. To get the grease off the board before you transfer. Dump the board in the etchant, for about 20 seconds. That way, it gets rid of the top layer, with all the finger grease and such, then rinse it thoroughly without touching the copper, and let it either air dry or give it a whizz with the iron, as a towel or kitchen paper leave a residue! Then just do the transfer as normal!

[jubal81]

That's really purity. I'm impressed.

I learned a great trick for a perfect etch every time ...
Ask the Dude to do it  

[ch1naski]

So many helpful replies. I love this place.

I actually used some copper board made by Philco, they are usually a mediocre quality company, so I wasn't too sure about the board. It was 1 ounce copper, 4x6" board. For $2.50, pretty cheap. But that's what they had at the local electronics store.
I'm pretty lucky, I guess. I have 2 mom& pop style electronics stores within 5 minutes of my house. And apex Jr's warehouse, too. so I have a quick and large supply of boards and materials.

Now if I could just find a way to print out that tremulous lune  pcb PDF from tonepad.... the security on the download doesn't allow printing or copying any of the doc. So I can't scale it to do the toner transfer.
I thought it was supposed to be free to use? Hmmmm.

So I guess my next move would be to design my own board. I don't feel right doing in-production boards, those need to be supported by buying them. Some of the guys around here and their self-designed boards are inspirational.



Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[ch1naski]

That's really purity. I'm impressed.

I learned a great trick for a perfect etch every time ...
Ask the Dude to do it  

That's who I use as a benchmark. I don't know where he finds the time, it's consuming. But, I guess when you're that good at it, it's no big deal.....

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

[Stomptown]

Now if I could just find a way to print out that tremulous lune  pcb PDF from tonepad.... the security on the download doesn't allow printing or copying any of the doc. So I can't scale it to do the toner transfer.
I thought it was supposed to be free to use? Hmmmm.

I was able to "print to pdf" from the Tremulus Lune doc on the Tonepad site. I took that pdf and printed a paper copy with no problem. PM me and I can email you a copy of it...

Jon