Homebrew PCBs

In a message dated 9/8/2005 4:39:04 P.M. Central Daylight Time,  
lcdpublishing@... writes:

Wait  till you read the next message 


Yes, I did.  
 
All this is "good training," per the cadre at Fort Polk in  1966.  Did you 
use a laser-printer?  I have heard (well, READ!) that  some of those printers 
become "creative" when asked to print a given size  image.  My INK-JET (not any 
good for toner images, of course) does at  least 5% smaller (or was it 
larger?) than a specified  size.  But I am an OLD Flatulent with about $1000 worth of 
Bishop Graphics  "stick-ons" still in a drawer.  They are most long-past 
their "good  until..." dates, but most still work fine, anyway.  One uses an 
Xacto-knife  to pick-off the pads and IC patterns, sticks 'em to grid-paper VERY 
carefully,  then "wires up" with precision black tape (I have only several 0.05" 
to  0.25" widths, though they are (were?) made by DOZENS of widths, and at 
least  three colors, both "mylar" and "crepe black."  This was what we OLD GUYS  
did before puters could "draw" a PCB for us "on-screen".  Just getting it  
photo-printable is the problem.  But the 2X "art" I did could be  photographed 
by the "PC House" to make a 1X negative, and the size was  PERFECT.  
 
I realize most of their customers now just bring in a 3½  floppy taped to a 
purchase-order, and four-layer with gold and tin-plating is  routine.  But it's 
been some years since I did a 100-count order of a PTH  double-side, so I 
don't even have a CLUE what-all is done, nowadays!  As  was bragged in that old 
spiritual, "Free at last, free at last!  Thank  Gawd-Amighty, we free at  
last!"                Jan  Rowland


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