Homebrew PCBs

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Stefan Trethan" 
<stefan_trethan@...> wrote:
> On the other side you use a heat proof silicone roller.
> A fuser already has all those components.

Thanks! The rubber roller idea was mainly because I already have them, 
and they have such a nice "grip". I've also got the aluminum-clad iron 
with a nice smooth surface, but I guess it wouldn't work, unless I set 
it up so that the board just sat on the iron, and the roller moved 
across it, while being forced downward. :(

I must say, I don't care for that dowel idea I saw. Just seems like 
you're creating a nice "leverage" to stress the board or something. 
Maybe a "fixed" roller for a dowel, with some backup support on either 
side, set in a bit lower. I guess it's getting kind of ridiculous, 
especially since I've already got the "extra flat" iron base, which is 
probably one of the reasons they had come up with the rolling dowel 
thing. I guess consistent time (or brief, repeated time) and pressure 
would be the way to go with the iron, I just need to get a means of 
keeping tabs on it (the scale idea), and find a heat sensor or 
thermometer, so I can make sure my iron stays at the same temp.

Ideally, I want the laminator, but I still can't get over that ".03x" 
idea. I've already got too much thicker stuff, and if it was a good 
enough system, it would be nice to even have the option of running 
"non-PCB" materials too, since it would be feeding them "through" the 
heated rollers (for long stuff). It also seems like, with a unit made 
to run various paper and thin plastic sheets,etc., you'd either be 
slightly changing the pressure as the thickness varied, or risking too 
much stress on the mechanics (or both). However, with the easy setup 
and consistency, and the firsthand feedback from here, it is the 
obvious choice.

I still wish someone would rig something together just for the PCB's, 
either using the guts of a readily available cheap laminator, or some 
common commercial heating and rolling parts. When you think about how 
worthless a broken copier or printer is to "regular" people, we 
probably wouldn't have much trouble obtaining one. I could probably 
rig the roller/pressure/feed part somehow, but unfortunately, with 
what I've heard on DIY mods, the electrical half of it, and the 
understanding of the technical theory behind laser printers,etc., I 
myself wouldn't be capable of devising anything without some more 
specific instructions.

If anybody knows of some good online info on gutting printers,
laminators,etc. for this stuff, please let me know.

Thanks!

George