Homebrew PCBs

Mike, I have some 3M transparency film for use with
Laser printers and I started using this for toner transfer
(type cg5000).  I am using a HP 2600 color laser printer
and this does the best boards of any thing I have used.

I do not use ferric chloride but  I use muratic acid and
hydrogen peroxide.  2 parts hydrogen peroxide and
1 part muratic acid and use at room temp.  This does 
the best and fastest etching of any thing I have seen.
You do not want to breathe the fumes and the fumes 
are corrosive so don't expose any metal to the fumes.

I think you will find the HP toner is the best (for PCB making)
 on the market.

Derward Myrick KD5WWI



  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: michael tenore 
  To: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Friday, January 11, 2008 3:35 PM
  Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Epson R285


  Hi!

  I ran my Staples paper thru the printer a second time by printing just a period (.) so the fuser turns on!

  The The image transfered very well to the board. The white residue was only on top of the toner.But I did not etech it as that was only 
  a test run. but the traces were beautifully done..I cleaned the paper off the traces with a old tooth brush..

  Regards

  mike..

  ----- Original Message ----
  From: peripherin <peripherin@...>
  To: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
  Sent: Friday, January 11, 2008 9:23:47 PM
  Subject: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Epson R285

  --- In Homebrew_PCBs@ yahoogroups. com, "peripherin" <peripherin@ ...> 
  wrote:
  >
  > --- In Homebrew_PCBs@ yahoogroups. com, "peripherin" <peripherin@ > 
  > wrote:
  > >
  > > Over the last 10 years I have been producing home PCB's with 
  > varying 
  > > degrees of complexity useing the traditional photo exposure 
  method 
  > > with my local print shop providing 2400dpi negatives. I can 
  > reliabley 
  > > turn out boards with 35 micron tracks in 1oz copper which seems 
  to 
  > be 
  > > the minimum width that most manufacturers can achieve reliably.
  > > However I have noticed that Direct resist printing seems to be 
  > giving 
  > > some very good results with the mispro inks. 
  > > My question is what inks are availble in the UK as I can not seem 
  > to 
  > > find MISpro over here? Also has anybody looked at the Epson R285 
  > > printer as it prints CD's DVD which means the feed rollers must 
  be 
  > > far enough apart to accept PCB's. I am going to look at one this 
  > > afternoon so will post a comment if it is suitable. 
  > > Going back to the inks has anyone tryed the Acrylic inks as I 
  > > understand they can be made inkjet compatible? and should also be 
  > > etch resistant.
  > > I have tryed the laser toner tranfer method several times but I 
  > have 
  > > found it does not work to well with ground planned boards due to 
  > > toner density which after trying on several different media types 
  > and 
  > > printers I can not improve. It however gives some impressive 
  > results 
  > > with tracks down to 17 microns reliabley and cleanly being 
  etched. 
  > I 
  > > have ordered a negative from my local print shop just to try 
  useing 
  > > the best media I have found which they say will have uniform 
  toner 
  > > density so we will see how this turns out.
  > > 
  > > Anyhow if anybody has tryed an Epson R285 I like to know what the 
  > > results were like and what ink you have use?
  > >
  > 
  > Update: Ok spent the afternoon really upsetting the sales person in 
  > PC world by making him demonstrate two laser printers HP1018 and 
  1022.
  > 
  > I also got a demonstration of the CD printing facility on the R285 
  > and all I can say is that it is that the way the feed mechnism 
  works 
  > is slightly different from what i expected yes the rollers are 
  > further apart but because of the issues over board size I did not 
  go 
  > any further with this mainly because if I was to use this for 
  > production boards it would use to many processes and again prove as 
  > complex to fix the ink as a normal UV method. If someone has the 
  time 
  > then it may be a great printer to modify. I have however been told 
  by 
  > our by someone I trust that photoresist can be printed from a 
  normal 
  > inkjet cartridge but because the liquid is to viscous it produces 
  to 
  > larger droplet size. Aparently thier is a company who is 
  researching 
  > into produceing a Piezoelectric print head for PCB's. 
  > 
  http://www.electron icsweekly. com/Articles/ 2005/04/14/ 34905/pcb+ maker+p
  > lans+ink-jet+ printing. htm?
  > Unfortunately I do not know what has become of this company anybody 
  > know ?
  > Getting back to the laser printers I followed this up again as 
  > talking to the salesman some of the modern lasers printers increase 
  > toner density in large areas of Mono. If you look at the resulting 
  > prints from different printers you can see more matt areas within 
  the 
  > large areas of ground plans which I have found porous when 
  etching. 
  > With the HP's this does not seem to be the case and remember I am 
  not 
  > using special paper I am talking about printing onto standard 90gsm 
  > paper.
  > Anyhow I have taken the sample prints on three types of paper home 
  to 
  > etch. I have used 90 GSM laser paper Xerox, Epson photo matt paper 
  > and staples photo basic glossy.
  > I also asked about life of the printer by useing non reccommended 
  > papers they said that it would wear the fuser and tonner drum 
  faster 
  > and possibley the rollers but considering the printers are sub £100 
  > thats not really an issue.
  > Anyhow I will comment on the results latter.
  >
  Okay have now etched the test board the results vary a little. 
  Admittedly the etchant is used and cold so probably the worst way to 
  etch. The xerox paper gave results which were acceptable with slight 
  bleed thru on tracks around 35 Microns and small pin holes on the 
  larger areas of tonner. Admittedly this would not have been a problem 
  if the acid was new and I had the heater on. The staples paper I 
  suspect has changes recently as after striping back the paper I 
  noticed it had left a nasty white residue perhapes something the 
  treat the paper evapourating while I ironed it onto the board. This 
  rendered the board un etchable as it turned it to resist all over. By 
  far the epson paper has given the better results the tracks are clean 
  all the way down to 25 Microns. The larger areas again were a bit 
  disapointing the echant had bled thru. I am sure the result could be 
  improved. I am however going to empty the etching tank and mix up a 
  new batch of ferric clorid and heat it to 50deg c on the next attempt 
  I am also going to try Epson Gloss Paper. I understand that because 
  of the coating on the photopapers the tonner takes to the paper 
  better because of the smoother surface and the coating applied to the 
  paper.
  Out of the printers the HP 1022 seems to give better results which is 
  no surprise as the DPI count is higher. 

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