Homebrew PCBs

Hans Wedemeyer wrote:
 > Mike,
 > That's the reason I posted this today.... I'm also sick of the same old
 > crap about lasjer jet not being any good... it really is
 > misinformation...

Show me a footprint of 0.5mm pitch 256 pin QFP done on a laser without
most of the pads shorting and i'll be happy.

 > The other point that I can't abid is them needless search for absolute
 > blackness in the film... Special this and special that... hog wash...

The blacker the film, the less critical the exposure.

 > I use MSOP a lot of the time that's 0.0256" (0.65mm) and have no problem
 > at all.

26mil is huge.

 > With regards to 8 mil..... well I demonstrated today,  10 mil is run of
 > the mil and 8 mil is just as easy.

Fine-pitch footprint?

 > I remember a stupid board I was presented with some years ago, it was a
 > very simple circuit about 10 components and the board was about 4" X 4"
 > ( Deer feeder controller)  and the person used 8 mil lines and the
 > smallest pads ! When they tried to change components of course without a
 > vacuum driven desoldering tool, pads lifted of and traces got broken.
 > The golden rule is when you have the space USE IT....

Most of the time i use 20mil tracks and 60-80mil vias.

 > I can do 5 mil if I use Apollo CG7060 film, 3M  CG 3300 is only good to
 > 10 mil (8 at a stretch, with some touch up afterwards)
 >
 > During the years I have trashed two Epson Inkjet (700 dpi) printers
 > because the nozzles got blocked and I tried everything to devolve the
 > hardened ink, but  nothing worked. At the time Epson offered a head
 > replacement for $130.... I went out and purchased a HP inkjet printer
 > instead for less.

Using crap ink i guess. I've used refill stuff just for printing
on paper and sometimes it gets clogged after a few months. The best
way to get it working again is to put in a genuine cartridge and
it flushes the old crap real easy.

 > If people are dumping Epson Inkjet printers for $5 I'd say good luck to
 > anyone buying one, perhaps buy two and hope the parts are
 > interchangeable... There are also good deals on eBay for HP Laser
 > Jets...

I just got a lexmark 4039 R+ 1200dpi, extra paper tray, duplexer (double-
sided printing:), network card, 16ppm for AUS$200 off ebay.com.au.
Great for printing big manuals;)

 > I've only put one new toner in this LaserJet since I purchased it two
 > years ago, my other one (same type, yes I have 5 printers...) is about 6
 > months older than that and it's on the third toner.
 > I buy real HP toners for about $48....  I wonder what Epson's inkjet
 > cartridges cost... !

Black costs AUS$25-35, but i make them last 6 months to a year by using
it only for PCBs. Laser is much cheaper for paper printing.