Homebrew PCBs

"jimofc300" <jim@...> writes:

> away, followed by some of the traces (10 mil) and pads. Can anyone
> here tell me what I did wrong and how to fix it?

My guess is, not hot enough.  My laminator defaulted to 320 F, but
only after a fifteen minute warmup.  With my hack, I can get it to
340-350 in five minutes, and toner is much more reliable that way.

As a simple test, open up the laminator and put something between the
temp sensor and the rollers, like a thin wire, to slow down heat
transfer and maybe boost the temp a few degrees.  Otherwise, 4-8
passes might be needed.

You might be able to buy a replacement temp sensor that's hotter.

> cartridge? I let it sit around for maybe 30 minutes before
> laminating, while cutting and cleaning the board. Could that be it?

One thing I do is humidify the paper - hold it over hot water, or put
it in an enclosed container with a bowl of water for a few minutes, to
soften the fibers so they lay flat when you print on them.