Homebrew PCBs

Thanks, everybody, for the advice!

Kerry:

I've seen magazine paper used in another tutorial, but didn't see any discussion as to its benefits. It's cheaper than photo paper anyway, so I'll give it a try.

Does Scotchbrite simply refer to those green synthetic dish scour pads?  They don't seem like they'd be abrasive enough to scour copper.

Does a laminator work substantially better?

Andy:

I don't know when the toner was changed, because I'm not the one who does it. There's nothing like a "change soon" message, though.

I'm fortunate enough to have access to a color laser printer (Also a Dell) at work.  Are there benefits to different colors of toner (similar to the magenta Epson inkjet trick)?

My double-sided blanks came from Radio Shack.  I actually bought them somewhere around five years ago and stuck them on a shelf before I got around to this project.  I can try to source some others.

John:

I currently laying boards directly on the bottom an an empty pine cigar box. I hadn't thought about it, but this is probably conducting a lot of heat though to the air on the other side.  I'll put some newspaper directly down on my workbench.

Steve:

I've seen photoresist mentioned as a more reliable method in several places, but I've also seen some pretty impressive results from toner transfer, and wanted to make sure I was getting the process right.

The Pulsar system was recommended to me on this list, and I took a look at it. It looks like a pretty solid and complete solution, but at $75 a kit, I think I'm more tempted to send off to a low-volume fab shop like BatchPCB that would do the solder resist mask and proper silkscreening for around the same price.

-Andrew

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Steve Maroney" <steve@...> wrote:
>
> I've had the same problems and complaints with the toner transfer method
> on my first attempts at making my PCBs. I gave up and tried the photo
> resist method which works a whole lot better.  It seems like a little
> more work at first buts it really not much more trouble and well worth
> the more consistent results.  I use the developer and boars from
> www.jameco.com
> 
>  
> 
> When cash flow gets better I may try the pulsar solution. It seems that
> Pulsar provides a more turn-key solution to the TT method that may yield
> acceptable results. 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Best Regards,
> 
> Steve Maroney
> 
>  
> 
> Business Computer Support, LLC
> 
> Mobile Phone:504-914-4704
> 
> Office Phone: 504-904-0266
> 
> Fax: 866-871-7797
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> From: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of andrewmv@...
> Sent: Sunday, April 18, 2010 6:04 PM
> To: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [Homebrew_PCBs] Toner transfer problems
> 
>  
> 
>   
> 
> I've just started attempting my first PCBs with the toner transfer
> method, and I'm consistently getting terrible results.
> 
> Some sections of the pattern transfer flawlessly to the board, while
> others stay on the paper. I've tried varying heat, pressure, and ironing
> time, but my results are always similar.
> 
> It never seems to be the same parts of the pattern that come though, but
> I never get the whole thing.
> 
> My current process is:
> 
> 1) Print the patterns in black toner on medium-gloss photo paper with a
> Dell 5310n laser printer at my office. 
> 2) Scour the board blank in two orthogonal directions with 150 grit
> sandpaper
> 3) Clean the board blank with pure acetone
> 4) Preheat the board to about 150 degrees Fahrenheit with an electric
> clothes iron. I'm measuring with a handheld infrared HVAC thermometer.
> 5) With the iron at about 400 degrees, I place the pattern toner-side
> down on the board, and apply pressure with the iron. The pattern almost
> immediately fuses to the copper, as I've seen suggested it should, and I
> move the iron around the pattern regularly, applying a least two full
> minutes of heat and pressure to every part of the board.
> 6) I immediately place the board and paper into a bowl of hot water, and
> let it soak for 10-20 minutes.
> 
> I've tried variations on this...I initially skipped the scouring,
> cleaning, or preheating the board. I've tried using mild pressure all
> the way up to my full body weight. None of these significantly improved
> or worsened results.
> 
> I tried letting the board fully cool before placing it into COLD water,
> as I've seen suggested, and found that there was virtually no toner
> transfer whatsoever.
> 
> Any tips or ideas?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>