Homebrew PCBs

Does anyone know what these inks are like (electrically speaking)
after drying?  I'm just wondering if it's reasonable to print a
component mask without worrying that the ink may affect circuit operation.

I have used it as a solder mask and faced no problem
but it was a low voltage application. I didn't do any
high voltage test.

--- dpersuhn <dpersuhn@...> wrote:

> Does anyone know what these inks are like
> (electrically speaking)
> after drying?  I'm just wondering if it's reasonable
> to print a
> component mask without worrying that the ink may
> affect circuit operation.
> 
>

On Sun, 04 Feb 2007 08:55:45 +0100, dpersuhn <dpersuhn@...> wrote:

> Does anyone know what these inks are like (electrically speaking)
> after drying?  I'm just wondering if it's reasonable to print a
> component mask without worrying that the ink may affect circuit  
> operation.

much like acrylic i would expect. Maybe the black pigment is conductive, i  
doubt it though.

ST

At Sat Feb 3, 2007 11:57 pm ((PST)), dpersuhn wrote:
>Does anyone know what these inks are like (electrically speaking)
>after drying?  I'm just wondering if it's reasonable to print a
>component mask without worrying that the ink may affect circuit operation.

It's purely a guess but if I had to bet on it I would expect
the colour inks to be a finely divided organic ink with a
binder which might be an acrylic - all organic, so probably
high resistivity.

However, I wouldn't be surprised to find the black ink contains
at least some carbon black in the same binder, so the resistivity
is more questionable, especially at high voltages.

So it might be better to do black as a colour mix.

But as I say, just a guess.


Regards, LenW

As a pigment ink, my concern would be the addition of titanium dioxide
to the colors in order to add an opaque white, much like what is used
in paints.  From the sounds of it, that must not be the case if folks
are using it as a solder mask.

In any case, this sounds like grounds for a series of tests once I
have the project completed.  I'm mostly concerned about the effects it
could have on trace capacitance in high frequency applications,
although knowing it's behavior at up to 240v would be useful.

Dave

On Sun, 04 Feb 2007 17:54:08 +0100, dpersuhn <dpersuhn@...> wrote:

> In any case, this sounds like grounds for a series of tests once I
> have the project completed.  I'm mostly concerned about the effects it
> could have on trace capacitance in high frequency applications,
> although knowing it's behavior at up to 240v would be useful.
> Dave


If you want i can measure it. Currently i can only measure resistances  
with up to 500V (which i hope to change once i get hold of some TV  
flybacks). But i bet it will show no significant conductivity.

ST