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Need a single-side prototype board made

Need a single-side prototype board made

2009-01-12 by Rick Henry

It's been prob 30 years or more since I did any PCB design and etching 
and I really don't want to get back into all the stuff just to check a 
single design.  

I have a 3" x 16" artwork made with software that I would like to have 
one or two boards made for testing and fitting.  It's almost something 
that could be point to point wired, but if I like what I've come up 
with, I may require 20 or 30 similar boards.  If so, I'll probably go 
with a commercial route to make better looking, double sided (no 
jumpers) and silk screening process at that time.  

Would anybody be interested in producing a couple of boards for me?  I 
know the size is a bit long, but in reality, they could be done in half 
and I'll just bridge solder the boards together to test.  Looks are not 
that important at this point.

Thanks.

Double to single sided board

2009-01-14 by Kurt

I was wondering, I have a pretty good stash of double sided board, but very
little single sided.

I have been using Eagle to design my boards so far, and for the sake of
simplicity, I have been trying to keep to one sided designs. Plus the fact
that I have just learned about how to make a ground plane in Eagle, there is
not too much to etch on the bottom side, and a great big field to etch away
on the top.

Has anyone come up with a way to quickly strip the copper from one side of a
double sided board?

With practice, I hope to be able to align the patterns well enough to make a
good double sided board, but for now, I have been just trying to etch it
away.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Kurt   WU8V
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Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Double to single sided board

2009-01-14 by Malcolm Parker-Lisberg

Heat one corner with a hot air paint stripping gun so that you lift enough copper to be able to grab it with the pliers. Clamp one end firmly, apply the heat gun to heat just infront of the area of copper you are lifting and pull on the copper to remove it. The price you pay is like all soldering and electronic work is you loose your fingerprints.





--- On Wed, 1/14/09, Kurt <wu8v@...> wrote:
Show quoted textHide quoted text
From: Kurt <wu8v@...>
Subject: [Homebrew_PCBs] Double to single sided board
To: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2009, 2:08 AM










    
            I was wondering, I have a pretty good stash of double sided board, but very

little single sided.



I have been using Eagle to design my boards so far, and for the sake of

simplicity, I have been trying to keep to one sided designs. Plus the fact

that I have just learned about how to make a ground plane in Eagle, there is

not too much to etch on the bottom side, and a great big field to etch away

on the top.



Has anyone come up with a way to quickly strip the copper from one side of a

double sided board?



With practice, I hope to be able to align the patterns well enough to make a

good double sided board, but for now, I have been just trying to etch it

away.



Any suggestions would be appreciated.



Kurt   WU8V

No virus found in this outgoing message.

Checked by AVG.

Version: 7.5.552 / Virus Database: 270.10.6/1891 - Release Date: 1/13/2009

8:17 AM



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




      

    
    
	
	 
	
	








	


	
	


      

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

RE: [Homebrew_PCBs] Double to single sided board

2009-01-14 by Kurt

Thanks Malcom, I will give that a try... it does not affect the opposite
side copper?

I always wanted to be an anonymous type anyway, thay are mostly gone, maybe
this will finally finish off those pesky fingerprints.

Thanks again...73

Kurt   WU8V
Show quoted textHide quoted text
  -----Original Message-----
  From: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of Malcolm Parker-Lisberg
  Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 11:20 AM
  To: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
  Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Double to single sided board


  Heat one corner with a hot air paint stripping gun so that you lift enough
copper to be able to grab it with the pliers. Clamp one end firmly, apply
the heat gun to heat just infront of the area of copper you are lifting and
pull on the copper to remove it. The price you pay is like all soldering and
electronic work is you loose your fingerprints.

  --- On Wed, 1/14/09, Kurt <wu8v@...> wrote:
  From: Kurt <wu8v@...>
  Subject: [Homebrew_PCBs] Double to single sided board
  To: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
  Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2009, 2:08 AM

  I was wondering, I have a pretty good stash of double sided board, but
very

  little single sided.

  I have been using Eagle to design my boards so far, and for the sake of

  simplicity, I have been trying to keep to one sided designs. Plus the fact

  that I have just learned about how to make a ground plane in Eagle, there
is

  not too much to etch on the bottom side, and a great big field to etch
away

  on the top.

  Has anyone come up with a way to quickly strip the copper from one side of
a

  double sided board?

  With practice, I hope to be able to align the patterns well enough to make
a

  good double sided board, but for now, I have been just trying to etch it

  away.

  Any suggestions would be appreciated.

  Kurt WU8V

  No virus found in this outgoing message.

  Checked by AVG.

  Version: 7.5.552 / Virus Database: 270.10.6/1891 - Release Date: 1/13/2009

  8:17 AM

  [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]











  [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



  
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG.
Version: 7.5.552 / Virus Database: 270.10.7/1893 - Release Date: 1/14/2009
6:59 AM


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

RE: [Homebrew_PCBs] Double to single sided board

2009-01-14 by Malcolm Parker-Lisberg

Kurt
Don't overheat as you are more likely do damage the laminate surface on the side you are removing copper from than the underside. If you get it too hot you may cause the board to curl. I have used this method many times to obtain bare board make electrically insulating terminations. 

--- On Wed, 1/14/09, Kurt <wu8v@...> wrote:
Show quoted textHide quoted text
From: Kurt <wu8v@...>
Subject: RE: [Homebrew_PCBs] Double to single sided board
To: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2009, 7:23 PM










    
            Thanks Malcom, I will give that a try... it does not affect the opposite

side copper?



I always wanted to be an anonymous type anyway, thay are mostly gone, maybe

this will finally finish off those pesky fingerprints.



Thanks again...73



Kurt   WU8V



-----Original Message-----

  From: Homebrew_PCBs@ yahoogroups. com

[mailto:Homebrew_PCBs@ yahoogroups. com]On Behalf Of Malcolm Parker-Lisberg

  Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 11:20 AM

  To: Homebrew_PCBs@ yahoogroups. com

  Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Double to single sided board



Heat one corner with a hot air paint stripping gun so that you lift enough

copper to be able to grab it with the pliers. Clamp one end firmly, apply

the heat gun to heat just infront of the area of copper you are lifting and

pull on the copper to remove it. The price you pay is like all soldering and

electronic work is you loose your fingerprints.



--- On Wed, 1/14/09, Kurt <wu8v@wowway. com> wrote:

  From: Kurt <wu8v@wowway. com>

  Subject: [Homebrew_PCBs] Double to single sided board

  To: Homebrew_PCBs@ yahoogroups. com

  Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2009, 2:08 AM



I was wondering, I have a pretty good stash of double sided board, but

very



little single sided.



I have been using Eagle to design my boards so far, and for the sake of



simplicity, I have been trying to keep to one sided designs. Plus the fact



that I have just learned about how to make a ground plane in Eagle, there

is



not too much to etch on the bottom side, and a great big field to etch

away



on the top.



Has anyone come up with a way to quickly strip the copper from one side of

a



double sided board?



With practice, I hope to be able to align the patterns well enough to make

a



good double sided board, but for now, I have been just trying to etch it



away.



Any suggestions would be appreciated.



Kurt WU8V



No virus found in this outgoing message.



Checked by AVG.



Version: 7.5.552 / Virus Database: 270.10.6/1891 - Release Date: 1/13/2009



8:17 AM



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



No virus found in this outgoing message.

Checked by AVG.

Version: 7.5.552 / Virus Database: 270.10.7/1893 - Release Date: 1/14/2009

6:59 AM



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]




      

    
    
	
	 
	
	








	


	
	


      

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Re:Double to single sided board

2009-01-14 by Lee Studley

You could paint the unused side with clear lacquer or polyurethane, etch 
the trace side, then
make an isolation drill bit. Where ever you need a through-hole item, 
drill the hole from the trace side, then on the
other lacquered side use the isolation bit to scrape/make a pad on the 
other side.
 
This way the lacquered side can also be a big ground plane and wont need 
to be etched away, wasting etchant.

2 ways to make a isolation bit:
1) if you are good with a dremel, use a disc or grinding bit and grind 
the tip of a spare drill bit so that the cutting edge is slightly a W
with the center able to go into the tiny hole, and the outer W legs able 
to cut the pad. Be careful or it will cut all the way thru.

2) Use a large enough drill bit that can be centered in the hole, but 
the V of the cutting edges is wide enough to give about a 1/16" or 1.5mm
wide insulating crater in the the PCB. Turn the drill bit by hand or 
carefully in a drill press.
-Lee

[Homebrew_PCBs] solder paste stencils

2009-01-16 by Mark Lerman

I'm working with some QFN leadless components and I want to make 
solder paste stencils to apply solder paste before putting them in my 
toaster oven reflow solderer. I want to just drill holes in some very 
thin (.008) laminate and align it with 000 screws, then smear solder 
paste over it with a flat blade. Does anyone have any guidelines for 
volume of solder paste for various size ic contacts? Thanks for any 
links or advice!

Mark

Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] solder paste stencils

2009-01-16 by James Bishop

I've soldered a couple of qfn's by simply laying a 'sausage' of solder
paste in a line across all the pads, and then reflowing in an old
frying pan on my gas stove, and it worked fine! The sausage would have
been around 0.5mm thick, I tihnk (my paste came in a syringe-type
dispenser). With this amount the solder will happily flow onto the
pads, the part should align itself, and I didnt have any problems with
shorts.

There is some good info on diy reflow soldering here:
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/tutorial_info.php?tutorials_id=59
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/tutorial_info.php?tutorials_id=58

The quantity of paste is defined by the size of the hole in the
stencil, and the thickness of the stencil. Check the ic manufacturer's
datasheets. Here is a random datasheet from TI for a QFN-48, it
specifies the dimensions of the holes and the thickness of the stencil
(2nd last page):
http://focus.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/tps65010.pdf
Show quoted textHide quoted text
On Fri, Jan 16, 2009 at 11:28 AM, Mark Lerman <mlerman@...> wrote:
> I'm working with some QFN leadless components and I want to make
> solder paste stencils to apply solder paste before putting them in my
> toaster oven reflow solderer. I want to just drill holes in some very
> thin (.008) laminate and align it with 000 screws, then smear solder
> paste over it with a flat blade. Does anyone have any guidelines for
> volume of solder paste for various size ic contacts? Thanks for any
> links or advice!
>
> Mark
>
>

Re: solder paste stencils

2009-01-19 by derekhawkins

>Does anyone have any guidelines for 
>volume of solder paste for various size ic contacts?

This would be commercial stencil thickness x the area of the SMD pad. 
You can calculate pad areas from data sheets. In your case it would be 
stencil thickness x pi x r^2 where r (half the diameter) would be the 
radius of your drilled hole. 

You can see that if your drilled stencil thickness is slightly greater 
than that of a commercial stencil then this would compensate for 
smaller circle area. That's the theory but in practice the solder paste 
volume isn't all that critical. Don't waste your time trying to be too 
exact.

http://www.pbase.com/eldata/stencils


--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, Mark Lerman <mlerman@...> wrote:
>

Re: Need a single-side prototype board made

2009-01-19 by Steve

I see someone hijacked your thread. Please, people, when starting a
new thread, don't do so by replying to another message. Even when you
delete all traces of the old thread that you can see, Yahoogroups
manages to link them to the old thread. Just put the group address in
your address book and start a new message.

As to your topic- for that number of boards, you might consider going
to one of the board houses. Many offer relatively low prices on a few
to start with. Check the links under "Commercial PCB Prototypers".
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Homebrew_PCBs/links

Steve Greenfield

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Rick Henry" <hitophikers@...>
wrote:
Show quoted textHide quoted text
>
> It's been prob 30 years or more since I did any PCB design and etching 
> and I really don't want to get back into all the stuff just to check a 
> single design.  
> 
> I have a 3" x 16" artwork made with software that I would like to have 
> one or two boards made for testing and fitting.  It's almost something 
> that could be point to point wired, but if I like what I've come up 
> with, I may require 20 or 30 similar boards.  If so, I'll probably go 
> with a commercial route to make better looking, double sided (no 
> jumpers) and silk screening process at that time.  
> 
> Would anybody be interested in producing a couple of boards for me?  I 
> know the size is a bit long, but in reality, they could be done in half 
> and I'll just bridge solder the boards together to test.  Looks are not 
> that important at this point.
> 
> Thanks.
>

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