Homebrew PCBs

I am new to the group. Where do i begin with doing my own printed circuit board? is there any books on the topic

~ryan

On Tue, Jun 11, 2013 at 10:31 PM, gdscientist <gdscientist@...> wrote:
> I am new to the group. Where do i begin with doing my own printed circuit board? is there any books on the topic

Here's how I do it:

  http://capnstech.blogspot.com/2011/05/playpause-making-pcbs-at-home.html

But there are many different ways, and the good folks here will help you.

Mitch.

On Tue, 11 Jun 2013 14:31:28 -0000, you wrote:

>I am new to the group. Where do i begin with doing my own printed circuit board? is there any books on the topic

While there are books on the subject, many of them are at the very
technical level aimed at industrial processes.

Perhaps the best way to answer the question is with a series of
questions so we can give you some specific answers.



1) there are (mostly) 3 methods to making a board, mechanical etching
(using a CNC machine), toner transfer (using a laser printer, paper,
laminator) and photoresist (generally using pre sensitized boards and
an inkjet printer).  Which of these is best depends on your resources
and the kind of board you want to make.

2) Layout programs go from free to very expensive.  It all depends on
how much money you want to spend, and in the free (or free varieties)
of the program, how big a board or how complicated a board you want to
make.  Some other parts depend on what operating system you will use.

3) What kind of a board do you want to do?  General electronics?
Digital?  Analog?  RF?  These choices determine the program to some
extent and also the production method.

4) do you want to make a single sided board or double sided (more
complex, but often nicer to work with)?  Do you want to do through
hole parts or surface mount (some differences, but not as extreme as
you may think).

5) will you be making boards from pre-done plans or are you going to
design your own?


Lots of questions, I know, but these are the factors we all consider
in making or designing boards.  Take them one at a time, and see how
you feel about the answers.  There's no right or wrong answer here,
and you most likely will change your mind as you gain more experience.

You can look through the archives of the group, and also look at the
files section.  

Please ask questions.

Harvey

>
>~ryan

On Mon, Jun 17, 2013 at 10:32 PM, Harvey White <madyn@...> wrote:
>
> Perhaps the best way to answer the question is with a series of
> questions so we can give you some specific answers.

Wow good advice Harvey, does this group have some sort of FAQ we can
capture this in?

Mitch.

On Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:45:11 +0800, you wrote:

>On Mon, Jun 17, 2013 at 10:32 PM, Harvey White <madyn@...> wrote:
>>
>> Perhaps the best way to answer the question is with a series of
>> questions so we can give you some specific answers.
>
>Wow good advice Harvey, does this group have some sort of FAQ we can
>capture this in?

There might be one, I'd be ok with the owner or moderator adding this
to that FAQ if he wishes.

Harvey

>
>Mitch.

Very good advice and it ought to be saved.

 

Maybe add one little clarification:

The photo resist method requires an artwork (black and clear transparency)
that can be created by different printers, for example LaserJet or inkjet.

Bertho

From:  Harvey White    Sent: Monday, June 17, 2013 16:11



On Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:45:11 +0800, you wrote:

>On Mon, Jun 17, 2013 at 10:32 PM, Harvey White <madyn@...
<mailto:madyn%40dragonworks.info> > wrote:
>>
>> Perhaps the best way to answer the question is with a series of
>> questions so we can give you some specific answers.
>
>Wow good advice Harvey, does this group have some sort of FAQ we can
>capture this in?

There might be one, I'd be ok with the owner or moderator adding this
to that FAQ if he wishes.

Harvey

>





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

There are some very good tutorials on Eagle here :-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AXwjZoyNno

by Jeremy Blun who is sponsored by Element 14. There is a free download for
a cut down version.

Hope this helps,

Steve


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

On Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:59:59 -0400, you wrote:

>Very good advice and it ought to be saved.
>
> 
>
>Maybe add one little clarification:
>
>The photo resist method requires an artwork (black and clear transparency)
>that can be created by different printers, for example LaserJet or inkjet.

Absolutely, and the difference in density of the print makes it
critical for best results.  

I also didn't go into positive or negative or negative resists.

Perhaps we need a bit more of a FAQ on this?  I suppose it could get
out of hand, though.

Perhaps we do this in several levels:

1) preliminary questions

2) general guides

3) specific questions and answers for different procedures

Or are we creating a monster here?

Harvey

>
>Bertho
>
> 
>
>From:  Harvey White    Sent: Monday, June 17, 2013 16:11
>
>
>
>On Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:45:11 +0800, you wrote:
>
>>On Mon, Jun 17, 2013 at 10:32 PM, Harvey White <madyn@...
><mailto:madyn%40dragonworks.info> > wrote:
>>>
>>> Perhaps the best way to answer the question is with a series of
>>> questions so we can give you some specific answers.
>>
>>Wow good advice Harvey, does this group have some sort of FAQ we can
>>capture this in?
>
>There might be one, I'd be ok with the owner or moderator adding this
>to that FAQ if he wishes.
>
>Harvey
>
>>
>
>
>
>
>
>[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Harvey,

I think your overview is very good describing the four major PCB making
principles:

PCB milling

Direct inkjet resist printing

Toner transfer

Photo resist with an artwork.

 

After a good overview there can then be links to the  separate sub-sections.

Bertho

From:  Harvey White   Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2013 18:20



On Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:59:59 -0400, you wrote:

>Very good advice and it ought to be saved.
>
>Maybe add one little clarification:
>
>The photo resist method requires an artwork (black and clear transparency)
>that can be created by different printers, for example LaserJet or inkjet.

Absolutely, and the difference in density of the print makes it
critical for best results. 

I also didn't go into positive or negative or negative resists.

Perhaps we need a bit more of a FAQ on this? I suppose it could get
out of hand, though.

Perhaps we do this in several levels:

1) preliminary questions

2) general guides

3) specific questions and answers for different procedures

Or are we creating a monster here?

Harvey

>
>Bertho
>
> 
>
>From: Harvey White Sent: Monday, June 17, 2013 16:11
>
>
>
>On Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:45:11 +0800, you wrote:
>
>>On Mon, Jun 17, 2013 at 10:32 PM, Harvey White <madyn@...
<mailto:madyn%40dragonworks.info> 
><mailto:madyn%40dragonworks.info> > wrote:
>>>
>>> Perhaps the best way to answer the question is with a series of
>>> questions so we can give you some specific answers.
>>
>>Wow good advice Harvey, does this group have some sort of FAQ we can
>>capture this in?
>
>There might be one, I'd be ok with the owner or moderator adding this
>to that FAQ if he wishes.
>
>Harvey





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

Oh you are so embedded in the "modern" age. I would suggest that there is at least one more method, you can draw the circuit by hand on the PC board with a pen that has a paint style ink, like the Sharpies. It goes something like this:

1. Make a rough sketch on graph paper so you know it will fit. 
2. Cut a piece of copper clad board to the desired size. 
3. Cut or mark off a piece of 1/10" X 1/10" perf board to the outer size. You could also print a adhesive label for this.
4. Mark the positions of the components on the perf board with a Sharpie pen (or adhesive label).
5. Lay the perf board or label over the copper clad board and use a prick punch to mark the location of each of the holes. For surface mount components, you can punch the center or ends of the pads but do not drill them below. 
6. With a steady hand add pads and traces with the Sharpie style pen.
7. Etch the board.
8. Drill as needed at the punch marks. 

If you need a two sided board, drill the holes before drawing the pads and traces and you will have perfect alignment. Add Z wires for vias and solder all component leads on both sides. Where a component lead can not be soldered on the top side, add a via with a Z wire close to it. 

I am presently doing a design and may use this very technique for the first prototype boards. It is possible to add pre-etched boards for some components like small outline ICs. 

A variation on this method is to use rub off transfers and/or precut pads for the component outlines and tape cut to the proper line width for the traces. This is less reliable than the above because it is hard to get complete adhesion to the copper and the etching solution can leak under them. If you do this, you will have to do some repair work on the traces but the board will probably be usable. 

Paul A. 

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Boman33" <boman33@...> wrote:

>
> Harvey,
> 
> I think your overview is very good describing the four major PCB making
> principles:
> 
> PCB milling
> 
> Direct inkjet resist printing
> 
> Toner transfer
> 
> Photo resist with an artwork.
> 
>  
> 
> After a good overview there can then be links to the  separate sub-sections.
> 
> Bertho
> 
>  
> 
> From:  Harvey White   Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2013 18:20
> 
> 
> 
> On Mon, 17 Jun 2013 19:59:59 -0400, you wrote:
> 
> >Very good advice and it ought to be saved.
> >
> >Maybe add one little clarification:
> >
> >The photo resist method requires an artwork (black and clear transparency)
> >that can be created by different printers, for example LaserJet or inkjet.
> 
> Absolutely, and the difference in density of the print makes it
> critical for best results. 
> 
> I also didn't go into positive or negative or negative resists.
> 
> Perhaps we need a bit more of a FAQ on this? I suppose it could get
> out of hand, though.
> 
> Perhaps we do this in several levels:
> 
> 1) preliminary questions
> 
> 2) general guides
> 
> 3) specific questions and answers for different procedures
> 
> Or are we creating a monster here?
> 
> Harvey
> 
> >
> >Bertho
> >
> > 
> >
> >From: Harvey White Sent: Monday, June 17, 2013 16:11
> >
> >
> >
> >On Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:45:11 +0800, you wrote:
> >
> >>On Mon, Jun 17, 2013 at 10:32 PM, Harvey White <madyn@...
> <mailto:madyn%40dragonworks.info> 
> ><mailto:madyn%40dragonworks.info> > wrote:
> >>>
> >>> Perhaps the best way to answer the question is with a series of
> >>> questions so we can give you some specific answers.
> >>
> >>Wow good advice Harvey, does this group have some sort of FAQ we can
> >>capture this in?
> >
> >There might be one, I'd be ok with the owner or moderator adding this
> >to that FAQ if he wishes.
> >
> >Harvey
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

There is also the 'draw on graph paper' technique. 
Full details in the PC Board Menu section at http://www.qsl.net/g3oou/
 
Regards

Bob

Bob F Burns G3OOU
C  Eng, FIET, MSE
G-QRP 6907
Secretary of Crystal Palace Radio &  Electronics Club: www.g3oou.co.uk
Technical web site:  www.qsl.net/g3oou
@BobFBurns on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/BobFBurns

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