Veraxis
Active Member
Hello all,
I am still relatively new to the world of electronics, but lately I have felt that I am finally beginning to reach a point in my learning where I am able to build circuits with a reasonable degree of complexity, and, on more than one occasion, the thought of making customs PCBs for my projects has crossed my mind. For the most part, I have gotten by fairly well using ordinary perforated proto-board, but it seems to me that making my own PCBs would make it much easier to put together a circuit once a layout has been designed (not constantly referring to the schematic to figure out where to place a particular component), and would generally make everything look a lot cleaner and more compact. Naturally, I have looked at dozens of guides on the internet discussing various methods of making home-made PCBs. However, I have a number of reservations related to each of the methods I have read about, and I thought I would ask other members about their experiences with various techniques, as well as with the process as a whole.
With that long-winded introduction out of the way, I’ll get straight to the point about my concerns:
Ferric-chloride etching:
What is the relative failure rate of this process? Can failed etchings be minimized as long as one uses proper techniques?
With regards to buying special printers, toner, and photo paper, how high are the costs related to this, even after one has made the initial investment in a printer? Does using paper from magazines instead of photo paper greatly increase the failure rate or transfer unwanted marks to the board?
what are the relative advantages or disadvantages of using UV photgraphic transfer methods relative to heat transfer methods?
Apparently “reverse electroplating” can be used to speed up/ increase the efficiency of the process. Has anyone here tried this?
Copper chloride etching:
Is copper chloride etching significantly slower than ferric chloride etching?
If you constantly have to “regenerate” the solution with HCl, is it actually any cheaper than using ferric chloride?
Supposedly the standard regeneration method of mixing in HCl and hydrogen peroxide can create toxic fumes. Can this be easily avoided?
I saw a post somewhere about using copper acetate instead of copper chloride, and using vinegar to regenerate the solution. Has anyone ever heard of someone trying this?
CNC router milling:
How time-consuming is the process (programming and running the CNC) relative to chemical methods(transferring and etching)? For example, roughly how long would it take to mill a board that is, say, 4”x4” (about 10x10 cm)?
Supposedly using machines to mill PCBs is not quite as precise as using chemical methods. How severe are the limitations? Is it still possible to get at least a reasonable degree of precision using this method?
Apparently even the smallest CNCs available for PCB milling are often unjustifiably expensive even for more serious hobbyists. Is it possible to make a home-made CNC without having to program everything from scratch to work with your design?
In general:
Is there any truly practical way for hobbyists to make PCBs effectively on a small scale? Or is this really something that is only justifiable for large numbers of PCBs and/or highly intricate designs?
I understand that I am asking a lot of questions here, and I do not expect the members of this forum to be able to answer every one of them, but I think that it would be useful get a general sense of how practical this actually is before I spend my money on something that is not justifiable for the benefits it gives. Perhaps if we are able to gather together enough information on the topic, this could be used to make some kind of FAQ on PCB making?
Thank you all for taking the time to help me out,
JLNY
I am still relatively new to the world of electronics, but lately I have felt that I am finally beginning to reach a point in my learning where I am able to build circuits with a reasonable degree of complexity, and, on more than one occasion, the thought of making customs PCBs for my projects has crossed my mind. For the most part, I have gotten by fairly well using ordinary perforated proto-board, but it seems to me that making my own PCBs would make it much easier to put together a circuit once a layout has been designed (not constantly referring to the schematic to figure out where to place a particular component), and would generally make everything look a lot cleaner and more compact. Naturally, I have looked at dozens of guides on the internet discussing various methods of making home-made PCBs. However, I have a number of reservations related to each of the methods I have read about, and I thought I would ask other members about their experiences with various techniques, as well as with the process as a whole.
With that long-winded introduction out of the way, I’ll get straight to the point about my concerns:
Ferric-chloride etching:
What is the relative failure rate of this process? Can failed etchings be minimized as long as one uses proper techniques?
With regards to buying special printers, toner, and photo paper, how high are the costs related to this, even after one has made the initial investment in a printer? Does using paper from magazines instead of photo paper greatly increase the failure rate or transfer unwanted marks to the board?
what are the relative advantages or disadvantages of using UV photgraphic transfer methods relative to heat transfer methods?
Apparently “reverse electroplating” can be used to speed up/ increase the efficiency of the process. Has anyone here tried this?
Copper chloride etching:
Is copper chloride etching significantly slower than ferric chloride etching?
If you constantly have to “regenerate” the solution with HCl, is it actually any cheaper than using ferric chloride?
Supposedly the standard regeneration method of mixing in HCl and hydrogen peroxide can create toxic fumes. Can this be easily avoided?
I saw a post somewhere about using copper acetate instead of copper chloride, and using vinegar to regenerate the solution. Has anyone ever heard of someone trying this?
CNC router milling:
How time-consuming is the process (programming and running the CNC) relative to chemical methods(transferring and etching)? For example, roughly how long would it take to mill a board that is, say, 4”x4” (about 10x10 cm)?
Supposedly using machines to mill PCBs is not quite as precise as using chemical methods. How severe are the limitations? Is it still possible to get at least a reasonable degree of precision using this method?
Apparently even the smallest CNCs available for PCB milling are often unjustifiably expensive even for more serious hobbyists. Is it possible to make a home-made CNC without having to program everything from scratch to work with your design?
In general:
Is there any truly practical way for hobbyists to make PCBs effectively on a small scale? Or is this really something that is only justifiable for large numbers of PCBs and/or highly intricate designs?
I understand that I am asking a lot of questions here, and I do not expect the members of this forum to be able to answer every one of them, but I think that it would be useful get a general sense of how practical this actually is before I spend my money on something that is not justifiable for the benefits it gives. Perhaps if we are able to gather together enough information on the topic, this could be used to make some kind of FAQ on PCB making?
Thank you all for taking the time to help me out,
JLNY