Hi,
Now I have a break from school (half term holiday) I am embarking on another one of my probably slightly too ambitious electronics projects!
In the past I have created my own PCBs using the toner transfer method but I have successfully created PCBs for SMD components before but I want to move on to the UV exposure method and apply a soldermask layer to the PCBs. This helps enormously when soldering components in very small packages by hand.
I am really chucking myself in at the deep end with the UV exposure method and I wondered if anyone has any experience with it because when looking around equipment seems very expensive for what it is! For example I was looking at Mega (Mega-UK - Home) and they want £649 (ex. VAT) for an A3 laminator to laminate on the soldermask film! I have contacted them and they will give me a 5% student discount but £649 – 5% + 17.5% = £724.45. This much for a laminator, it must be made of gold!
I would really like some information especially about applying a solder mask and where to get (or how to make) this rather specialist equipment. I suppose it is not vital so I may just not apply a soldermask in the end. Plenty of solder flux will probably have the same effect in resisting solder.
Thanks for any light shed on the subject.
Fred
Now I have a break from school (half term holiday) I am embarking on another one of my probably slightly too ambitious electronics projects!
In the past I have created my own PCBs using the toner transfer method but I have successfully created PCBs for SMD components before but I want to move on to the UV exposure method and apply a soldermask layer to the PCBs. This helps enormously when soldering components in very small packages by hand.
I am really chucking myself in at the deep end with the UV exposure method and I wondered if anyone has any experience with it because when looking around equipment seems very expensive for what it is! For example I was looking at Mega (Mega-UK - Home) and they want £649 (ex. VAT) for an A3 laminator to laminate on the soldermask film! I have contacted them and they will give me a 5% student discount but £649 – 5% + 17.5% = £724.45. This much for a laminator, it must be made of gold!
I would really like some information especially about applying a solder mask and where to get (or how to make) this rather specialist equipment. I suppose it is not vital so I may just not apply a soldermask in the end. Plenty of solder flux will probably have the same effect in resisting solder.
Thanks for any light shed on the subject.
Fred