electro-plating at home

[rich110]

Hi,

Can anybody give me some idea how feasible / messy it would be to electro-plate at home (main aim is to DIY double side plate-thru via PCBs)

Tks for your input

 

[Klaus]

How to plate thru holes in PCB boards used to be a closely guarded industrial secret, perhaps that information is now more freely available.
I very much doubt it would be practical to do at home for small quantities and it would certainly be somewhat messy. There is also the problem of safely disposing the used chemicals.
Most PCB board makers do have a one off prototype service, I have found that much less of a hassle and more cost effective than the DIY approach.

 

[john1]

use eyelets.

 

[csaba911]

If some one know how is been done, I like to read about it.

Maybe better than spend $80-$120 every second month when I like to create something neat, or more than one.

Thanks
Steve

 

[Klaus]

Steve, your question got me curious . So I asked Google :wink:
search for 'PCB plated through holes', lots of hits there.
This one might interest you:
**broken link removed**

Have fun checking that out.

 

[john1]

We call these 'eyelets'
We consider rivets to be a fixing like nails or screws.

These are similar to the metal bits that shoelaces
pass through on shoes.

The ones illustrated are probably brass,
its difficult to tell.

 

[csaba911]

I was thinking about the real thing, not the ilets.
Read about it about 13 years ago, drill a blank pc board and using some technique to stick a thin layer of copper on the board, than each it.......
I need some details, what is the chemical, how to make it/get it, how is happening step by step.. :idea:

Electroplating ?

Thanks
Steve

 

[john1]

Hi Steve,

I have seen conductive paint, which possibly could be applied to
the holes, then when dried maybe it could be electroplated.

How it would stand up to soldering is anybody's guess.

The paint i'm thinking of is used to touch-up sections in the
stick-on rear window de-misters. It is a reasonably good
conductor, it has to be those demisters carry a fair current.

I use it for repairing damaged tracks on circuitboards where
the circuitboards wont take soldering, such as those very thin
flexible ones. It lasts longer than i ever expected.

Motor car spares shops are the sort of places that sell it.

Best of luck, John

 

[csaba911]

If anyone like to know how is ben done, then check this link.
https://www.thinktink.com/stack/volumes/volvi/pcbproto.htm

Everything you need to know about PCB fabrication...

Steve :|

 

[john1]

An excellent page with very good descriptions.
It seems my concept of conductive paint was not so far from practical!
These people describe an arrangement of applying that sort of paint
then oven drying it, and electro plating the result.

And it looks like they sell all the stuff you may need.