Home made PCB's

StopGo. That is what I do as well and they dome out nice. Only new item is I will let them soak in the warm water longer, less toothbrush required.

I do heat the copper side and to no sit a battery on it, but all the rest works for me.

EDIT: Hero999, yep I let them cool and I now soak them a little longer. Also, I have been tring other paper, medium gloss and a lot better than gloss tring to scrape that white stiff off the copper.

Let me know how the paper glue works, I have a compressed air aresol can I can add some water and spray it on..

markland556 said:

I only have InkJet printers in my home, they are nice, but i dont know if they are up to the task.

Id really like to make some sort of setup to where i can just make a design in Eagle, print it at home and get along making it.

Click to expand...

i once thought laser was required, since nearly all the sites detailing the photolithographic method (photographic method) talk about laser printing on acetate.

I've recently switched to doing all my artwork on inkjet printers ... the inkjet rivals laser in terms of resolution... sure you might have a laser printer that claims 1200dpi, but the particle size of the toner is still a limiting factor ... modern inkjets spray ink much finer than any laser toner ... and this results in much finer pitch and cleaner lines on the PCB

here's links to my ramblings on photolithography:
theory https://projects.dimension-x.net/archives/77
practice https://projects.dimension-x.net/archives/82

justDIY said:

i once thought laser was required, since nearly all the sites detailing the photolithographic method (photographic method) talk about laser printing on acetate.

I've recently switched to doing all my artwork on inkjet printers ... the inkjet rivals laser in terms of resolution... sure you might have a laser printer that claims 1200dpi, but the particle size of the toner is still a limiting factor ... modern inkjets spray ink much finer than any laser toner ... and this results in much finer pitch and cleaner lines on the PCB

Click to expand...

Inkjets might work for photgraphic techniques but for TT (toner transfer) techniques. (TTT's) it won't work! No toner .. no transfer.. see?

You can always photocopy it. To be honest I'd go out and buy a cheap laser printer since the toner lasts for ages, I bought my old Cannon LBP-660 back in 1997 and I onlt needed a new toner last year.

Has anyone noticed that the guy that start this thread hasn't post here since the great debate resumed? Kind of lost sight of what Mark was looking for to begin with. He just wanted to make a couple of boards a month, nothing fancy or complicated. Toner is great for beginners, but photoresist will most likely give the best final results.

We probably scared the poor guy back to doing business with the chinese boardmakers (our economy is a few dollars weaker...).

mramos1 said:

Cheap picture paper works well.. I have only done on magazine paper one. Was bad, cheap thin paper, the laser crunched it up.


I think you're wrong, I will not go back and search the threads. BUT, I think it was an adult magazine mentioned way back in a thread.

Maybe not.. I still want to try the magazine paper. It makes since. But the lexmark photo paper and other papers at 100 sheets for $12.99.. They work, you just have to learm to let them soak long enough before you peel the paper off.

Click to expand...

nice post!!!
thanks i'll try your way

"Sharpie" permanent markers make a reasonable etch resist pen. For very simple boards, I have hand drawn the pattern and etched with ferric chloride solution.
You can make photo masks with an inkjet printer and overhead transparency sheets. Just make sure the printer is set to B/W and best photo quality. My Epson R310 works fine.

Simulated laminator action

I have been talking about the tip on the Pulsar site for simulating laminator action with an iron.


**broken link removed**