PCBs with a PhotoCopier?

[HarveyH42]

Walmart has your cable for under $20
https://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=932028

Mark256, read this thread starting at Page 1. Should find answers to all your questions, plus a picture of a board I made last week using toner transfer.

Laminator not hot enough? Hmm... mine gets hot enough that I need to set the board down to cool off. I run them through twice. I'll do a couple of light strips on the photo paper tomorrow. Can let it soak while I mow the yard... Guess I'd better charge the camera batteries so I can use the flash this time...

 

[Overclocked]

Walmart has your cable for under $20
https://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=932028

Mark256, read this thread starting at Page 1. Should find answers to all your questions, plus a picture of a board I made last week using toner transfer.

Laminator not hot enough? Hmm... mine gets hot enough that I need to set the board down to cool off. I run them through twice. I'll do a couple of light strips on the photo paper tomorrow. Can let it soak while I mow the yard... Guess I'd better charge the camera batteries so I can use the flash this time...

Thanks, but thats not it. Its a microconnector. I found it for 10bucks+shipping= roughly 15 bucks.
https://www.pccables.com/cgi-bin/orders6.cgi?action=Showitem&partno=00027&rsite=f.00027

 

[HarveyH42]

Okay, tried the photo paper. Kind of strange, but the paper didn't get soft or seperate when I soaked it. I let it set for about an hour, while I mowed my yard. I started peeling it back, and it was seperating from the toner fairly clean. So, kept going, but had put some effort into it. Got down to the last half inch or so, and the toner peeled off the copper (not clean enough?). Won't bother etching this one, just clean off the toner and try again.
Don't know why the paper didn't seperate like when I tried it with the iron.

Photo01 shows the print and the Staples paper I used.
Photo02 is after I ran it through the laminator.
Photo03 Board and laminator I use.
Photo04 After peeling off the paper, Board and paper.

 

[mramos1]

I use Staples Picture paper.. You did iron the edged good right? That used to be my biggest problem..

 

[bbarney]

Regarding laminator's
I just bought one and after ironing on transfers for years with pretty good results I got to say the lamiators works way better and way easier.I've used it with press & peel . toner transfer paper and the good old photo paper with the best results using the press & peel.you can buy the laminator at Staples it's called GBC Creative laminator.here's a link with some more info
**broken link removed**

 

[Overclocked]

How do you do a silk Screen? Does it use the same method as a PCB on a laser Printer?

 

[HarveyH42]

I use Staples Picture paper.. You did iron the edged good right? That used to be my biggest problem..

I didn't iron anything. It was a test to see if the laminator (Photo03 earlier post), would work with the photo paper. It wasn't a huge failure, actually almost worked. Might have rushed preparing the copper. Also, maybe the paper is considerably thicker, so I should have passed it through the laminator more then twice (as I usually do). Kind of wondering if it's the right paper.

When I used the iron (before I bought the laminator), I remembered there was some melting, like plastic (clear) around the edges. Will try another experiment later.

 

[HarveyH42]

How do you do a silk Screen? Does it use the same method as a PCB on a laser Printer?

Silk screening is its own technique. Its used for all sorts of mass produced stuff, like T-shirts. Search the web sometime, very education, and occasionally there is porn (not as often as it use to though).

Personally, I believe the toner transfer method is quickest/cheapest method for small quantity boards. Many people swear by photo-resist, but there are too many chemicals (which age), exposure time is related to the chemical photo resist you use. I'm just not that precise in mixing or using chemicals. I like the toner method, because if the transfer isn't clean (like in the photos I posted earlier), just have to wipe it clean with acetone, print a new layout, and in a couple of minutes its ready to etch.

Toner transfer paper is a little pricey (8.5 X 11 about $1/sheet). Haven't really looked for the best price yet (got enough to last a while), but I cut it into 4 pieces, and will try to fit 2 boards on each.

 

[moody07747]

i have to read all the posts about this because i want to try it as well....i only have a cheap kit from the shack that uses carbon paper and a sharpie marker to lay out the wires on the copper clad.

I have a color laser dell printer so as soon as i get the list of materials to try this i will...

edit, i got the link to work..had to copy and paste it

 

[mramos1]

Below is a board I made of Bill's (blueroom) inchworm ICD2 a couple weeks ago.. Time was maybe 1 hour (start to finish), and I had to takes his JPG from electro-tech-online.com, remove the silk screen and resize it and mirror it (in photoshop; maybe that is why it took an hour )

I printed it at 600DPI on a laser printer to staples picture paper, iron the heck out of it, soak/peel and scrub (see right picture, that is after I scrubbed it and toner still on it), dip in etchant 5-6 minutes (see left picture).

https://www.electro-tech-online.com/attachments/inchworm-jpg.8550/

This method works. If someone gets a laminator working, that will help save time. But you still have to drill it

 

[3v0]

Let me get this one.

How do you do a silk Screen? Does it use the same method as a PCB on a laser Printer?

The last time I kenw anything about silkscreening it worked like this.

1. First you create the artwork.
   
2. Use the artwork to expose an image on a photo sensitive screen.
   
3. Develop the screen. This opens holes in the screen where the artwork was black.
   
4. Place the screen over the board and use a scraper to force ink through the holes in the screen and onto the board.
   
5. Etch the board.
   
6. A lot of work but used to be good for mass production.
   

While in collage two of us tried to make boards using the silk screen process. They boards were Z80 based controllers about 4 by 12 inches. WIth boards this big there always was a flaw. In the end we sent the artwork out to have the boards made.

**broken link removed**

 

[3v0]

I tried using the baking parchment as transfer paper. The first two attempts failed because the toner was falling off the paper when it came out of the printer.

The first two tries I attached the parchemt at the top/leading edge only. The 3rd time I attached it all along the top as before, and also the sides and bottom.

It looked nice when it came off the printer but I had some distortion on a few holes when I tried to iron it on. I think the problem in with the iron transfer.

I have an old vulcanization press form making rubber molds. It is two heated plates attached to a two post screw press. Zip to loose. If that does not work I will be picking up a laminator.

 

[Overclocked]

I think Im doing something wrong here, I am printing on the glossy side of the photo paper with a laser printer. I put the iron on it, but for how long and how much pressure? The odd thing is, the back of the photopaper seems sticky, and it sticks to the iron, is this normal? I am using staples photopaper.

The print comes out nice, you cant hardly see the line I mentioned before. Some of the Circuit transfers onto the board nicly, while the other half doesnt.

 

[mramos1]

Could you have the paper in upside down? I have never had that happen.

Trust me. I would look bad the next day at work and my wife would be really upset about her iron..

On the Staples picture paper, I iron it for 3-5 minutes.. Get it really hot.

There is a walmart type called "Jet" I was gonna try out next. Someone gave me a couple sheets (to print her pictures on, it is cheap stuff) but I will use EPSON photo paper for her pictures and try the "jet" for PCB later. I will try the epson for PCB too and see what the results are.

I have not see Staples Picture paper for some time.

 

[Overclocked]

Could you have the paper in upside down? I have never had that happen.

Trust me. I would look bad the next day at work and my wife would be really upset about her iron..

On the Staples picture paper, I iron it for 3-5 minutes.. Get it really hot.

There is a walmart type called "Jet" I was gonna try out next. Someone gave me a couple sheets (to print her pictures on, it is cheap stuff) but I will use EPSON photo paper for her pictures and try the "jet" for PCB later. I will try the epson for PCB too and see what the results are.

I have not see Staples Picture paper for some time.

Yes, I printed on the Glossy Side. The non glossy side melts after a while.. I put the iron on the while thing and press down, or am I supposed to just use a little ironing at a time?

I just got the paper tonight for 5 bucks for 50 sheets, so thats 10 cents a sheet!

 

[Overclocked]

UPDATE- Well this is very intresting, It looks like Ive been putting it on the wrong side! There are 2 sides, a Plain white GLossy Side, (The side your SUPPOSED to print on) and a Regular side. When I printed on the Plain Glossy Side I noticed the Regular Side alway Melted into a stick mess, So Out of curiosity, I printed on the Regular Side and it works!!!

 

[mramos1]

What is the brand and type paper? I pay $9 for 30 sheets. If it works well, I will try that brand.

Glad you got it working.

 

[Exo]

Get eagle layout editor to do your pcb design (other progs might work as but eagle seems the best to me)

print your design on transparant with a laser printer , UV it onto pcb and the result is quite good. 0.01" tracks aren't a problem.

https://www.electro-tech-online.com/attachments/fanbus03-jpg.8826/

 

[Overclocked]

What is the brand and type paper? I pay $9 for 30 sheets. If it works well, I will try that brand.

Gland you got it working.

Staples Brand Photo Paper 4x6. Its just the right size for a 4x6 PCB. It came out with very Few Mistakes . I really didnt have to have it soak for a long time either, I can just run it under how water with some soap- But I might not do that anymore since I probably risk ruining the PCB

Unforunately, I cant use this PCB, I forgot to connect the power pins to the IC :duh:

I think I used 10mm Tracks on the test PCB (what ever the default is on Eagle) , I got out a ruler and its about 1/64th I believe (roughly Half of 1/32) Which is pretty small.

 

[DirtyLude]

The 4x6 paper is not the same as the standard 8 1/2x11 staples paper everyone uses, then. When I first started, I was using an Epson paper and it worked like that as well. I put a piece of paper towel over it before ironing or the paper would melt to the iron. The standard staples paper does not melt when ironing.