Ready to brew my own PCB's

[3v0]

For tin plating you may want to try "MG Chemicals, Liquid Tin".

I have only used it on one PCB so far but it was easy to use and seemed to produce good results.

 

[MrDEB]

My last PCBoards I used MG liquid tin

pretty easy to use. just wear gloves and safety glasses for etching and tinning.
As for doing the traces on the board = go with the toner transfer metod. you can get .006 traces if needed. Look at the Pulsar system. works really well.
etching solution= Have used the brown nasty stuff as well as hydrogen peroxide/muratic acid
my vote is 1 part muratic acid/2 parts hydrogen peroxide
this works out cheaper and you can see your progress. It may take 1-2 minutes longer but it WORKS
As for drill bits - I presently ue my 1/2" drill press and #65 &68 HSS bits
I purchased from Widget Supply
10 each of the bits + the 1/32" collet.
the bits were really cheap compared o other sources. I think it was something like $3 or 10 bits.
Layout I use expressPCB

 

[Rolf]

In my last attempt to created fine-pitch PBC, I had a problem while attempting to drill the pads. The process drilling tended to tear the pad away from the board, runing all my hard work. I though it might be better to drill before etching.

Am I the only one who has that problem?

Yes, one one of my first boards. Did you remove the toner before drilling?

 

[Hero999]

Press and peel - works ok-ish, used it for a few years, until I found you could laser onto magazine paper - which actually gave better result than P&P.

I've always used magazine paper which works perfectly.

As I've started to move onto finer work, I've found the only way is the UV method, sounds expensive, at the end of the day it does cost a little more but you would never get the results without it. Can send you details of my led uv system if interested.. might be something to progress onto after the P&P / paper method - all the etching stuff is just the same so nothing will be wasted - I still use the paper stuff for 'heavy' circuits like psu's etc.

I agree, you can't beat the photo method. It doesn't work out any more than proprietary peper and probably gives better results.

UV LEDs will work but I think a UV compact fluorescent is a more cost effective solution unless you want to avoid mains voltage or use battery power.
**broken link removed**
**broken link removed**

 

[3v0]

What works depends on what you need to make. For simple layouts you can use a sharpie. For very fine work you need good paper or photo transfer.

You can do nice work with magazine paper if you are lucky enough to identify what works and if you can find a reasonable supply. There are people who swear by P&P but I have not tried it. If anyone would like to say more they are welcome to do so.

I have been using pulsar paper and foil for several years with good result.

Toner transfer is best done with a laminator regardless of the paper you use. The laminator provides uniform heat and pressure that is difficult to get with an iron, an iron can work but there is a learning curve and it is more work.
You can buy a new GBC personal laminator on ebay for $25.

The pulsar system costs about 2.5 cents per sq inch plus the cost of the bare PCB. I pay 3 to 5 cents a sq inch for surplus PCB. For lines less the .01 inch it is best to use 1/2 copper (faster etch with less undercutting) which is more expensive. Most of my boards cost about 5 or 6 cents per sq inch.

Photo sensitive PCB is about 15 cents per square inch plus the developer.

In another PCB thread one of our members describes how to make pulsar like paper using a specific glue. If you are interested in that we can help find the link.

Your choice.

3v0

 

[Rolf]

{snip}Press and peel - works ok-ish, used it for a few years, until I found you could laser onto magazine paper - which actually gave better result than P&P.
{snip}

Please explain why you claim magazine paper gave better results.
Is it faster? I use P-n-P and I get my boards ready in about 5 minutes, including iron warm up time. A few more minutes for my DIY glue coated paper.
Are the fine lines (0.01") consistently better? have you compared the boards with a magnifying glass so that there is no doubt in you mind?

Or is there something else (besides the price) that I have overlooked?

 

[MrDEB]

use the PULSAR system

it works great and plenty of tech support etc.
the mag idea works but you need the right combo etc.
believe me the PULSAR system works as advertised.
using a laminator makes it almost fool proof