Would this work for making PCB ?

[Nostrafus]

Okay, wanted to know if you could use carbon paper and hand draw a schematic instead of using laser toner ? Or is etch solution specifically made for laser toner ?

Or would it just be easier and cheaper to go up to a 7-11 and spend $.50 on a xerox machine ?

 

[Phasor]

I'm not certain that carbon paper would stick to the board very well, and even if it did, you would get very poor quality tracks.

 

[kizzap]

it will make a very small mark just light enough to see. i recomend that if you do go to use this method that you by an etch resist pen and go over all the traces. this is actually the way that i made my first PCB. what is even more supprising is that the PCB worked. (it was the authors excelent PCB artwork). if you do choose to use this method i advise you to use a ruler. it is the onlt wat tht you have the slightest chance of getting a straight and even line. the problem with doing this though is that it is imposible to get really thin lines that are possible with using the laser jet method. i haven't tried the laser jet method yet so that is somehing that i will have to try (does anyone have any sites that explain how to do this?)

Kieran

 

[john1]

interesting.
carbon paper.
Mmm.
i dunno,
it might do it.

it has to hold back the etching solution from the copper.

carbon paper does have a sort of oily feel to it.
Even if it does work, whats the improvement over drawing
the tracks with an etch resist pen? you would have to
draw over the back of the carbon paper anyway.

Its certainly worth a try.
Do a test with a little bit.

Best of luck,
John

laser toner is a powder that is heat-fused on to the
paper, i think its a fairly low melting point plastic, it
is not water soluble and happens to hold back the etching
solution. It was not designed for this, its just a happy
coincidence. For pcb hobbyists anyway. John.

 

[mattg2k4]

I don't have a link handy for the laser printer method, but I'll put it here in a nutshell.

Print your pcb out on photo (glossy) paper as dark as possible. Put it on the blank copper board and secure, optionally with another paper on top. Take an iron and iron it thoroughly. The paper will probably be rather fused to the board, so soak it in water to remove the paper. Clean up the traces as necesary. Then etch it with your preferred chemical.

 

[Nostrafus]

aiight, I got that part man, but I've got no laser printer, and can't really afford to shell out like $500 right now, so I guess I'll just have to use peel-n-press for now.