While doing some lapidary work, it became obvious the bits I was using could be repurposed into the electronics area.
Wet/dry ‘Diamond Core Bits’ are used in making jewelry and in cutting holes in glass; for example making a hole in a bottle for a power cord to go through. These bits come in many diameters and are relatively inexpensive.
Core bits are hollow and nicely make solder pad shapes in PCB FR4 material.
The following discussion shows how these bits can be used to manufacture a point to point wiring circuit board. The process is easy and produces a very nice finished product.
Equipment:
- Diamond core bits, I use mostly .110” and .070” inside diameter.
- Foredom/Dremel drill press.
- Other tools and parts as see in the following images.
A drill press is highly recommended for this process as you have full control over positioning and drill depth.
Since a core bit has diamonds in its surface, the bit last a very long time.
Using a .070" core bit, you can easily place pads at .1" centers (you may have to wear a head/eye magnifier).
Not shown in the images is the pad interconnections using 30AWG Kynar wire wrap wire.
