I found an old bottle of muratic acid in the garage and used it as an etchant as already mentioned. It worked very well for exposed copper, but my paper stock had problems with the toner transfer part.
A quick warning: I'm not sure if there was some evaporation/concentration over the years, but when I transferred it to a leak proof bottle when done (the original plastic bottle was having issues), it was still outgassing a little. IT NEARLY EXPLODED THE PLASTIC BOTTLE. I'm very thankful I avoided true disaster with that.
Moral of the story: leave the lid mostly closed but allow for a little gas to escape the first day. A flip top plastic bottle (like some vinegar bottles I've seen) may also be a good choice.
Great tutorial. I have yet to try this. Two questions though.
What software are you using to create the original image?
Also, any particualr type of photo paper?
I MUCH prefer to use a product called SPRINT LAYOUT to create my art work. It's from ABACOM. http://www.abacom-online.de/uk/html/sprint-layout.html It is a true hobbyist priced PCB package that is easy to use. By comparison... EAGLE is just to much extra effort for the same result.
I use the cheapest glossy photo paper I can find. HP's Photo Printer Paper is... wayyyy too good, for example. Find an inexpensive brand... I use the STAPLES store brand glossy photo paper.
Also... I have found that my results seriously improved when I started using a HEAT LAMINATOR instead of a standard iron. I was able to find a used GBC brand heat laminator for $14.00.
I will take a look at that software, but for now I am using Eagle... and yes, I probably waste about 25% of the total layout time in managing its many many little quirks.
The photo paper I'm using is indeed HP photo paper, but since I don't print photos any more, I consider it free I will very likely switch to the staples house brand when I run out of the hp stock (not any time soon)
I read up on the laminator method long before I started making my own PCB's, but since I am broke, and couldn't find the proper mod'able machine locally I broke down and bought a $7 iron
The results are pretty good in my opinion, but it definitely limits my clearance and trace size significantly (forced to use 15-20 mil spacing and 10 mil tracing [10mil isn't that bad actually]). As soon as I have some spare cash I will definitely pick up a laminator, but I need to buy a board vice first, helping hands are only decent for small boards -- my power barduino board is pretty heavy due to 4 relays and terminal blocks on-board.
Took a look at the spirit software, but I can't say I would enjoy using two different applications, one to create the schematic and one to lay out the board. It doesn't even say if it will generate the rats-nest or pre-populate the board.
I see the workflow as follows. Create schematic in the schematic creator, print it out on paper, switch to board maker, re-make schematic part by part and then re-do the connections.
Assuming I'm correct, the time taking to re-create the schematic on the board would offset the time taken by eagle's quirks.
Please correct me if I'm wrong. I certainly like the price for a single app though
Assuming I'm correct, the time taking to re-create the schematic on the board would offset the time taken by eagle's quirks.
I seriously doubt that.
If your PCB has more than 2 or 3 components, you need software that ties the schematic to the PCB.
IMO, eagle's "quirks", while real, are easy enough to get used to, and much easier to deal with than trying to make a PCB layout by connecting pins on pads with no logical connections.
Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying... I only wish I was able to map hotkeys to letters and not just function keys.. it would speed things up quite a bit. Once you get around the quirks, Eagle isn't all that bad to deal with. It's just that you encounter many of those quirks on a constant basis.
click move tool
click group tool
make your group
click move tool again
right click on group and at the verrry bottom of a long list is move: group...
Just thought Id mention practicaly any cheap laminator will work without any modification.
I use magazine paper taped with masking tape to a sheet of A4 and print the mask on a laser printer.
I passed it through about 6 times till the paper went slightly translucent.
Best magazine paper Ive found is "Linux user and developer" its a heavy high quality glossy magazine paper.
I found with the magazine paper and the laminator I got full transfer of the toner and realy crisp traces on my pcb.
Even good enough for double sided.
As the paper is thin you can lay it against a bright light and line up both sides of the mask and slip the pcb between them and the mask is accurately aligned.
I used it for this Sideuino - My Scratchpad
I couldnt get the toner to stick to the photo paper.
It smudged and stayed on the roller.
I couldnt get the toner to stick to the photo paper.
It smudged and stayed on the roller.
Toner can be a picky substance. It needs something on the paper to stick to so a surface that is to slick does not provide a surface for the toner to grab onto and stick.
I almost wonder if vellum would be a better choice of paper stock to use. You should be able to pick some up from most print shops for almost nothing.
I will very likely switch to the staples house brand when I run out of the hp stock (not any time soon)