vikas

At home DIY Printed Circuit Board Fabrication

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vikas
on 01-31-2010 at 04:06 AM (2910 Views)
I make prototypes of single sided PCB's at home before i send them over to a PCB maker , So here is a quick Tutorial of what i do ...

Things you need -
1. Ferric Chloride
2. Copper Clad Board
3. Laser Printer
4. Fine sand paper

Step 1. Print layout on glossy paper and cut a Copper Clad PCB accordingly. Use fine sandpaper to clean PCB. Leave extra edges around layout , it helps in transfer.

Click image for larger version Name: 01 PCB Layout and Copper Clad Board.JPG Views: 84 Size: 76.3 KB ID: 86

Step 2. Use a Hot Press set at for Cotton to transfer the toner to your PCB. Apply pressure while doing so , do it for say 2 - 5 minutes.

Click image for larger version Name: 02 Transfering PCB Layout.jpg Views: 26 Size: 77.4 KB ID: 85

Step 3. Use warm soapwater and soak your PCB with paper in it for 15 minutes.

Click image for larger version Name: 03 Soap Water and PCB Layout.JPG Views: 21 Size: 49.0 KB ID: 84

Step 4. Now peel of the paper, it should come off easily. Use a tooth brush to clean it well.

Click image for larger version Name: 04 Cleaning The Paper off PCB.JPG Views: 16 Size: 96.6 KB ID: 83

Step 5. Sometimes tracks also get removed. Use a permanent marker to fill in tracks , use multiple strokes to fill in the errors.

Click image for larger version Name: 05 After Cleaning Before Etching.jpg Views: 24 Size: 70.1 KB ID: 82

Step 6. Let it soak in Ferric Chloride for a while. Say 15 minutes , also agitate the Ferric Chloride if possible.

Click image for larger version Name: 06 Etching in Ferric Chloride.jpg Views: 31 Size: 78.8 KB ID: 81

Step 7. Now check it has etched correctly or requires more. You will have something like shown below.

Click image for larger version Name: 07 PCB After Etching.jpg Views: 24 Size: 77.4 KB ID: 80

Step 8. Now use the sand paper again to remove the toner , wash with water.

Click image for larger version Name: 08 After Sanding off Laser Toner.JPG Views: 27 Size: 72.7 KB ID: 79

Step 9. Now start drilling using a hand drill , use a 1mm drill. Buy branded drill heads as cheap ones dont last and waste time.

Click image for larger version Name: 09 After Drilling Almost Ready.JPG Views: 29 Size: 65.6 KB ID: 78

Step 10. You are done now mount the components, and your board is ready.

Click image for larger version Name: 10 Final Board.JPG Views: 61 Size: 58.7 KB ID: 77

Any ideas or techniques to do it better do let me know !!! .

Updated 01-31-2010 at 05:12 AM by vikas

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diy, etching, fecl3, ferric chloride, pcb Add / Edit Tags
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Comments

  1. shakerobo - 02-03-2010 11:00 PM
    shakerobo's Avatar
    hey,
    can u please give some ideas on adding a silkscreen to the pcb?
  2. AVnetics - 02-05-2010 05:48 PM
    AVnetics's Avatar
    Net is filled with PCB making tutorials ..

    Dont use Ferric chloride ... it gets damaged easily ..dirty and environmental hazard!
    Use H2o2 and Hcl (harpic etc have it) .
    Refer this http://www.instructables.com/id/Stop...-A-better-etc/

    U can use the same solution again and again...
  3. vikas - 02-06-2010 11:45 AM
    vikas's Avatar
    @Avenetics - I agree on FECL3 ... But im yet to find a convincing substitute ... .

    Its Fast , dirt cheap , reusable a lot of times ... bad stains on cloth is the only problem i have sometimes.
  4. suryanarayanan - 02-17-2010 10:12 PM
    suryanarayanan's Avatar
    thanks for your valuable info...!
  5. shaunakde - 02-27-2010 07:52 AM
    shaunakde's Avatar
    I am going to purchase a laser printer specifically for DIY PCB manufacture. (No more running to the copyshop)
    Any brands I should avoid? Any preferences?
  6. vikas - 02-27-2010 08:56 AM
    vikas's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by shaunakde
    I am going to purchase a laser printer specifically for DIY PCB manufacture. (No more running to the copyshop)
    Any brands I should avoid? Any preferences?
    Try the lower end Samsung ones , i belive u can get one for around 4k ... they work fine ... i have used them a lot.
  7. shaunakde - 02-28-2010 07:53 AM
    shaunakde's Avatar
    Thanks. I think I will go for the ML series.
  8. godslayer - 03-17-2010 06:52 PM
    godslayer's Avatar
    hey vikas. what kind of paper are you using? i see some strange press and peel kind of clear one in the first image.. later i see papers... well this method will work same way with photocopier.. (well i see someone using A cheap Copper cladding with Bakelite )
  9. vikas - 03-17-2010 07:46 PM
    vikas's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by godslayer
    hey vikas. what kind of paper are you using? i see some strange press and peel kind of clear one in the first image.. later i see papers... well this method will work same way with photocopier.. (well i see someone using A cheap Copper cladding with Bakelite )
    Its a normal glossy paper , use a magazine sheet or a news paper glossy paper.
  10. Coolpratheesh - 07-24-2010 11:04 AM
    Coolpratheesh's Avatar
    @vikas: if you pre heat the copper clad board before putting the printed sheet on the toner gets transferred very nicely even .5mm tracks......
  11. vikas - 07-26-2010 02:18 PM
    vikas's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Coolpratheesh
    @vikas: if you pre heat the copper clad board before putting the printed sheet on the toner gets transferred very nicely even .5mm tracks......
    Thanks for the tip.
  12. vigyanabikshu - 07-27-2010 07:13 PM
    vigyanabikshu's Avatar
    Good method for prototype boards