PCB drilling: problem solved

[[email protected]]

On 20 Oct 2006 12:40:24 -0700, in sci.electronics.design


So you only have one design happening at a time?

Work on one thing, send off the gerbers, start the next idea, by the
time you are bored with that the PCBs will have arrived, so you can
get un/board/bored playing on the workbench, then when you get bored
back to the next or last but one idea.

and nothing ever gets finished


martin

Yeah, I got something going on like that. I've been working on it
since the start of the year, here and there. I've already made one
nice build on a PCB, but I found out the hard way that the switching
regulator doesn't like long traces!
I'll get it done some day.....

 

[Rich Grise]

Late at night, by candle light, [email protected] penned this
immortal opus:


For the investment you can make many boards, with a significant
reduction in per board cost, even the one-offs.

Hobbyists don't care about the extra time and labor, they do it for
fun.

Some designers make initial prototypes, it's a lot faster than waiting
for the boardhouse to get off its ass.

That said, if a design is done and is sellable it's time to send it
off for professional fabrication.

I designed a little double-sided board once, that I could make 6 of out
of one piece of PCB material. I took my tape-up (Yes, tape on mylar, with
some ink here and there) to a photo shop guy, and asked him i fhe could
print it 6-up, registered. He said, "No Problem!" It wasn't very
expensive. I exposed the board in the afternoon sun and etched it in the
driveway.

It worked, and it was great fun!

Cheers!
Rich

 

[Rich Grise]

So you only have one design happening at a time?

Uh, we _were_ talking about hobbyists here, weren't we? How workaholic
are you? ;-)

Thanks,
Rich

 

[Leon]

And before anyone mentions "precision"...

http://www.delorie.com/pcb/first.html

That's an 01005 capacitor next to a TVSOP (0.4mm pitch) part,
hand-soldered onto a home-made board. Photo taken with a microscope.

What size tracks are those?

I can do 5 mil tracks at home, but I haven't tried anything like that.
I normally use 10 mil.

Leon

 

[DJ Delorie]

What size tracks are those?

0.2mm 7.8mil

I can do 5 mil tracks at home, but I haven't tried anything like
that. I normally use 10 mil.

I added some test lines to that board; my process seems to make the
lines thicker and the spaces thinner. It can do 5 mil lines but wants
7 mil space. It depends on how long I etch it, and whether I use 1 or
0.5 oz, and whether I physically rub it or just agitate.