Alternative Materials for Homemade Circuitboards

[Shel VC]

I have a few projects that require me to make specifically-shaped boards, but I do not have the machinery required to make actual PCB's. Is there any kind of material that could be easily made as an alternative?
One idea I had in mind was fusing plastic bags together into a sheet with an clothes iron and then cutting it to shape.
Another was using paper mache to paste together several layers of thick card paper.
I know I won't be able to make the nice little tracks of metallic ink like actual PCB's, but i have plenty of solid-core wire to use for that.

Any suggestions?

 

[Minder]

Depending on the quantity there is Vero board for making up a limited number, otherwise there is free Pgm's such as Kicad that will produce the required files for a board house such as Seeed that will make up the boards for $5.00 for qty 10 100mm x 100mm.
M

 

[dave9]

What is this unusual shape and size? What exactly are you trying to make?

What machinery do you feel that you need? I mean what is different about your needs than just buying standard PCB copper clad board and cutting it to size? A saw is not expensive, then you probably want to sand smooth the cut edge. You'd need a drill with tiny bits, but you will need that anyway unless it's all surface mount components and single sided.

Plastic bags won't work well due to the melting point lower than solder. Often flame retardance is also desirable, and resistance to flexing so solder joints don't crack. PCBs don't use metallic ink, they have a copper foil glued on that is etched away with a solvent and a mask over the areas they want to keep.

You can do basic low speed circuits with perfboard, which has holes already drilled, then you do "point to point" wiring meaning you take your solid core wire and string it between through-hole component leads. It looks messy and is more difficult to change or repair, but is suitable for some circuits. Perfboard can also "usually" be cut by scoring it with a utility knife and straight edge (ruler, etc) on both sides along a row of holes then snapping it apart on the sharp edge of a table top.

 

[Minder]

Strip Board (Vero) half way down.
Prototyping Boards
M.

 

[kellys_eye]

You can purchase PCB material in a variety of thicknesses from sub millimetre (0.2mm) upwards. I have a number of sheets of both single and double-sided copper clad fibre glass material that I use to make 'landing pads' for HF circuitry by using a paper punch to make little 'dots' (that I then glue onto a plain copper backplane board).

OK, what I'm doing is a little nerdy and HF specific but the material cuts like thin card with scissors.

Check out the (UK) suppliers liked to here: (although I'm sure there are others worldwide)

https://www.crownhill.co.uk/category-54.html

 

[kellys_eye]

You can purchase PCB material in a variety of thicknesses from sub millimetre (0.2mm) upwards. I have a number of sheets of both single and double-sided copper clad fibre glass material that I use to make 'landing pads' for HF circuitry by using a paper punch to make little 'dots' (that I then glue onto a plain copper backplane board).

OK, what I'm doing is a little nerdy and HF specific but the material cuts like thin card with scissors.

Check out the (UK) suppliers liked to here: (although I'm sure there are others worldwide)

https://www.crownhill.co.uk/category-54.html

Another option is to use adhesive copper strip - obtainable in reels of various widths all over eBay. Drill whatever material you want to take the component leads (or do it 'hole-less' using SMD parts) and glue strips between the component lands - and the overlaps of course.

Here's some I found on eBay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1pc-1-2cm...935021&hash=item3f5570ce2d:g:5vsAAOSw~bFWHo47

but you'll have to cut this to the width you require - no real hardship - unless you seek suitable pre-cut widths.

 

[Shel VC]

Good point. I guess the only way to do things right is to just order them

 

[CDRIVE]

Strip Board (Vero) half way down.
Prototyping Boards
M.

JMPO,... but for neophytes this is by far the most logical choice. It's been mine for (one - off-s) for decades. A proper soldering iron, solder and an Exactoknife is all you'll need.

That said it's doubtful that you can build an intercom (hard wired or wireless) cheaper than you can buy a complete Chinese import on Ebay. Ebay has a sh!t load of all kinds of modules too. These things are pointed at students and electronics enthusiasts. They're fully loaded PC boards that can make a complete system of just about any electronics project.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[shrtrnd]

The printed circuit board I see today are tried and true. I've been around long enough to have seen early attempts at what's in use today. Some early boards absorbed water, grew mold and mildew, and were otherwise not very well thought-out. You've got a lot of good suggestions in the posts above. Stick with something on the market today, and don't go reinventing the wheel to try to save money.