pcb tank
hi all
after reading this topic in depth
as a hobby grade guy for home made pcb's
{if i need bigger than A5 i get it made for me roller tined resist thru plate etc..}
ignore the bit about snapping off the wings !!!!!!!
instead see the last post for me ill add the one i took off back as a hinge
so looking around i found several multi format printers epson stood out
using water and smudge proof inks by default
some scan copy etc also
and i hate to take apart and hack someone's hard work to build a printer
and prob get pay'd very little to do so
its just also a waist of a printer
i just bought an RX 560 epson photo printer
it has also a cd tray for printing any size or shape cd's
{they can be round or business card shape}
so looking at the way it senses the cd i realised i can just hack the cd tray
to make it A5 size and a stoppable {print area + a stopper plate}
as all the printer does is detect the edges of the cd placed in its print tray
making it square A5 is a breeze
i get the same results {better} than all the micro controller type addins
that put some people off this method
so for hobby grade any size up to A5
{+1" all round at least.... a3 epson's have an A4 size cd print tray}
can be printed better and on standard resin or glass fibre board
and double sided is less hassle
no need of a jig or alignment or guesstimated electronics counters etc
and you can scan direct to the board with or without a computer connected !!!!!!!
so copying a board is easier {i have a few old baked amp pcbs to remake}
so. conceder what i said here before you destroy a good printer
the Rx560 i got from pc world online for £99.99 reserve and collect service
if you walk into the store it costs £129.99 {a cheek of them}
the Rx 560 for me was the best choice and had nice reviews
there next model up 640?? just uses different inks and has bad reviews
has exactly the same features except it has a 1200dpi scanner
and not 3200dpi like the 640
{i can live with that }
as 600dpi is all that's needed for copying boards for sure
{im not into theft of pcb design}
just in repairing old wide tracks amps not to tightly tracked
@1200dpi scanner is fine
the print resolution is exactly the same @ ~1500 dpi y axis
I've modified the tray
and it worked first time
quick cure in the oven 120deg c door open preheat and sit the printed pcb in for 10 -15 min's {door open }
and i got a perfect replica from a scanned pcb even the silk screen
{remove the brown using print shop pro}
i used etchant for press and peal
maplin 1kg 10quid when it get saturated add a cap full of thin bleach then electrolysis to remove most of the copper
use copper nails as electrodes and a 9vdc source
will make it last five times longer
add cement dust and half a cup of water to it stir and let it go hard
then throw it in the rubbish as its now inert
when its expended and tired out
then printed a full colour silk screen to the fresh pcb
im very pleased
and thanks much to the original poster's
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
!
this method for me works far far better than press and peal foil
or even uv exposure!!!!!!
I've tired them all and this is by far the easiest pcb I've ever made
except for a screening plate
********************************************************
to modify the tray
when i got it opened up and installed and plugged in etc ink added
as per its easy start pages
{ps you don't need a usb cable pc world try to ram one at you anyway}
the cd tray comes as a 2mm thick cd plastic tray
that slides in and out the buffer rollers and print head
and so another family of cd roms types can be sold
the cd's have to be 1.25mm types with a white label
{this is just so you can see the image it draws etc}
and be level with the tray top surface to protect the print heads
or can be silver ones but double resin again slim ones ... so called printable
however
to modify it for pcbs
i simply cut a rectangle using a key saw very carefully
then squared it with a needle file set and ween stones
the rectangle i used is 12 X 16 cm {cd is 12X12}
start from the back rim of the cd {the bit that goes in first}
to 4cm past the front rim
it worked up to here without any problem past this i don't know
ill add to this
i need to cut a slot in the back of the chassis so it slides back more and mount the end detector sensor up to 3" back
{in this its a separate sensor.. handy}
the rollers/heads pressure assembly goes up with a light pressure 7mm - 20mm
so i made a single pcb layer {1.75mm-2mm types}
i used glass fibre board and cut it to have the same dimensions
as the tray with also a rectangle to make the tray deeper
the rest is a tube pair of epoxy resin easy apply
and some g clamps and spreader bars to set it up
as the print head pressure roller assembly goes up so far and locks easily at 5mm
i see no probs up to maybe 10mm total table depth
it still runs with no resistance or damage at 5-7mm so its for me
and the pcb sits at the right height +1X a thin pcb .5mm or .75 types
this way you can just put a standard one in and a thin on top or a thin one in the base to pad up the thick one
under this i used a thin pcb layer as the bottom cover
just a flat pcb piece with the same slots cut in it as the master above
and made some right angles for various sizes of board as stoppers
im in the middle of making some oblong stoppers
then you spray them with black car paint or use a big permanent ink marker on the coppers
these are used to fix the board in position
it slides in and prints very sweet
with no damage
oops i broke my cd tray
spare parts
easy buy a few etc..
to make cd's
i like this it worked !
forgot to add
you need to also modify the cd tray acceptor rails on the front cover
by taking there tops off with {eeeeek} flat pliers and file them and ween stone
and just using them as a sliders instead
this way you can feed any depth tray up to i suppose 6 mm without problems over time {except spring wear ???? }
it goes without saying ill make efforts to modify the case to accept A4 trays as long as its not invasive on its normal functions
this should be the rule
otherwise i feel sorry for the person who built it in the first place
and for the plastic heap from the old case ... bo ho
its worth pointing out
this also invalidates the warranty of your printer
ps.... put the pcb board on a board on the wall
and Polish it with chrome cleaner and a dolly pad on a drill till it gleams
then clean with acetone
use ground planes always
assures print quality
fast etch with lower copper dissolve so extends the life of etchant fluids
the upper pressure assembly of the print rollers set
is flexible its height is the height of the print head
it goes up at least 20mm as long as the printer locks for print
your laughing
but becarefull above 7mm I've not tested it past 5
{hum yet im loath to its only plastic it works}
so i don't see any jam ups for multi layers thicker sets being a problem
two thin one thick etc
height is all that matters
as long as the tray table is flat on top shinny copper etc
cool
the happiest day of my armature electronics efforts
ill post some pics when i get my phone software to work hey
i can scan some
ill do a hot off the press utube video or something