how to make pcb at home in a simple manner

[rajaram04]

hello sir ,
there are many versions on net world regarding pcb designs & all that , please refer me a simple fast & easy method using chemicals or something like that please but not with very big process like uv etc

thanks

 

[Scolioza]

Hi there.
For 5 months I use the following method:
I ripped an old laser printer, and I use the heater to make the tonner transfer. Inside the heater is a lamp wich it gets really hot but also an thermistor which controlls the temperature I made a simple driver for the lamp (a comparator (lm741) which fires a photo triac and a triac when the resistance of the thermistor drops under a value - in this way the temperature is kept constant). I print the circuit on ( i dont know how to say in english )- glossy paper the one that you find in your maibox and then i put it on the copper board. After all of these I simply pass the board between cilinders for 4-5 minutes. Then i put the board in warm water and remove the paper. The results are really great. If you are interested I can give more detalis.

 

[godfreyl]

...please refer me a simple fast & easy method...

You're going to need some etching solution such as ferric chloride, which you can get at an electronics store.

Here's the simplest way:

1. Clean the copper surface of the blank PCB to get rid of fingerprints, tarnish etc.
2. Draw the pattern you want on the copper with a permanent marker pen.
3. Pour some etching solution into a suitable container and submerge the PCB in it. An old plastic lunch box is ideal for this.
4. The exposed copper will be removed by the etching solution, leaving behind only the parts covered by ink. To help speed up the process you need to stir the solution occasionally or move the PCB around in it.
5. When it's finished, wash the PCB thoroughly again, then scrub off the ink.

NB: Use rubber gloves and be very careful to make sure YOU don't get etched.

The end result doesn't look very "professional" since it's hand-drawn, but it works fine.

P.S. Try it out on a small piece of PCB first to make sure it works - if you use the wrong pen, the solution may eat through the ink and dissolve all the copper.

- - - Updated - - -

I print the circuit on ( i dont know how to say in english )- glossy paper the one that you find in your maibox and then i put it on the copper board.

Hi

I agree this will give much better results than the method I gave, but I have a couple of questions:

Firstly, when you print the pattern on to the paper, do you have to use a laser printer or will an inkjet printer also work?

Then when you transfer the toner/ink from the paper to the copper, do you really need such a fancy heater? I'm wondering if it could be ironed on with an ordinary clothes iron?

 

[rajaram04]

thanks godfreyl sir , its enough for me , but plzz tell if i can use the same chemical solution again or not ? is there any option ? too could it be possible to cover the area with plastic coat in place of marker pen etc ? please tell

 

[tpetar]

hello sir ,
there are many versions on net world regarding pcb designs & all that , please refer me a simple fast & easy method using chemicals or something like that please but not with very big process like uv etc

thanks

I use laser printer toner with Verbatim Glossy Photo Paper 150g at temperature 160C. For now I have lots expirience in this, and I'm very satified, 99% of transfer I have. TQF 44 32 ... without problem, tracks between pins,....

Ferric Chloride is for etching.

Existing EDABoard threads:
https://www.edaboard.com/threads/229574/
https://www.edaboard.com/threads/259264/

 

[Scolioza]

hi there
@godfrey : 1. You need to use a laser printer
2. You can use an clothes iron but for me it never worked as I wanted (and my wife was not so happy :lol . The main advantage is that the temperature is kept constant and you can use cheap paper. I didnt want to sound fancy my method but it worked for me in 99%. Of course you need to do lots of test (the hard one is to aproximate the thermistor curve) but when you finished it works almost perfect.

 

[godfreyl]

plzz tell if i can use the same chemical solution again or not ?

Yes, you can use the solution a few times. The more it's used, the weaker and dirtier it gets, which slows down the etching. When your etching is taking too long, it's time to throw it away and get new solution.

could it be possible to cover the area with plastic coat in place of marker pen etc ?

I'm not sure what sort of plastic coat you're thinking of. You can use sticky tape (like Sellotape or Scotch tape), but that would only be good for covering big copper areas. IMHO, it would be too difficult to cut into small shapes or thin lines.

You used to be able to get Letraset specially for this, with transfers for tracks, solder pads etc. That made it easy to make neat PCBs, but they don't make it anymore.:-(

@Scolioza:
Thanks for the info.
"Wife not happy" is a pretty good description of what happens when you spill the ferric chloride too!

 

[Scolioza]

In the begining I used the following method:
1. First print the pcb layout MIRRORED.
2.Buy some carbon paper.
3.Put the carbon paper between the printed layout and pcb
4.Draw with a ballpen (use a red one to be sure to copy all the tracks) the tracks and pads over the printed circuit (you need to find a way not to move the printed paper otherwise the tracks will not match).
5.After you finished to copy all the layout remove the carbon paper and with a good cd marker draw directly on the pcb the etch resist tracks.
Again please excuse my english if you need more help with this method you can ask more questions.

 

[tpetar]

too could it be possible to cover the area with plastic coat in place of marker pen etc ? please tell

Similar to laser toner there is PnP Blue folie (Verbatim Photo Glossy 150g is cheaper) :

https://www.techniks.com/

https://www.techniks.com/how_to.htm