AW: pcb's

[Bob.Schrum at harpercollins.com]

>Subject: AW: pcb's
>Author:  Haible_Juergen
>Date:    7/29/96 2:14 PM
>I think the worst thing of DIY pcbs is drilling all these holes!

My solution to easing the task of hole-drilling is to design the board so that 
the pad and mounting holes are on 0.10" centers.  Some exceptions may be the 
case for pots, switches and connectors.  Once the design is done, I take a piece
of 0.10-spacing perfboar and drill out the holes where the mounting holes in PCB
design will be.  Then I mark the perfboard where the component holes will be  
with a Sharpie pen.  After etching the PCB, sandwich the PCB with the perfboard 
template and a piece of plywood, screwing them together through the mounting 
holes.  Then drill where the holes are marked on the perfboard.

You end up with perfectly aligned holes and those #30 drill bits break much less
frequently because there is less stress trying to get the holes on center.  

BTW--I don't have a drill press, so I use a hand drill with a locking trigger.  
Since you have to be right on top of your work and those things are *loud*, 
please use foam ear plugs or headphone-type muffs.  After all, you will 
certainly want to hear the results of your creation!