[sdiy] Non-chemical PCB production???

[Jaco Sloof]

Forum with related information:
http://forum.onecenter.com/luberth-code/

Scratch built plotter with interface, but no dremel-as-pen idea...
http://www.mtclearsc.vic.edu.au/Robotics/Plotter2.HTM

complete home built PCB-CNC machines:
http://www.yty.net/cnc/
http://mynock.dhs.org/cncmachine/index.shtml
http://www.kellyware.com/
http://cryolite.ath.cx/i/pcb-router
http://www.betuwe.net/~mowbot/Milling_/Mill_Mechanics/mill_mechanics.html

commercial machines up to the job:
http://www.angelfire.com/nj2/machineparts06/
http://www.rcmodels.net/cnc/hobby/cnc.html
http://www.crankorgan.com/

Informational (dont underestimate this heading!):
http://www.accesswave.ca/~blandry/ezcnc/abimp.html
http://home.hccnet.nl/m.de.roode/


HOPE THIS HELPS!

greets, jaco sloof
--- Merv Thomas <mervynt at mezzie.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> Hey Obe-Wans,
> 
> Here's a DIY (not synth specific) question for you concerning the
> non-chemical production of small PCBs. As far as I can tell, the only
> non-chemical method of producing PCBs is to mill contours around traces and
> lands - I'm sure you've all seen the LKPF, or is it LPKF? - I can never
> remember. It produces nice looking little boards in a reasonable time, but
> it costs a small fortune. So I got to thinking . . . hmmm, could I get
> something close to this using alternative means.
> 
> Over last weekend, a swoop on a local car boot sale resulted in me now being
> the proud owner of an HP7475A pen plotter. You know this puppy is sitting
> there and I'm wondering could this thing be converted into a weapon of board
> construction?
> 
> As a plotter it moves the paper in the Y direction (front to back) while the
> pen moves along the X axis (side to side). The stepper motors are beefy
> enough to move the couple of ounces a piece of copper clad would weigh, the
> accuracy is good enough for home brew but I'm not sure how I would make the
> cutting 'head' to sit in place of a pen . . . I would guess at some sort of
> little pin chuck and a small, high speed motor arrangement but that's where
> my engineering knowledge leaves the building.
> 
> Anyone ever seen/done anything like this before? Problems I can see: the
> speed of the thing . . . it'd need to be slowed down some to cut rather than
> draw. I had a look at the controller board - ain't it wierd, the first thing
> you do to a new piece of kit is take it to bits to see what you got :)  The
> controller is a 4MHz 6802 based thing . . . changing the crystal would slow
> it down maybe? There's probably a means of slowing it down programmatically
> too but I've no manual. Another problem is the lack of Z axis control - the
> HPGL it uses as a control language has pen up/pen down and that's it. The
> actuator that moves the pen up and down is a rather crude affair - a lever
> on the end of a solenoid - but it works.
> 
> If there are any engineers out there who could make suggestions, I'd be
> grateful.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Happy trails . . .
> 
> 
> 
> Merv
> 


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