Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: Homebrew PCBs

Les, I agree that that is the ultimate method of making PCBs
but...you forgot to mention follwing problems:
1. You must have a good UV exposure box-- let's not start another
dicussioon today what that means. It is not a trivial issue although
for some it might be. The issue here is the resolution because I have
seen a keproo UV box for $500 failing to give a good resolution on
TSOP- it was all FUXXY! On quality PCB material, too.I will only
state that depending what you are building, the uv light may or may
not work for some or many applications. And let's not expose to sun
light for a while either :)

2. Once you have the box you need to calibrate the bloody box and
depending what light it uses the timing might be all over the map,
depending on the preheated condition of the lamp. Depending on what
you are using. Calibration alone is not for weak people either.

3. PCB material: buy ready made (expensive), use negative or positive
(explain it to a nenwcomer), apply film, make your own secret
emulsion, dry, spray, develop (how long, oops, lets strip it and do
it again, and again... what teh hell is that today...). Then finally
comes etching which is trivial..

Now, I am waiting for someone to say that he is happy with scratch
and etch or printing directly on copper!

Overall, I know that UV is best, and I know it works fine because I
have the whole process prepared when... when I get tired of TT-ing
PCBs. So far I don't foresee it. Stick a secret Staples paper in the
laser printer, hit 'print' and pull the paper out of the printer.
etch it and remove the paper. Then you drill. No adjustment process,
no secret uv boxes. Mike