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

Hi all,
I was just wondering how many people here would like to make their own
plated through hole double sided boards. How far are hobbyists willing
to go ? The main question is if this extra step is worth the amount of
chemicals and equipment needed to make plated through. I had the desire
to make plated boards for a long time but only because I find both the
chemistry and electronics side interesting. From what I have found with
experiments, is that the process can be done at home if you are prepared
to put in the effort. There is a lot setting up with the equipment such
as plating tanks, etching tanks, making holes conductive, applying dry
film photoresists and then there is the equipment for analyzing the
chemistry, not to mention the learning curve. About the only good news
is that the chemistry is relatively low cost and the toxicity is about
the same as conventional copper etching solutions (copper is a toxic
heavy metal). The ultimate aim would be 4 layer boards, but that raises
a whole new set of hurdles.

reagrds,

Adam