--- In
Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "killerobot9000"
<killerobot9000@...> wrote:
>
> Hello,
>
> I saw tons and tons of tutorials on how to make your own PCBs but they
> are all shades of white/clear and don't look very professional. I was
> wondering if anyone knows how to make green professional looking PCBs?
> I googled around and found this product:
> http://www.web-tronics.com/torefogpgr.html
> Anyone know if this is what I need? Or is there an easier or maybe
> cheaper way of making the PCBs green?
What you are talking about is called a Conformal Coating. It's a layer
there to protect the board. Google for Conformal Coating.
That green stuff fromWeb-Tronics is something else entirely. That is
for toner transfer, it only sticks to the toner, not the rest of the
board.
> Also, if you need to make a large number of PCBs (say, 100 or so per
> week) would it be cheaper/faster to make them yourself or order them
> from a place for like $2-3 per sqr in?
I would think it would be faster, probably cheaper. Check the Links
section, there are some that are quite inexpensive.
> Also, as a side note: This is basically the process of making a PCB?
> Print the design onto photopaper, use iron to transfer ink onto
> special copper board, use that chemical stuff to eat away all the
> copper thats exposed then use alcohol to remove the ink. Then drill
> some holes (unless its a SMD board. in which case you would make a
> stencil and apply soldering paste or hand solder it.) Correct?
Correction/clarification: print with a Laser printer, use iron to
transfer laser toner onto ordinary but freshly cleaned blank printed
circuit board. Soak and peel paper (or other directions if you use
something like the green film from Web-Tronics). Now etch in the
etchant of your choice.
Inkjet ink does not work with toner transfer method. There is a way to
use some inkjets to print directly onto the copper. Then you bake to
cure the ink, and then etch. Only a few inks have been tested to work,
curing seems quite critical with some. So far only Epson printers.
Steve Greenfield