"Eugene Michael" <
eugenemic@...> writes:
> Thanks, Stefan, that's great to have the picture to refer to for this;
> looks like I'm within the ballpark.
For an additional picture, see
http://www.delorie.com/pcb/first.htmlThe IC on the right is 7.87mil traces on 7.87mil spaces (0.4mm pitch)
and the 01005 cap is over a 6 mil gap. So, I'm getting about 2 mil of
variability along the edges.
> BTW, is 300 DPI a good enough resolution to use?
Keep in mind that your "pixels" are 3.33 mil across, so lines below
about 7 mil risk being rendered with only one pixel. You'll have to
try and see, but I'd think 10mil would be a reasonable limit for
300dpi printers (~3 pixels across).
Note that PCB, the software I use, has a "bloat" setting that can
systematically shrink or expand the copper to try to compensate for
the way your printing/etching system works. If you're going to push
the limits, you might want to make sure your eda software can make
such adjustments.
I have a test board I use to "calibrate" my etching, which tries
different pitch/bloat settings:
http://www.delorie.com/pcb/bloat.pngThere's a bloat.gbr and bloat.pdf too, if you want to try it. The
"bloat" setting on that board is 0.01 mil units.