--- In
Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, laxt57@... wrote:
>
> Hi
> I have given up on TT, so I am gonna try photo
> method. How do do the artwork(photo mask)?
> By that I mean what sort of transparency, printer etc?
> Jeri
>
>
I use a CAD program and a Laser Printer. Makes it easy to make a
positive. Most CAD programs can also generate a negative but good luck
getting that much toner to produce well (loads up the transfer roller
and starts to smudge) not to mention the amount of toner used. I think
to go negative successfully you still need to produce a positive from
the printer and then use a photographic method to make the negative.
This extra step is why I've always used the positive method.
I used an HP Laserjet printer, I set the toner retention to high, and
would print on laser transparency stock (make sure it's for laser
printers so it wont melt when going thru). Even so, there are
sometimes some pinholes. A sharpie marker covers these pretty good , a
dap of black paint with a toothpick is even better. I would guess an
inkjet might work equally well but never tried it. The ink might be
somewhat translucent. For the software I used to use P-CAD and then
Or-CAD. Getting back into it I'm giving DipTrace a try. The OrCAD
demo can't make a large enough board and I can't afford even their
cheapest package and my P-CAD is an old. So far the DipTrace looks
really good, a great demo package, and their prices are quite
reasonable to upgrade to the full thing. The demo package has
everything but the gerbers but you can print individual layers to make
artwork for the pcb for home use. It's a start anyways.
I'm close to trying a few things so I'll let you know. Going to throw
the new UV box together this week I think.
Bert