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

The majority of problems I have encountered with parts of traces not adhering are from oils or corrosion on the board, seldom a heat problem. Solutions - wash your hands before handling the board, (then don't pick your nose, or clean your ears ;), lightly sand board with 600 grit paper, do a double cleaning of board with alcohol. Alcohol works as well as acetone, and aint nearly as dangerous.

There is no need to use fancy photo papers. I use Hammermill Laser Gloss. It is the very best paper I have found, and its cheap. It appears to have a high amount of clay on the surface, which allows the paper to be removed very cleanly. I soak in plain cold water or with a bit of dish soap. Takes about 3-5 minutes. You can see the paper go translucent, starting at the edges and working to the center. Wait till all the paper is translucent. I very lightly scratch the center with a fingernail, then use thumbs to roll off the top layer of paper. Then roll off the second layer. A quick wash, and rub a bit on any remaining bits of paper in the traces or holes. With this paper if I space off how long it has soaked, the paper will almost float off the board.

I have not found any necessity to preheat the board, it's a waste of time.

I use a very slightly modified cheap laminator to do the transfer. It provides more even pressure and temperature across the board. I even do my silk screen with toner transfer.

I've done hundreds of board this way. It is great for proto, or even short production runs.

RD





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