I found this group a few days ago and have been poking around --
thanks for the tremendous resource! The information here has already
helped me to make my most recent PCB. I was not trying for anything
too difficult -- the smallest trace is .025" -- and it did come out
with a little pitting in the larger traces. But all in all I am very
pleased indeed. Here are some pics, first of the copper side and then
of the component side (not yet drilled):
http://home.earthlink.net/~a_wake/PCB1.JPGhttp://home.earthlink.net/~a_wake/PCB2.JPGHere's what I used to make the board:
∗ Kicad to develop the schematic and generate the artwork;
∗ Toner transfer -- printed on an HP P2015dn laser onto pages from an
old Harbor Freight catalog, then ironed onto the board
∗ Cupric chloride to etch (well, really hydrochloric acid + hydrogen
peroxide; NOW I have cupric chloride!)
This is the second board I have made in the last couple of weeks, both
using toner transfer, but the first using CuCl. The first time I used
the cover pages from the HF catalog, and it was very easy to soak the
paper off (but I also lifted a bit of the toner -- don't know if I
didn't iron enough, or hurried too much to get the paper off, or ???
This time I used "inside" pages from the HF catalog, which are a
little less slick, and it was much, much harder to soak the paper off
-- but the toner really seemed to be stuck down well, and overall the
result appears to be better.
FWIW, before the last couple of weeks, it had been 25+ years since I
made a PCB, and then I used just a resist ink pen. So not quite a
complete novice, but pretty close!
Finally -- if you have stuck with this lengthy intro this long! -- a
question: On the previous board that I made using TT, I drilled it and
then ironed on the "silk screen" toner -- which interfered a bit with
soldering on the component side. I'm thinking it would be better to
tin all the traces before ironing on the "silk screen" toner -- yes?
no? But I don't have a way to add tinning other than using the
soldering iron and solder. Is this an acceptable (though tedious) way
to tin a board?
Thanks again for all the helpful information!
Andy