--- In
Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "lineunderwaterservices" <neptune769@...> wrote:
>
> Hello Everyone,
>
> I am new to this forum and making PCBs for that matter. I know a
> little about electronics. I can read a schematic and solder a kit
> together for example. I just can't design my own circuits. I am also
> learning to program Atmel microcontrollers. I have several projects
> that require me to make my own boards. I can't justify using a board
> house. So I thought I could learn what method fits my needs. I already
> have a laser printer. I don't plan on making many boards so I just
> want an inexpensive way to make them. The two projects I have at the
> moment is a board for a CNC router and a Control/power supply board
> for a surveillance camera. I live in South East Texas. So there is
> just a little about me.
>
> Regards,
> Dennis
>
Welcome from another newcomer. Browse around through some old messages and through the various files and links, and you'll soon gather quite a lot of information on using various software packages to generate the artwork, using toner transfer for making the PCB, and the pros and cons of various etching chemicals. Note that I said you'll gather information ... understanding it all, at least for me, is taking some time, questions, and experimenting!
To give you one baseline, here's what I have used to make my first two PCB's recently (not counting a couple made 25+ years ago!):
Software: Kicad, running under Linux (but also available for Windows) to draw the schematic, generate the layout for the board, and print to a laser printer. There is a bit of a learning curve, but there are some tutorials out there (google for Kicad tutorial) that will help you get up to speed. Others will no doubt recommend other programs, and I certainly can't say how they compare -- Kicad is the only one I've used; not coincidentally, it is free (open source). One thing that I had to learn the hard way: at least on my version of Kicad, you may not get a usable output if you "Print" the layout; instead, you should "Plot" the layout to a PostScript file, then open that and print it. (Might be different under Windows ...?)
Transfer: I used toner transfer, described extensively in this forum, to transfer the layout to the blank PCB. I used the "slick" pages from an old Harbour Freight catalog -- worked well, but hard to see through (for placement) and transferred some ink along with the toner. The ink didn't seem to cause any problems, though. Next time I'll probably get some of the blank paper that various folks have recommended. I used a household iron, but put a piece of blank white paper between the iron and the catalog paper to protect the iron.
Etching: I used Ferric Chloride the first time, with satisfactory results; I used Muriatic (hydrochloric) acid + hydrogen peroxide the second time, with even better results. Next time I plan to try cupric chloride, which is the result of the HCl + H2O2 + copper from the previous etching.
Have fun as you get started! Let us know how it goes!