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

I'm a hobbyist who builds occasional circuit boards. So unlike
some contributors I use circuit boards as tools. (Some readers have
turned circuit board technology into a very interesting hobby in its
own right.)

My approach is minimalist. I want to use the least amount of hardware
to build my boards. I just moved from a laundry iron to laminator for
toner transfer because I'm now working with SMT components. With
through hole components and .040 traces the iron did me well.


I have had good luck with Pulsar's products. The cost
doesn't bother
me because $15 of toner transfer sheeting will last me a year.

I think many occasional board builders are like me, and prefer to keep
it simple.

I want to talk about the Pulsar Green Film. I really like this stuff
because I can etch boards with a pair of gloves and a foam brush. My
last board was 4 inches square with 1-ounce copper. It took about
four minutes, using 2 ounces of ferric chloride to etch the board. No
heaters, no tanks, no agitation needed.

With this process it pays to leave large areas of copper on the board.
The brush system rapidly removes narrow copper traces. The wider
areas take longer.

Whether you use paper or some other product for your toner transfer
medium, take a look at the Green Film. For the occasional user it can
eliminate the need for more complex etching equipment.