Homebrew PCBs

I've been doing PCBs for a good 30 years, perhaps more...

I wonder why one would not use the garden sprayers one can buy from 
Lowes and an aquarium pump?  It would be a balancing act between 
pressure available and spray pattern, but I suspect it could be done.

Adam Seychell wrote:
> jcarlosmor wrote:
>   
>> You should try with a pump that has no-metal parts in the impeller. I
>> am very impressed why in this forum almost nobody seems interested in
>> building a spray etching system. That is the disadvantage of the "home-
>> brew" point-of-view. When you want to go like the pros, nobody seems
>> interested. By the way, with a home-build spray ecthing system I was
>> able to etch an 30x30 cm double-sided board in 4 minutes with ferric
>> chloride at room temperature, with excelent resolution.
>>
>>     
>
> I built a spray etcher, admittedly it was a very substantial hobby 
> project. It was about 3 years ago when I had my first attempt. You need 
> tools like a lathe to fabricate pulley and other rotational parts, and a 
> hot air plastic welder to make the tanks. There is lots of plumbing 
> involved, hoses, brackets, and depending on how you do the spray arm 
> oscillations, you need electronics for control. Learning how to prevent 
> corrosion and leaks was another big challenge for me.
>
> I use two paralleled modified 12 volt Shurflo diaphragm pumps, giving 
> approximately 2.5 bar at 14L/minute total into 4 fan nozzles positioned 
> on opposite sides of the PCB. It is a double sided spray etcher, with 
> PCB located vertically at the center of tank. The tank lid has a spray 
> proof slot for the PCB to enter.
>
> Before anyone comments on the excessive effort in designing and building 
> ones own spray etcher for the purpose of homebrew PCBs, I'll say its 
> ultimately just part of a hobby and much like any home project.
>
> Adam
>
>
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