Homebrew PCBs

In the 1970’s I owned a PCB prototyping business. We used a bottom drill for
quick short runs. As the implies the drill moves up from below the board. We
used a TV camera looking down from the top. Then to register  the crosshairs
on the monitor was as simple as taping an X to the screen were the drill
exited board. Because we had 10X or 20X magnification on the camera a single
DIP IC pad was 3-4 inches on the monitor. The other nice thing was the drill
has activated by a food switch so you have both hands free. When you hit the
switch a pneumatic C shaped clamp came down from the top locking the board
in position. Then the drill moved up  pneumatically from the bottom.   We
normally drilled stacks up to 5 boards at a time. For a drill pattern used
double sticky tape to  attach it to the stack. I drilled thousands of holes
a week and seldom broke a solid carbide bit.     

 

As I’m getting back into things I thinking of building a new one using
modern technologies. I’m also looking a designing and possibly manufacturing
a small tabletop CNC for modeling, PCB, and general prototyping.  I’ll see
how things go this year as far as having time to play.

 

Ron 

 

From: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of Stefan Trethan
Sent: May 24, 2010 9:30 AM
To: Homebrew_PCBs@...m
Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: light ring conversion for miniature drill
press

 

  

That's because most cheap tools have a laser or two now, the lasers
they use are inaccurate (not set correctly), and bright enough to
blind you for the rest of the day (probably intentional so you don't
see how off they are).

I don't know if you can make laser crosshairs fine enough to be useful
for PCB work, the ones I have seen on saws and drill presses would be
worthless for the purpose because the line is too wide.

ST

On Mon, May 24, 2010 at 5:54 PM, Tony Smith <ajsmith@...
<mailto:ajsmith%40beagle.com.au> > wrote:

> Oh, and tool snobs sneer when you say your power tool has a laser.  Real
> tool snobs sneer at electricity.
>
> Tony





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