Homebrew PCBs

Another way to protect the copper and to enhance solderability is to use an
electroless tin-plating solution. I used to use this all the time when I
made prototype boards for a research lab. There are a number of suppliers,
but here's a common one that has a dry-chemical (mix with water) called
Tinnit:

http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/ER-18/TINNIT-BRIGHT-TIN-PLATE/1.html

Cheap at $9.50. Read the one "customer comment"--you might want to
experiment with the dilution rate.

 73,

Todd
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K7TFC / Medford, Oregon, USA / CN82ni / UTC-8
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QRP (CW & SSB) / EmComm / SOTA / Homebrew / Design


On Fri, Jan 11, 2013 at 12:40 PM, KeepIt SimpleStupid <
keepitsimplestupid@...> wrote:

> **
>
>
>
> I did it this way: I used a frying pan, peanut oil and something to keep
> the board off the bottom of the pan.
>
> Solder dip and wet rag.
>
> The oil residue was tough to remove. I would not use this method on
> critical circuits though.
>
> ------------------------------
> On Fri, Jan 11, 2013 1:34 PM EST Rick Sparber wrote:
>
> >I was playing around with some scrap pieces of circuit board I etched and
> >drilled in order to find a way to simulate the HASL (Hot Air Solder
> >Leveling) process. This process puts down a very thin coat of solder over
> >the copper. The solder protects the copper plus makes soldering in
> >components easier.
> >
> >
> >
> >I found that I could brush the board with flux. Then I built up a small
> bump
> >of solder on the ground plane. Using my soldering iron as a paint brush, I
> >dipped into the bump and then painted the copper. When done, I scrubbed
> the
> >board with alcohol. Worked great. I had no shorted paths.
> >
>
>  
>


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