Homebrew PCBs

Hi Anthony,

I'm about the same place you are, learning to make PCBs using the 
toner transfer method.  I went to a local chain of paper stores 
called The Paper Zone and got samples of numerous types and weights 
of clay coated paper and ran numerous trials.  I have settled on the 
gloss coated 80# paper shown in the link below:

http://www.paperzonestore.com/cgi-bin/paperzon/WEGW1180.html

It seems to work pretty reliably although I'm still using pretty wide 
traces (25 mils) while I work on my technique.  After soaking and 
brushing off the paper, the toner traces are a light gray because of 
the clay attached to it.  I don't try to remove this since it doesn't 
seem to cause any problems.  I have been preparing my boards by wet 
sanding them with 400 grit paper and then cleaning with Acetone and 
this seems pretty good.  I'm thinking that my next purchase may be a 
laminator.  I'm using an iron currently but find this to be not as 
consistent as I would like.  I liked the note from a user recently 
who was using a Royal Sovereign laminator and would like to hear from 
more users with their laminator experiences.  Is anyone using the 
laminator which Pulsar sells specifically for PCB transfer?

Thanks to others on the board for all I've learned.

Bob

> Being new to this, I am trying to make a toner transfer board. I have
> made one very simple postage stamp sized board and it worked OK. I am
> now trying to do a slightly more complex board (in a crawl-walk-run
> kinda thing) and am having a lot less luck. I have tried to transfer a
> couple of times and decided it wouldn't work right.
> 
> I am printing on my regular 20lb 84 brightness Georgia 
> Pacific "Copier Paper" $3 from walmart, and it leaves a lot 
> of "hairs" on the toner. If I am aggressive enough to get these off, I
> also pull the toner off the board. 
> 
> How hard should I try to get these off? My first thought was they too
> will act as resist and I need to get them all off, is this true?
> Becaused my second thought was that they'll absorb the etchant (FeCl)
> and etch anyway albeit a bit slower.
> 
> Is there any better paper out there that won't cost a fortune, I have
> seen the press'n'peel stuff and at $2 a sheet it's a bit costly if
> it's one shot. I have a small budget but I can afford to use a bit of
> time on the process.
> 
> As an off topic question (and please if you reply to this reply 
> personally) does anyone have any experience using the Zilog Z80 as a
> micro controller?
> 
> 
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