Homebrew PCBs

On Thu, 01 Jan 2004 03:33:46 -0000, mikezcnc <marabu@...> wrote:

> Stefan,
>
> Thank you for such an extensive description of your process. You nailed 
> my problems: lousy printer, one iron only and the rest. I clean my board 
> with acetone (to remove leftovers and I have always plenty of those, 
> don't ask why...), then water with dishwasher soap, tehn sandpaper 600, 
> then brillo pad with detergent. Then all is well flushed with water.
>
> Your process is interesting, but it takes s much time toand full 
> attention. I am for the idea of Ron Peopeil: set it and forget it. Which 
> brings me to another idea: chicken grill, just kidding. I agree with your 
> supposition that higher temperature is more forgiving than lower and that 
> two high pressure is not good for narrow traces.
>
> I ahve one of those $2 grills for hamburgers but their footpriny is just 
> too small.
>
> The problem with iron is that I suspect that temperature is not evenly 
> distributeed and therefore it must be set higher to compensate for the 
> uneveness. However, that higher (than neccessary temperature -
> someone mentioned 130 being needed for fusing..) causes problems in areas 
> with widened lines due to pressure. In other words the correct pressure 
> and slightly higher temperature in one area becomes correct pressure and 
> incorrect temperature in another, due to a temperature gradient within a 
> PCB. My next trial will be a Singer iron press that I picked up from a  
> garage sale 2 summers ago for this convenient moment of being able to 
> laminate PCBs... Right now I am baking that PCB in an oven after I 
> finished pizza and New Year's ham...  Mike
>
>

Hi

In some dark corner i should have a iron press, maybe i try that..

to the press ideas:

PCBs are not compeltely flat ask the milling guys.
If you have a flat plate (heated and press it against the pcb
i doubt you get a even distribution of  the pressure.


you would need a flexible plate with flexible backing, which again leaves 
you
with much harder pressed edges.


I can only speak from experience, my iron seems to be flat, but if i only
press it on flat (without moving around with the curved edge)
there are always areas that don't adhere.


I will measure for you the distribution of the heat in an iron.
But i strongly suspect that there is no more than 2\ufffd difference.
(in a solid aluminium iron, not stainless steel sheetmetal coated bottom)


I don't really experience your problems, i get fairly good results
in a wide pressure range (and i suspect also in a wide temp. range)

Stefan