Homebrew PCBs

>>
>> Hi Leon.
>> This fascinates me.  I too tried to run a PCB straight through the
>> office laser printer (yes, trying to get them to buy a new one)... I
>> found that the toner didn't stick to the copper...of course, no
>> charge would mean the toner particles wouldn't cling to it.
>>
>> So are these older Xerox copiers still available?  Do they require a
>> bunch of now hard to find supplies to operate?
>
> It was about 35 years ago when I last saw any of these machines, so I 
> doubt
> if any are still around. The case was made of wood! I suppose you could 
> make
> your own from scratch, like Chester Carlson (the inventor of the 
> Xerographic
> process) did. The tricky thing is the selenium-coated plate, everything 
> else
> is standard optics and electrical stuff. If you look at Carlson's 
> original
> patents, you will see exactly how they worked. I think he used a rabbit 
> fur
> brush to remove the excess toner from the plate. The developer was 
> 'Ottawa
> sand' (uniform particle size) coated in a special resin that held a 
> static
> charge.
>
> Leon


couldn't you use mostly parts from a complete copier?

Will the selenum coating break if you try to unroll a photodrum?

ST