Homebrew PCBs

Steve wrote:

> --- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, Stefan Trethan
> <stefan_trethan@g...> wrote:
> ...
>>I regularly come across "colorstix for tektronix phaser" when i search
>>ebay for other tek stuff. these sticks are so expensive i do not
> wish to 
>>know
>>what a printer costs..
> 
> Actually you get a -lot- of prints from that stick. It's cheaper than
> most inkjets per print.
> 
> Steve


   And another serious advantage that I know about since a friend had one. 
While the color sticks cost, the black sticks are *free*.  It's one of the major 
selling points of the printer, of course most buy them for the color abilities 
since it costs notably more than a laser.  The free black is just to make them a 
bit more competitive.  Hmm print the traces in color or black?  I wonder.  When 
you find the blacks on Ebay they'll be cheap because of this, most just order 
their free ones but sometimes it's convenient to get more on hand etc and so pay 
a little.  But nowhere near what the color goes for since you can order for free.

   And having had the printout in hand, assuming there wouldn't be other 
printing problems on copper I'm sure it could stand up to etchant.  In fact I 
have a few of the sticks around, I'll mark a line on my next board.  And I have 
some of the Alps ribbons too, so may as well do that one too while I'm at it. 
Star Micronix also had a similar printer to the Alps, and I've got one of those 
ribbons as well.

   The good Phasers are $400-1000 or so depending on model.  But they print 
color well beyond inkjets, so are worth having beyond just boards.  A quite 
broken one that could only still print one color would be useless to most but do 
a heck of a job on a PCB.

Alan