Homebrew PCBs

Since I did post about making PCBs using sign vinyl as etch resist, I
can't complain, can I? ;')

The blade is held so that it barely sticks out of the holder. It is
set just deep enough to cut through the sticky-back vinyl, while
barely touching the backing paper. So the backing paper holds it together.

Then you "weed"- that means you peel off all vinyl that you aren't
keeping and toss it. Then something called "transfer tape" is laid
down. It's kind of like very wide masking tape. It holds on to the
vinyl more than the vinyl holds onto the backing sheet, but less than
the vinyl holds onto anything else.

So then the backing sheet is peeled away, and the transfer tape with
vinyl is rollered or squeegeed down onto plastic, banner, vehicle, or
whatever and the transfer tape is peeled off, leaving the vinyl behind.

That's how I made those PCBs I uploaded to the Files area. It's a bit
crude and is barely fine enough for standard DIP parts and no traces
between DIP pins, but it is quick and it works very well. You cannot
etch holes.

<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Homebrew_PCBs/files/Sign_Cutter_to_make_PCBs/>

You control the cut order by the order of the cut lines in the program
you are using. If you watch a plotter, it draws the lines according to
how they are "stacked" in the program. A vinyl sign cutter works the
same way.

Steve

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Pete Brown" <YahooLists@i...>
wrote:
> Is it a flatbed, or does the paper hang from the plotter?
> 
> If the latter, how will you keep it all together as you make cuts. I
don't
> think you can control the cut order, unless there is a provision for
> different pen colors or something, and it does everything from one
pen color
> at once. If that's the case, maybe you could do your first cuts in one
> color, second in a second color, third in the third color etc.
> 
> Pete
> 

> From: SRY [mailto:southernry_N@h...] 
> 
> Anyone in the group ever "transformed" an old HP Plotter into 
> something like a vinyl cutter?
> 
> What blades?
> Performance?
> 
> Etc.
> 
> On or off list.
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> Gordon