Homebrew PCBs

If these are straight headers, I've had success soldering the header 
pins on the bottom, gently prying up the plastic spacer (or what ever 
its called) that is now flush with the top (ie component side), 
soldering on the top side and then pushing the plastic spacer back 
down.  You have to be sparing of solder on the top side.  You also 
have to watch the heat on the plastic spacer as it melts very easily.

If you are converting from 1 sided to 2 sided, you might want to 
consider completely rerouting the board.  You may find that routing 
really long runs on the top can significantly clean the board up.  I 
often put +V on the top.

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Thomas P. Gootee" <tomg@f...> 
wrote:
> 
> ***ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
> 
>    Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2004 12:44:52 -0000
>    From: "cybermace5" <cybermace5@y...>
> Subject: making vias (was: Re: Plating thruholes.)
> 
> > I still don't like the paint, it is ridiculously expensive.
> > I'm also not sure how it would be applied in a hole, and i doubt 
it
> > is faster than soldering a via.
> 
> 
> I can't read seven thousand posts, so I don't know if this method 
has
> been presented before. But in case it hasn't:
> 
> 1. When laying out PCB, take note of the component type and don't
> depend on a through-hole connection for devices that sit over the 
hole.
> 
> 2. Strip about a foot of fine copper wire and *lace* through many 
vias
> at once.
> 
> 3. Solder vias, strip more wire if necessary and repeat. Lacing the
> wire through the board will hold it in place while you solder.
> 
> 4. Cut off excess wire flush to board, and solder the rest of the
> components.
> 
> This is about the fastest way possible. Even the little plugs 
require
> you to solder both sides, and any electroplating process takes a 
huge
> amount of time and effort. It just takes a small amount of 
forethought
> when laying out the PCB.
> 
> ------------------------------------
> 
> ***REPLY:
> 
> That sounds pretty good; fast and easy.
> 
> I am laying out some two-sided boards, at the moment. I would like 
to use
> 2x20 pin headers, with some surplus (new) IDE cables that I got (200
> of them, new, for $5!), to make board-to-board connections.
> 
> One problem is that the headers sit flat on the board. So in order 
to 
> connect them to both sides, it seems like I'll have to put another 
row
> of holes next to each side, and solder on both sides of those 
holes. I
> am considering just sticking some single-row 1x20 headers in them, 
but
> upside-down so the long ends of the pins are in the holes, and 
leaving
> the pins partially sticking out of both sides of the board and then 
soldering
> on both sides, at each pin.  Seems like a lot of fuss, though, just 
to install
> a header on a two-sided board. (Although it WILL provide nicely-
accessible
> test-points...)
> 
> One problem, in this particular case, is that I'm modifying an 
older 1-sided
> board design, to eliminate all of the wires that used to get 
soldered directly 
> to the board. So I'm putting all of the new traces, from the 
> wire-connection-points to the headers, on the TOP of the board, 
along with
> the headers, so the ribbon cables can be plugged in from the top. 
(These
> boards are mounted horizontally, on the bottom of a cabinet.)
> 
> It sure seems like there ought to be a much easier, "cleaner" way, 
though.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Tom Gootee
> 
> http://www.fullnet.com/u/tomg
> 
> ------------------------------------
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]