Homebrew PCBs

In article <cgjqa8+10gud@...>,
   Nick <njacovou@...> wrote:
> Hello everyone.My name is Nick from Sydney Aust. My first post to 
> this group.So this is probably a dumb question to you guys.I have 
> managed to etch my first board after a few failures, but I came up 
> with a real beauty(I think anyway).I drilled a board last week and i 
> nearly went blind tryin to line up the bloody drill to the pads.So 
> is there a way i can use a mirror or something to give me a better 
> view of tiny drill to tiny pads. I am using a dremell mounted on a 
> stand .The drilling is easy but lining up whilst looking through the 
> magnifying glass is hard.Any tips would be appreciated.Thanks.

Being very short sighted I remove my glasses and can then get quite close.

I do use goggles though!

I have a small halogen spotlight, you know the dichoric ones they use for
display lighting, small lamp about 2" diam? I place this to one side and
it gives a very good illumination. It also casts a shadow of the drill bit
onto the pcb. Placed so that the shadow is due "east-west" I use this to
give me a fore and aft indication of the drill position.

As the drill comes down I can see the shadow getting closer and closer to
the pad centre and I know I'm right before the drill contacts.

Stuart