Homebrew_PCBs

> >
> >
> > Good idea Carl, I like the looks of your mounting. I'm looking at the 90mm
> > size (isn't "bigger" always better?<:)
> >
> > Ken
> >
> > If you want more light/leds you could use multiple different size rings
>and
>mount them concentrically.
>
>
>
>Look on eBay for 'UFO lights' or 'camping lights'. Same thing but in a
>case, powered by 3 AA batteries. They have a hole in the middle (~35mm) so
>you can slide them over a pole. You can always remove more of the middle
>section to make the hole bigger, nothing there but the battery holders.
>
>http://www.dansdata.com/ringlight.htm
>
>Half way down you can see a picture with the guts. Take out the battery
>clips and hit it with a hole saw.
>
>Still plenty exactly the same as these on eBay for under $10. I got a
>couple more a month of so back, for putting on drills etc.
>
>Dunno why he didn't save the case. If you've got a lathe handy you can
>machine a piece of plastic pipe to fit back into the middle to neaten things
>up.
>
>Tony
>
>
>- Handy tip: you need to twist, then pull to get it apart. You lose the
>latch when you bore out the middle.
>
>
>
>------------------------------------
>
>Be sure to visit the group home and check for new Links, Files, and Photos:
>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Homebrew_PCBsYahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Tony Smith" <ajsmith@...> wrote:
>
> Various places will sell you line lasers cheap. Bit like the saws with the
> laser line except you need two of them at 90 degrees. Cross-hair ones don't
> really work as the work height keeps changing. I'm pretty sure I've seen
> drills with this, I'm too lazy too look.
>

>Here you go:
>
>Drill press with laser:
>http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=16449
>
>Kit to install laser on DP:
>http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2005475/16259/Drill-Press-Laser.aspx
>
>Applying it for drilling PCBs:
>http://www.instructables.com/id/Drill-Press-Laser-Pointer/
>
>These are just what came up in a quick search -- may be cheaper
>units available ...
>
>--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Tony Smith" <ajsmith@...> wrote:
> >
> > Various places will sell you line lasers cheap. Bit like the saws with the
> > laser line except you need two of them at 90 degrees. Cross-hair
> ones don't
> > really work as the work height keeps changing. I'm pretty sure I've seen
> > drills with this, I'm too lazy too look.
> >
>
>
>
>
>------------------------------------
>
>Be sure to visit the group home and check for new Links, Files, and Photos:
>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Homebrew_PCBsYahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "H. Carl Ott" <hcarlott@...> wrote:
>
> On Mon, May 24, 2010 at 9:31 AM, Mark Lerman <mlerman@...> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> >
> > The next thing would be to mount a camera on the drill so that you
> > could position the drill properly in the center of the pad. I seem to
> > remember someone doing that with software that sees the exact center
> > and helps you position correctly. Perhaps a mechanical stage. Of
> > course we're almost at cnc by then, but I think an optical aid would be
> > useful.
> >
> > Mark
> >
> >
>
> A camera system would be nice. Both for board drilling and possibly
> parts mounting.
>
> The really fancy systems (manual assist BGA pick and place) (and WAY more
> effort then it's worth for simply drilling pcb holes) use an optical beam
> splitter that slides in from the side between the target and the tool/part
> that need centering.
> The beam splitter looks BOTH up and down simultaneously, and a camera
> combines both images to help align tool and target perfectly. The optics
> then slide out of the way, and the tool does the z stroke.
>
> Now, if you could come up with a poor man's version using a couple of
> cmos webcam sensors, then maybe you would have a design worth pursuing.
> Maybe a high frame rate camera and a fast spinning mirror. Use software to
> pull out the properly referenced images you need, and combine. Before that
> point I think I'd just go CNC.
>
>
> --
> carl
> --------------------------------------------------------
> Henry Carl Ott N2RVQ hcarlott@...
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

On Mon, May 24, 2010 at 5:54 PM, Tony Smith <ajsmith@...> wrote:

> Oh, and tool snobs sneer when you say your power tool has a laser. Real
> tool snobs sneer at electricity.
>
> Tony

>
> That's because most cheap tools have a laser or two now, the lasers
> they use are inaccurate (not set correctly), and bright enough to
> blind you for the rest of the day (probably intentional so you don't
> see how off they are).
>
> I don't know if you can make laser crosshairs fine enough to be useful
> for PCB work, the ones I have seen on saws and drill presses would be
> worthless for the purpose because the line is too wide.
>
> ST
>
>

On Mon, May 24, 2010 at 10:09 PM, Mark Lerman <mlerman@...> wrote:

> Very nice solution, and an obvious (now that it's pointed out) way to
> go. A bottom drill with a camera sight, a modified microscope stage
> to hold the board and you're done! Of course, it would be just as
> logical to put the camera on the bottom and the drill on top. Just
> have to maybe use a little vacuum to stop the drill debris from
> covering the lens. Might be a little more cumbersome than a bottom
> drill because you would be completely dependent on the monitor, but
> still should work well and be easy to implement.
>
>
> Mark

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "H. Carl Ott" <hcarlott@...> wrote:
>
> I was starting to have some problems getting good alignment when
> drilling the smaller holes/pads on some of my home brew pcbs. (larger
> pads (>40mils) etched as an annulus are not really an issue)
> Figured better illumination might help.
>
> This was such a cheap & simple mod, and since it worked out so
> well... I thought I'd share a couple of pics.
>
> http://picasaweb.google.com/hcarlott/DrillPressLEDHaloMod
>
> Cheap led ring from DX and some double stick tape.
> http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.25513 (they have different
> sizes ranging from 60 to 90mm).
>
>
> --
> carl
> --------------------------------------------------------
> Henry Carl Ott N2RVQ hcarlott@...
>

On Mon, May 24, 2010 at 5:54 PM, Tony Smith <ajsmith@...> wrote:

> Oh, and tool snobs sneer when you say your power tool has a laser. Real
> tool snobs sneer at electricity.
>
> Tony


------------------------------------

Be sure to visit the group home and check for new Links, Files, and Photos:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Homebrew_PCBsYahoo! Groups Links

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Tony Smith" <ajsmith@...> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > Good idea Carl, I like the looks of your mounting. I'm looking at the 90mm
> > size (isn't "bigger" always better?<:)
> >
> > Ken
> >
> > If you want more light/leds you could use multiple different size rings
> and
> mount them concentrically.
>
>
>
> Look on eBay for 'UFO lights' or 'camping lights'. Same thing but in a
> case, powered by 3 AA batteries. They have a hole in the middle (~35mm) so
> you can slide them over a pole. You can always remove more of the middle
> section to make the hole bigger, nothing there but the battery holders.
>
> http://www.dansdata.com/ringlight.htm
>
> Half way down you can see a picture with the guts. Take out the battery
> clips and hit it with a hole saw.
>
> Still plenty exactly the same as these on eBay for under $10. I got a
> couple more a month of so back, for putting on drills etc.
>
> Dunno why he didn't save the case. If you've got a lathe handy you can
> machine a piece of plastic pipe to fit back into the middle to neaten things
> up.
>
> Tony
>
>
> - Handy tip: you need to twist, then pull to get it apart. You lose the
> latch when you bore out the middle.
>

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Frank P" <qz9090@...> wrote:
>
> Carl,
> Another easy and cheap solution is to mount a laser pointer showing where the bit will hit the PCB.
>