Homebrew PCBs

I usually make PCBs with Riston dry film and artwork from an Epson D92 inkjet.

Unfortunately, the inkjet can't cope with 0.5mm LQFP (edges are too ragged especially on diagonals + there's too much sputtering at high resolution 2400dpi or more and it won't print with black ink only at high resolution so opacity is not satisfactory).

So I bought a Samsung Monochrome Laser ML-1860. (£40 from Dixons UK) It puts the inkjet in the shade - its 1200x1200dpi resolution easily produces the artwork I need; on transparency OHP film LQFP pads match up perfectly, large areas are opaque and 10mil track is unbroken. (For toner transfer people, a quick test with magazine paper came out very well - err.. make that jaw-droppingly well!)

The only downside is the transparency film; both types of laser OHP film I've tried (Clarkes Stationers "el cheapo own brand" and Black Diamond 100micron Laser/Copier OHP Film) both buckle more than I would have expected making contact exposure unhappy.

I did try printing on paper and using oil to make it translucent but the exposure times are too long compared with film + it buckles slightly also.

Anyone in the UK got a suggestion for a really stable Laser OHP film please?

Hello,

Have you tried "Vellum" paper? Heard that it works well.

Joe

On 2/16/12, storan4wd <bob.balderson@...> wrote:
> I usually make PCBs with Riston dry film and artwork from an Epson D92
> inkjet.
>
> Unfortunately, the inkjet can't cope with 0.5mm LQFP (edges are too ragged
> especially on diagonals + there's too much sputtering at high resolution
> 2400dpi or more and it won't print with black ink only at high resolution so
> opacity is not satisfactory).
>
> So I bought a Samsung Monochrome Laser ML-1860. (£40 from Dixons UK) It puts
> the inkjet in the shade - its 1200x1200dpi resolution easily produces the
> artwork I need; on transparency OHP film LQFP pads match up perfectly, large
> areas are opaque and 10mil track is unbroken. (For toner transfer people, a
> quick test with magazine paper came out very well - err.. make that
> jaw-droppingly well!)
>
> The only downside is the transparency film; both types of laser OHP film
> I've tried (Clarkes Stationers "el cheapo own brand" and Black Diamond
> 100micron Laser/Copier OHP Film) both buckle more than I would have expected
> making contact exposure unhappy.
>
> I did try printing on paper and using oil to make it translucent but the
> exposure times are too long compared with film + it buckles slightly also.
>
> Anyone in the UK got a suggestion for a really stable Laser OHP film please?
>
>

"storan4wd" <bob.balderson@...> writes:
> I usually make PCBs with Riston dry film and artwork from an Epson D92
> inkjet.
>
> Unfortunately, the inkjet can't cope with 0.5mm LQFP (edges are too
> ragged especially on diagonals + there's too much sputtering at high
> resolution 2400dpi or more and it won't print with black ink only at
> high resolution so opacity is not satisfactory).

I use an epson R280 printer (claria inks) and found that the regular
software just can't print decent films.  So I wrote my own.  I do 2880
dpi prints in solid black on Jetstar film.

> The only downside is the transparency film; both types of laser OHP
> film I've tried (Clarkes Stationers "el cheapo own brand" and Black
> Diamond 100micron Laser/Copier OHP Film) both buckle more than I would
> have expected making contact exposure unhappy.

Are you using a vacuum of some sort to hold it flat?

Laserstar :-)

http://www.megauk.com/artwork_films.php

http://www.rapidonline.com/Tools-Equipment/Laser-printer-PCB-artwork-film-29485

I do use OHP film as well, but only for projects where the slight 
buckling does not matter.

I found that I can cut it up and feed smaller pieces through the laser 
printer. In practice I get three or four boards from each A4 sheet 
(depends on the size of your boards of course). If you cut it up test 
with a piece of paper first to make sure you hit the target.

Interesting about the Samsung. I have been looking at a PC upgrade 
including Windows 7 and to my considerable annoyance my trusty Canon 
laser isn't supported by the OS.

Regards

Paul

On 16/02/2012 14:19, storan4wd wrote:
>
> I usually make PCBs with Riston dry film and artwork from an Epson D92 
> inkjet.
>
> Unfortunately, the inkjet can't cope with 0.5mm LQFP (edges are too 
> ragged especially on diagonals + there's too much sputtering at high 
> resolution 2400dpi or more and it won't print with black ink only at 
> high resolution so opacity is not satisfactory).
>
> So I bought a Samsung Monochrome Laser ML-1860. (£40 from Dixons UK) 
> It puts the inkjet in the shade - its 1200x1200dpi resolution easily 
> produces the artwork I need; on transparency OHP film LQFP pads match 
> up perfectly, large areas are opaque and 10mil track is unbroken. (For 
> toner transfer people, a quick test with magazine paper came out very 
> well - err.. make that jaw-droppingly well!)
>
> The only downside is the transparency film; both types of laser OHP 
> film I've tried (Clarkes Stationers "el cheapo own brand" and Black 
> Diamond 100micron Laser/Copier OHP Film) both buckle more than I would 
> have expected making contact exposure unhappy.
>
> I did try printing on paper and using oil to make it translucent but 
> the exposure times are too long compared with film + it buckles 
> slightly also.
>
> Anyone in the UK got a suggestion for a really stable Laser OHP film 
> please?
>
> 



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

On 16/02/2012 14:19, storan4wd wrote:
> I usually make PCBs with Riston dry film and artwork from an Epson D92
> inkjet.
>
> Unfortunately, the inkjet can't cope with 0.5mm LQFP (edges are too
> ragged especially on diagonals + there's too much sputtering at high
> resolution 2400dpi or more and it won't print with black ink only at
> high resolution so opacity is not satisfactory).
>
> So I bought a Samsung Monochrome Laser ML-1860. (\ufffd40 from Dixons UK) It
> puts the inkjet in the shade - its 1200x1200dpi resolution easily
> produces the artwork I need; on transparency OHP film LQFP pads match up
> perfectly, large areas are opaque and 10mil track is unbroken. (For
> toner transfer people, a quick test with magazine paper came out very
> well - err.. make that jaw-droppingly well!)
>
> The only downside is the transparency film; both types of laser OHP film
> I've tried (Clarkes Stationers "el cheapo own brand" and Black Diamond
> 100micron Laser/Copier OHP Film) both buckle more than I would have
> expected making contact exposure unhappy.
>
> I did try printing on paper and using oil to make it translucent but the
> exposure times are too long compared with film + it buckles slightly also.
>
> Anyone in the UK got a suggestion for a really stable Laser OHP film please?

Try Mega Electronics LaserStar film, I used to use it with an HP laser 
printer. I now use their JetStar Premium film with a cheap 1200 dpi HP 
9540 inkjet printer.

Leon
-- 
Leon Heller
G1HSM

In article <4F3E234B.6030301@...>,
   Leon Heller <leon355@...> wrote:
> Try Mega Electronics LaserStar film, I used to use it with an HP laser 
> printer. I now use their JetStar Premium film with a cheap 1200 dpi HP 
> 9540 inkjet printer.

Yup, it's designed for the job.

-- 
Stuart Winsor

Only plain text for emails
http://www.asciiribbon.org

> Have you tried "Vellum" paper? Heard that it works well.
> 
> Joe

Hi Joe,

Thanks for that suggestion; I've just found some heavyweight vellum on eBay so I'll give it a whirl.

Bob

Hi DJ,

> I use an epson R280 printer (claria inks) and found that the regular
> software just can't print decent films.  So I wrote my own.  I do 2880
> dpi prints in solid black on Jetstar film.
Wow, I'm impressed that you've written your own sw! I've tried using the Gutenprint drivers under Linux which are good but my printer just isn't up to the job.
> 
> > The only downside is the transparency film; both types of laser OHP
> > film I've tried (Clarkes Stationers "el cheapo own brand" and Black
> > Diamond 100micron Laser/Copier OHP Film) both buckle more than I would
> > have expected making contact exposure unhappy.
> 
> Are you using a vacuum of some sort to hold it flat?
>
I use a homemade contact frame (2 sheets of perspex bolted todether) which holds everything together adequately. When making double sided boards with buckled film it's very difficult/impossible to get top and bottom artwork aligned properly.

Bob.

Hi Paul,

> Laserstar :-)

Thanks for that. It does seem to be the favourite if rather pricey. I'm going to try some vellum next week, if that's no good I think it's a trip to my local RS depot who sell Laserstar.
> 

> Interesting about the Samsung. I have been looking at a PC upgrade 
> including Windows 7 and to my considerable annoyance my trusty Canon 
> laser isn't supported by the OS.
> 
I'm not a Windows fan (at all!) I have, in an emergency, managed to print on printers not supported by Windows by setting up a dummy Postscript printer that outputs to file and passing the result to a Linux host to print with CUPS + Gutenprint. It's messy but sure did work.

Bob.

>    Leon Heller <leon355@...> wrote:
> > Try Mega Electronics LaserStar film, I used to use it with an HP laser 
> > printer. I now use their JetStar Premium film with a cheap 1200 dpi HP 
> > 9540 inkjet printer.
> 
> Yup, it's designed for the job.
> 
> -- 
> Stuart Winsor
> 
Thanks for the advice Leon and Stuart. I'm amazed that you get results with a 1200DPI inkjet. Are the results really good enough for 0.5mm LQFP?

Regards,

Bob

On 17/02/2012 14:18, storan4wd wrote:

> Thanks for the advice Leon and Stuart. I'm amazed that you get results
> with a 1200DPI inkjet. Are the results really good enough for 0.5mm LQFP?


Yes, they are.

Leon
-- 
Leon Heller
G1HSM