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tin coating before etching

tin coating before etching

2004-02-16 by Dave Mucha

Hi all,

I am thinking about tin coating boards before mechanical etching and
was wondering if anyone else does something similar and how they do
it ?

A friend said to send them out to a tin coater or buy a solder
pot.....


Who do you tin after etching ?


Dave

Re: tin coating before etching

2004-02-17 by wheedal99

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Dave Mucha"
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> I am thinking about tin coating boards before mechanical etching
>...
> A friend said to send them out to a tin coater or buy a solder
> pot.....
>
>
> Who do you tin after etching ?

I do occasionally dip the board in a "tinit" (-brand name) solution
after chemical etching my boards. Its a solution of a dry white
powder (that you order) and hot water. It applys a very thin gray
metal plating to the traces. I've found this generally isn't thick
enough to survive the solder paste + oven. --The flux in the paste,
(I guess), just eats away some of the plating because it ends up
needing to be "touched up" later with some solder +solderwick later
anyway. It may just be easier to do as your friend suggests with the
solder pot --although that might not make your high density smt's lay
flat enough on your board later.

Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: tin coating before etching

2004-02-17 by Leon Heller

Leon Heller, G1HSM
Email: aqzf13@...
My low-cost Philips LPC210x ARM development system:
http://www.geocities.com/leon_heller/lpc2104.html

----- Original Message -----
Show quoted textHide quoted text
From: "wheedal99" <wheedal@...>
To: <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2004 4:49 AM
Subject: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: tin coating before etching


> --- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Dave Mucha"
> > I am thinking about tin coating boards before mechanical etching
> >...
> > A friend said to send them out to a tin coater or buy a solder
> > pot.....
> >
> >
> > Who do you tin after etching ?
>
> I do occasionally dip the board in a "tinit" (-brand name) solution
> after chemical etching my boards. Its a solution of a dry white
> powder (that you order) and hot water. It applys a very thin gray
> metal plating to the traces. I've found this generally isn't thick
> enough to survive the solder paste + oven. --The flux in the paste,
> (I guess), just eats away some of the plating because it ends up
> needing to be "touched up" later with some solder +solderwick later
> anyway. It may just be easier to do as your friend suggests with the
> solder pot --although that might not make your high density smt's lay
> flat enough on your board later.

You can always use some desolder braid with a soldering iron to level any SM
pads by removing the excess solder.

Leon
--
Leon Heller, G1HSM
Email: aqzf13@...
My low-cost Philips LPC210x ARM development system:
http://www.geocities.com/leon_heller/lpc2104.html

Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: tin coating before etching

2004-02-17 by Adam Seychell

Electroplated tin is the best method for plating a entire black board. You
get controlled thickness, and your bath never "runs out". For tin
electroplating solutions, talk to your local plating supplier, and ask for
some bright acid stannous sulfate solution. The owners of a plating shop
may give you a liters from their bath. It should look yellow milky color.
You also need tin anodes.

Adam

Leon Heller wrote:
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> Leon Heller, G1HSM
> Email: aqzf13@...
> My low-cost Philips LPC210x ARM development system:
> http://www.geocities.com/leon_heller/lpc2104.html
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "wheedal99" <wheedal@...>
> To: <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2004 4:49 AM
> Subject: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: tin coating before etching
>
>
>
>>--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Dave Mucha"
>>
>>>I am thinking about tin coating boards before mechanical etching
>>>...
>>>A friend said to send them out to a tin coater or buy a solder
>>>pot.....
>>>
>>>
>>>Who do you tin after etching ?
>>
>>I do occasionally dip the board in a "tinit" (-brand name) solution
>>after chemical etching my boards. Its a solution of a dry white
>>powder (that you order) and hot water. It applys a very thin gray
>>metal plating to the traces. I've found this generally isn't thick
>>enough to survive the solder paste + oven. --The flux in the paste,
>>(I guess), just eats away some of the plating because it ends up
>>needing to be "touched up" later with some solder +solderwick later
>>anyway. It may just be easier to do as your friend suggests with the
>>solder pot --although that might not make your high density smt's lay
>>flat enough on your board later.
>
>
> You can always use some desolder braid with a soldering iron to level any SM
> pads by removing the excess solder.
>
> Leon
> --
> Leon Heller, G1HSM
> Email: aqzf13@...
> My low-cost Philips LPC210x ARM development system:
> http://www.geocities.com/leon_heller/lpc2104.html
>
>
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