Through Hole vs. Surface Mount
in [Design]
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From: Kevin McMurtrie on 4 Apr 2010 00:31 In article <Xns9D4D62B0AFA70jyaniklocalnetcom(a)216.168.3.44>, Jim Yanik <jyanik(a)abuse.gov> wrote: > "krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz" <krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz> wrote in > news:n0l7r5tcr38eknf3iifg41gpb0gfq47tif(a)4ax.com: > > > On Wed, 31 Mar 2010 10:51:56 +0100, "Nial Stewart" > ><nial*REMOVE_THIS*@nialstewartdevelopments.co.uk> wrote: > > > >>> I agree! > >>> I personally don't understand why ANYONE would want to make their own > >>> circuit boards. > >>> There must be some level of satisfaction in rolling your own, but not > >>> for me. > > Cost,for one. > > >> > >> > >>One advantage is being able to knock up a simple board to try something > >>_now_ (or in a couple of hours) rather than in three days, but this is > >>only really applicable to small hacks. > >> > >>Other than that it's not worth the hassle. > > > > For small hacks I solder wire to components on perf board. > > OTOH,I have a very small 7 component SMD IC project that I want to make a > simple PCB for(.031 dbl clad) but don't have access to a laser printer to > make the transfer(plus I don't have any CAD experience) and the IC pitch is > too tiny to do it by hand.It's a power IC so it can't be breadboarded or > dead-bug'd. > I checked Express PCB,but their "cheap" way only does .062 and costs > $51(for 3 boards). > My parts only cost about $5 total for one unit. I just bought a Brother HL-2170W for $89. It's built as cheap as the price implies but in a few seconds it will print an etch mask and all the the documentation files for the components. Lame, but can rapidly design a small circuit- Drop all of your parts on a flatbed scanner. Flip along an axis to turn them from bottom-up to top-down. Now you can put all of these parts in Photoshop as transparent layers and draw the traces in another layer. Extract the trace layer, flip along an axis, and print to a transfer sheet. I've been going here for PCB project parts- Small sizes of copper-clad board in many thicknesses: http://www.injectorall.com/ The 2-sided 1/100" 1 Oz PCB works great for tiny power SMDs because heat easily transfers to the back side copper. Press-n-Peel Blue for resist: http://www.techniks.com/ Iron with light pressure to equalize sheet and PCB temperature then press hard to bond. Doesn't work with large PCBs because the thermal expansion doesn't match copper-clad board. I was getting solder paste from Chip Quik but they seem to be gone. -- I won't see Google Groups replies because I must filter them as spam
From: Dave Platt on 4 Apr 2010 01:26 In article <4bb8163a$0$22117$742ec2ed(a)news.sonic.net>, Kevin McMurtrie <mcmurtrie(a)pixelmemory.us> wrote: >I just bought a Brother HL-2170W for $89. It's built as cheap as the >price implies but in a few seconds it will print an etch mask and all >the the documentation files for the components. I've seen a number of sites specifically recommend against buying Brother printers for use in toner-transfer PCB-making setups. Allegedly, Brother uses a somewhat unusual toner formulation, which doesn't fuse / transfer well to copper. -- Dave Platt <dplatt(a)radagast.org> AE6EO Friends of Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!
From: Kevin McMurtrie on 4 Apr 2010 02:32
In article <3hkl87-bsk.ln1(a)radagast.org>, dplatt(a)radagast.org (Dave Platt) wrote: > In article <4bb8163a$0$22117$742ec2ed(a)news.sonic.net>, > Kevin McMurtrie <mcmurtrie(a)pixelmemory.us> wrote: > > >I just bought a Brother HL-2170W for $89. It's built as cheap as the > >price implies but in a few seconds it will print an etch mask and all > >the the documentation files for the components. > > I've seen a number of sites specifically recommend against buying > Brother printers for use in toner-transfer PCB-making setups. > > Allegedly, Brother uses a somewhat unusual toner formulation, which > doesn't fuse / transfer well to copper. I've already made a small circuit board and it worked well. I boosted the print density to make sure that there was enough toner laid down. The Press-n-Peel Blue turns black when the toner melts so there's no guesswork about heat and pressure. -- I won't see Google Groups replies because I must filter them as spam |