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Etching PCB


technobreath
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Hi,

I am about to start making some power supply boards for two GM5x5x5s and a mbsid. I have plenty of space available in the boxes I plan to put them. I have also laying around a lot of standard pcb - no photoresist or anything - just simple copper boards, and I'm gonna use them since I got them - since I have enough space in the boxes, I'll just make it simple and handdraw the pcb with a permanent marker as I used to do when I made my first PCB :)

My question is what etching liquid I should use. The only one I know of is ferric chloride disolved in lukewarm water. I used to tie a string to the board about to be etched and dip it up down up down up down up down up down for 10 minutes at least while it is etching - i gather it need air for the process to work properly?

However I won't have the time and will to sit dipping the board and watch it slowly etch. Any other etchants I can use that frees me from the dipping? If air is needed, can I use a pump? any advice on the actual design of the etching tank then?

Thanks for all input.

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No need for dipping, just put the boards in a plastic container and cover with the etch solution.

If you make your own etch out of crystals, use warm water as this will help the etching process, but if not etching just takes a little longer.

Gently rocking the liquid over the boards will also speed things up, but it IS a chemical process and takes some time depending on the strength of the Ferric Chloride.

Do not get the etch solution on a worktop, on your clothes or on your hands, it will stain.

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you can get an etch resistant pen similar to a sharpie and just draw the circuit.

to the OP: What also helps is to have bubbles running up the FeCL3 solution. I got a kit that has a pump that bubbles air through a base with slots for boards. Pretty much any sort of agitation helps

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I'll just make it simple and handdraw the pcb with a permanent marker

yes it works, for simple circuits like a psu it could be done easy. In fact, back in the day, most of hobbyists did in this way. At least those I know

seriously : the ironing technique works ???

It´s all matter of(kind of paper + experimentation) x patience. Of course it will consume some time. But 2 years is too much. :-)

PIC burner transfer after etching in ferric chloride. Done some time ago. 2 days of experimentation. Coated paper used here (250 mg)

post-6438-099952700 1294397027_thumb.jpg

I bet that those guys with high rated replies have better transfers + etching jobs better than mine :-)

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Yeah. I just started etching my own boards cause I made a VCO, a VCF and and ADSR on Veroboard and none of them worked!!! They started out nice and neat but after I started running all the wires... It got crazy. I'm not even wasting my time trouble-shooting them.

It's easy. I just drew thew circuit on the board with a sharpie and stuck it in some Ferric Chloride. I tried the sponge method... You scrub the soaking board with a sponge (with gloves on, of course ) and it really sped up the process. The sections where the toner didn't stick and I redrew it with sharpie rubbed off though.

I just got a printer for $20 off of ebay so now I'm off to the races :sorcerer:

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Im on my mobile phone right now so i cant view the video posted, but one question to those who knows this techniqe.

Are you just making the cuircut on computer and print it on regular paper with a regular laser printer and transfer the toner with ironing it onto pcb and check for missed parts and do those by hand?

My biggest problem with the all by hand techniqe is that it takes a lot of time figuring it out. I used to draw the cuircut layout by hand and make a draft on paper that i was happy with. The use brains and time to make a mirrored draft on paper, then copy that onto the pcb by hand. It is a fair way to do it, but it takes so long, and the ironing te'hniqe seems to spare me all that time if it works.

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