Jump to content

can i cut PCB with jigsaw


carsten_the_dane

Recommended Posts

c0nsumer,

As far as the Dremel chucks, yeah... The finger chuck is a lot more sloppy.

I didn't realize that. That's good to know because I've been using one of those myself.  :)

Also, your SID-NUXX front panel PCB looks very nice...Good work!!  ;)

-tel3

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't realize that. That's good to know because I've been using one of those myself.  :)

Also, your SID-NUXX front panel PCB looks very nice...Good work!!  ;)

Thank you. Too bad the board is wrong. Despite triple-checking things, I somehow got the pinning of the switches off by 90°. It's fixable, but still frustrating.

-Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you. Too bad the board is wrong. Despite triple-checking things, I somehow got the pinning of the switches off by 90°. It's fixable, but still frustrating.

Man, that sucks...Sorry to hear it! I sure couldn't tell.

-tel3

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Man, that sucks...Sorry to hear it! I sure couldn't tell.

Well, I only made five, and the released gerbers and such (for public use) will be corrected. The problem is that the switches are essentially rotated 90 degrees. It's fixable by lifting a total of six traces and isolating six ground pads with a small grinding tip. Not hard, just frustrating.

-Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

what sort of filter do I need to buy for working with PCBs?

Is it just for the fibreglass or are there other nasties too?

Check your PM. I just replied. I use a simple dust filter in replacable cartridges. PCBs are made from epoxy and fiberglass, with a laquer coating on the outside. It's really not anything too harmful unless it's burning. In my experience I've found that simple dust cartridges stop all the dust and irritation to my lungs. It's weird to take the mask off and suddenly be hit with a wall of bad smelling PCB dust after cutting.

The pads which go into the dust filters are pretty cheap too, so you can replace them whenever they start getting a bit blocked up.

Also, be sure to wear safety glasses. The dust will also get in your eyes, and the little chips can be nasty.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

(Hope this doesn't come through 1000 times- Opera got funky on me.)

Don't forget sandpaper and belt sanders. 8)

As horrible as that crap is to cut, those seem to burn right through it. I'm in a habit of rough cutting mine, or doing the "score & snap" with a metal ruler, giving them about an eighth inch or more around the outside perimeter. I usually take a 3x18" handheld belt sander to them afterward, by holding the sander sideways in one hand, and bringing the board edge against it with the other, blowing off the dust and checking it, until I've lined up with the perimeter lines. Not the safest thing in the world. Probably better to lock the board into a vise and bring the sander in by hand. I also slide them on edge across a sheet of sandpaper on a hard flat surface, if I'm not around any tools. Only takes a few minutes and you can make nice messy cuts to start off with.

Bear in mind, it's not very friendly to the paper/belts. I think the copper coated areas are worse though. Use old ones that are already worn.

BTW-- c0nsumer, you mentioned lacquer in the board composition. I've also been hitting some of mine with a mist of spray lacquer after I etch, to keep the copper nice looking. I found that tip in either one of the "sci.electronics" newsgroups or the Yahoo PCB group.

You or anyone else see any problem with that? There wasn't much more than one post on it, and all he said was that it could stink a little worse when soldering to it, but it didn't ruin the joints. That's about the same thing I've found here, but that's just from observation. It's definitely easy to do.

-Thanks,

George

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...