My (finally !) Succesful DIY PCB Making, using the Laser Printer Toner method..

[Artesia]

Hi,

(Consider this a sorta newbie'ish tutorial to DIY PCB's, using the well known Laser printer method ...and a little run-through of my experiences along the way...)

I finally decided to have a crack at making DIY pcbs ...as i  really need to be able to fab custom ones for project development.. and also i was having difficulty getting some of the MIOS boards :/ :)

Well, anyways.. after a little research, i decided to give the Laser Printer toner transfer method a go; and eventually i got it working, after much swearing, unsuitable papers & general experimentation.

I eventually found fujifilm 180gsm glossy ** (2 star) inkjet paper (N073170A / BAR: 5036321051242) to be useable with my samsung clp-500 colour laser printer.

Whereas photomatt, plain paper, Tracing paper, magazine paper, Rex Glossy paper & card.. where unsatisfactory to useless.

Heres a method i found to work, to see more Errata; on account of where things went wrong.. see the end of this post.

The Midibox logo on copper :)

My first, er... very scruffy; sucessful pcb.

(...Honest, the more recent ones look amazing ;)

(more pictures to follow, maybe...)

First set the printer to thick card setting.

(as on standard mode it runs through too fast and too hot, resulting in blistered, peeled & missing toner)

Chop the pcb sections to size needed, use fine wet and dry to prepare surface in a circular motion.. or use a 'sponge' sanding block as i did. Get a good shine on it & remove any marks ...to allow for proper toner adheasion & avoid blotchy etching :)

Then print design onto fujifilm photogloss paper, cut out design and tape to bottom of pcb with masking tape;

completely enclose the pcb with tape (to stop water getting in too quick & lifting the mask, later on)

...Then either use a closthes iron on hottest setting, or do as i did.. place in a smooth surface sandwich toaster (preferably one you dont plan to eat from !) for not much more or less than 1 min; with afew sheets of card below to prevent overheating the non pcb side ...press down hard and quick, until time up. Drop streight into a tub of cold water.. leave for 5-10 mins.

When ready (tends to blister a little & show tracks through paper and tape) then slowly and carefully peel off masking tape at an angle close to the board (to prevent lifting the print).

Carefully remove remaining paper, weather damp or not.. it should have transferred all of its toner, if done properly anyways. gently roll off remaining flecks of paper with fingers.

Dry & check for broken / missing tracks.. if not major, draw them in by hand with a ohp permanent marker pen (or similar).

Then dunk in hot (35-65c) ferric cloride solution for 5-10 mins, swishing about until etched ! ..when you cant see any remaining copper, its done ..volia ! ...rise board and sand off & drill with small bit & dremmel for use :)

Some notes:

* Toner/black needs to go where you want copper to remain on pcb.

* make sure that the pcb pattern is mirrored the right way for proper pcb construction, the print should appear on the paper, as if it was the pcb itself... and you where looking through the top of the component side, down onto the tracks. If its applyed incorrectly, you will have your pcb traces on component side !

* Apparently original manifacturers toner works more reliably than 'compatable' stuff.

* this -Will Not- work with inkjet printers, although here: http://techref.massmind.org/techref/pcb/etch/directinkjetresist.htm on the net, is a project to turn standard inkjet printers into direct mask to pcb printers, tho you might not fancy that much diy :)

Errata:

* Waxy label backing (ie: avery) works in a fashon, however it always smudges and blurs a little ..use in an emergency i guess.

* Plain paper / card Does not work, too much fibre bonding to toner; peels poorly.

* Photo matt is similar to plain paper.. results not been useable; tho i hear epsons own brand works (will try for fun).

* Tracing paper will not pick up in printer.

* Magazine pages smuge toner, stick to pcb & leave many patchy sections.

* Cheap, Glossy Photo papers with a high plastic content (IE: rex office (my epson inkjet hates it too!)) does not give up toner easily & is by far the worst for sticking to the pcb board ..impossible to work with.

* Make sure you use a non plastic based tape to wrap up boards.. otherwise everything will get toxic smelly and sticky ! use Fiberous, paper based masking tape.

* Make sure masking tape completely encoloses the pcb & paper.. found this to be imperitive to good results. It seems to slow down the takeup of water, which seems to prevent the toner lifting & makes paper removal much easier ..as the masking tape glue seems to soak through the paper & bond to it more strongly than the toner did. Allowing almost all of it to be removed in one go. Pick away remaining bits carefully and all should be fine. Note that some bits maybe dry, however should lift fine ..and youll find that they should have transferred their toner to the board :)

* Heating the pcb + paper for too short a time (30 secs as per tests) ..does not allow for complete transfer of toner.. results useless. Heated for 3-5 mins upwards seemed to burn & brittleify the toner, resulting in flaking & smudgeing. Heating the toner for 1 min seems to provide the best results, with complete transfer if boards cleaned properly & fast heavy application of pressure used.

* trying to heat more than one sepperate board at a time may result in uneven pressure & poor Toner transfer !

* watch out for fumes & ventilate well ...they are probably worse for you than sparking up a ciggy !

* Be careful with Ferric cloride pcb etcher, its highly corrosive, eats metal & also stains everything.. especially clothes and skin ! Follow safety notices & observe COSH handling & storage proceedures. Reccomended to be kept in the supplied container, or if you make up your own mix.. in a glass jar, stored in the dark ..and keep away from sunlight. when etchant is spent.. it'll have gone from orange to black ..to a final greenish colour apparently.

(note: apparently through electrolysis it is possible to revive etchant by plating the etched copper onto a copper probe; dont try this if you dont know what you are doing !)

* Ferric cloride works best if warmed up a little; about coffee cup temperature .but definately not boiling ! ..I heat up 1/2 litres worth up in a microwave for 2 mins ...tho i dont reccomend doing this.

* Etch in a plastic tray (or glass jar), metal ones of any sort wont work ..and will be eaten by etchant.

* Etching solution requires constant movement to do its work quickly; rock solution in tray ..or suchlike.

* To cut pcbs without a decent gilotine; score them with a stanley knife, then place the board on a surface with the cut lined up with a square edge. Place a wodden block on top & hold down firmly; use pressure with other hand on exposed pce & snap off.

* To see one of the american pages i read on this method; Click here: http://www.fullnet.com/~tomg/gooteepc.htm#1

[Jaicen]

Nice tutorial there Art, though most of it's old news to seasoned 'cheapo PCB' verterans like myself ;)

I do have a couple of things i'd like to add though.

Firstly, don't use cheap PCB stock. If it's thin, it will etch quickly, but you're also more likely to get traces that etch through or lift when you're soldering. For the same reason, Fiberglass is recommended over phenolic.

I actually use the Avery backing label method for my quick and dirty layouts, but it's prone to pitting when etched, which is where the photo paper scores higher.

Secondly and more importantly, if you're re-using etchant (after having etched something previously), DO NOT heat it in a microwave!!!

[Artesia]

Indeed, tho reading about these things & actually getting it to work.. is two sepperate things.

Maybe different setups (printers, toner, paper, heating methods, interpritations, patience) all give different results and some setups are more more finicky than others to get working usably.

Mine certainly seemed to be more picky, than the many dozens i read about before trying myself.

And figured that with myself having such a headache with it; that i'd document what i did; hoping that someone else would benifit :)

Also finding some of the papers and supplies listed by american (and some european) sites ..are impossible to find under the quoted branding in the UK ...so noting which one seemed to work ok (and how); looked like filling a hole in the information out there :)

Fibreglass ...well fibreglass is generally higher quality & more durable (but costs more)

[Jidis]

Maybe different setups (printers, toner, paper, heating methods, interpritations, patience) all give different results

That's the conclusion I've reached as well, and while I get pretty consistent, good results here, I'm always living in fear that my toner cart will run out, my iron will die, or Staples will change paper and I'll never get the right combination happening again. :'(

On the bright side, I'm on an HP LaserJet 6L right now, but have used an old Sharp printer/fax with good results and even had decent luck with a regular copy machine from my father's office long ago (before the Staples paper or the modded iron). I'd recommend anyone interested in it, try swapping out factors (iron/paper/printer) to try to pinpoint the problem if the results are consistently crappy. One of those things will likely be the culprit.

With this current config., I can get really clean results with slightly lower than maximum heat, and a bit less pressure, but for longer durations of total time, moving the iron from point to point around the board for 3 minutes or more. Too much heat and pressure was blurring my lines before. I think with a bit less of each, you can spend more time seeing that each spot gets a decent bond without risking too much.

BTW- Artesia, you may want to experiment (carefully) with the Muriatic Acid/Hydrogen Peroxide mix that RTurner and I are into if you haven't already. I seem to be getting more even, quick etches with that, with less over/under etched areas.

Hope you enjoy the convenience of the toner!

George 

[Artesia]

cool :)

Btw whats this other etchant diy mix you meantion ? ..i can see from what you say, whats in it ...but can't glean anything more from that ;) ..shall have to give it a go (ferric cloride isn't too cheap ;)

[Jidis]

Well if this stuff's anything, it IS cheap. ;D

Here's one of Robin's posts, but there are some other sites on the web as well:

http://www.midibox.org/forum/index.php?topic=7775.0

The acid is some sort of brick cleaner or something (I think). I used to sell roofing supplies and we had it, but it's at most hardware stores. My mix can get pretty sloppy and it still always works. I think I go roughly 1 part acid to 2 parts Hydrogen Peroxide, but Robin should have the true recipe in there somewhere.

Just be warned- Wear long rubber gloves and goggles, keep a roll of paper towels and a bucket of water (and maybe some baking soda) nearby, work outside (away from everything) and mix slow until you see the reactions. The cloud that comes off the acid can knock you down (even before you mix it). Try to inhale away from all the stuff while you're working.

Good Luck,

George

PS- I can't see the name Artesia now without thinking of that masked "sandwich holder". ;D

[Artesia]

artesia - the 'masked sandwich holder' ...now i am puzzled ...unless thats a reference to using a sandwich toaster to heat the boards (which incidentally seems to be the numero uno way to avoid user induced toner smudge ;) )

hmm that stuff sounds deadly, something tells me that my paving slabs arent going to like me...

as for what to put something that deadly in, is a plastic storage box really giong to cut it ;) ..hmm definately tong time tho.

[DavidBanner]

lol, the "masked sandwich holder" - finally a superhero that can provide snacks too!

[Jidis]

The MSH was a longhaired guy from some Japanese site holding out a big foot-long submarine sandwich thing horizontally with both hands, while wearing one of those pointy looking masquerade masks that just covers the eyes and nose (maybe wearing a cape too).

- On the "alternative etchant"- If you start off scared of it, you should be fine. Just don't treat it like FeCl until you've seen it fizzle a bit. ;)

Take Care,

George

[Artesia]

ah, yes ....i have become what i semi-mocked in a post for fun ...some moons ago. Which reminds me; i need to up one of the key photos for that post again.

hmm... pass me a pcb ciabatta'

[Artesia]

Ah yes, well im also 'scared' of circular saws..

People just dont credit how dangerious they are. And in the last 5 years iv'e heard of people i know personally; or direct friends of.. having some really horiffic accidents with them.

(when the wood workshops up and running properly, mine is definately getting ditched for a good table or pannel saw)

[stryd_one]

Nobody has mentioned how totally f#&%!n awesome that first image looks.

Hey TK I think that might look nice on the ucapps.de gallery?

[bill]

Nobody has mentioned how totally f#&%!n awesome that first image looks.

I agree, this is a realy nice shot !

[DrBunsen]

Ah yes, well im also 'scared' of circular saws..

People just dont credit how dangerious they are. And in the last 5 years iv'e heard of people i know personally; or direct friends of.. having some really horiffic accidents with them.

A friend of my boss's decided a good way to rip down some long pieces of lumber would be to have his wife hold the circular saw upside down, and <i>pull back the safety guard</i>, while he ran the timber onto it like a bench saw.

He should be able to wiggle his re-attached fingers again in a few weeks.

Meanwhile, maybe you could add a link to your tutorial into the Electronics Basics thread.

[Artesia]

Owie, thats a darwin worthy one... certainly beats the one i saw on telly bout a circular climbing someones baggy trousers and stopping in their crotch.

I'll certainly link this post through, tho it needs revising, tidying up a little & some tutorial pictures adding :)

[smashtv]

Hi guys!

I rarely have enough time to etch these days, between my 4 year old and the store, my tinker time comes in 5 minute chunks.  ;)

I cheat several ways:

I use press n peel blue transfer paper (no toner release issues).

I use a modified laminator (makes for consistent transfers).

I ditched the etch tank and spray etcher for a sponge and gloves, with room temp fecl etch time is about half, and it requires way less fecl (enough to soak the sponge vs. a tank full).  This "rub etch" relies on the solid transfer the PnP paper provides, it does not sponge off when the blank is well prepped......

I dont use solvents to prep, just fine steel wool (or very fine sandpaper for D/S boards). 

Sometimes I cheat on D/S stuff by throwing a blank on the CNC, having it drill the holes, then sand flat and use the holes to align the transfer on both sides......no good for a one-off though, as a few hours of file optimization/conversion is needed for good GCode. (good GCode=does not make the CNC try to drill holes in the board vise)  ;)

Before anyone asks, this is not how the boards @ the store are made, those come from a pro fab house.

Those are some of my tricks, I can provide more detail here if requested. ;)

There are some good past discussions here about this too.

Best

Smash

[Artesia]

Well, heres the result of a pcb making frenzy...

After 4x dout, 1x core, 3x aout & one SSL Compressor board... 1/2 L of ferric cloride is starting to look a little tired !

[Jaicen]

Oooh, tasty! Do you have any details about that SSL comp?? I think that'd be something i'd be interested in building, especially if you have a PCB layout. Does it use any odd semiconductors?

On the subject of Muriatic acid, i'm pretty sure that's Sulphuric Acid isn't it? That's something I definitely would not want to mess with, especially in my home!

On the subject of PnP, does anyone have a source in the UK that doesn't charge £15 for 10 sheets?!

[Artesia]

Hi,

The SSL Compressor can be found at this address: http://www.gyraf.dk/gy_pd/ssl/ssl.htm ..each board can handle stereo, with a sidechain too :) The major custom part, the dbx 202xt can be bought as a 'That 202' module Or is emulated with an 5534 opamp & a That 2181 chip. Everything else is standard bits, just need to order the that chips in ...and i need afew ..especially considering i will also need That stock soon, to be able to build accurate moog, arp filter clones for a secret little project ;)

Btw the SSL compressor is going to make use of another 2u box i got for peanuts ...by furnishing it with 4x stereo SSL Compressors (8 channels :) ...and 8x (16x :]) if the front pannel & my wallet will take it...

The compressor is meantioned somewhere else on this forum ..picked up on it when reading about a That chip group buy i missed out on.

[RTurner]

Muriatic acid is more widely called hydrochloric acid (HCl).  It was named muriatic acid hundreds of years ago as a reference to brine (aka salt water) from which it can be made.  Sulfuric acid (H2SO4) was originally used to make hydrochloric acid by adding salt to it.  At any rate, HCl is as dangerous or safe as your handling of it.  Under some extreme conditions it can form chlorine gas, and it can also form an acidic vapor if over-heated and/or over concentrated.  These are the two reasons why it should never be used indoors.  As far as direct contact on the skin, it's a strong acid and will burn you, but you'd have to be nerve-dead to get a bad burn- because it takes a matter of tens of minutes to actually do any damage, all the while the itching/burning sensation is slowly increasing.  Treatment is: thorough washing with water.  However, if the vapor is deeply inhaled, you need to see a doctor (and I don't mean getting a little whiff of the stuff, but inhaling a significant amount- enough to burn the lungs badly enough for you to bleed into them).  Again, you have to use it outside.  Also, if any liquid gets into your eyes, IMMEDIATELY flush with lots of water, then go to the hospital and pray that you haven't blinded yourself.  Always wear goggles.

I know that sounds intimidating, but, it's really not too bad if you follow some simple rules, most of which are common-sense:

Always wear goggles.

Always wear gloves (I prefer disposables, since a little bit of HCl seems to make its way inside, and it's easiest just to replace them)

Always have plenty of water on hand (to slow-down possible renegade exothermic reactions, and also as an emergency rinse)

Always pour acids into other liquids (both for splash reasons, and also to minimize the risk of an out-of-control exothermic reaction)

Always use in a very well ventilated area

Never heat the liquid.

and last, and not least

Make certain to wash your hands after using it, or you might accidentally rub some into your eye (which wouldn't be super serious, but would probably be pretty painful)

At any rate, I recommend the HCl + Hydrogen Peroxide method to anyone that feels comfortable with the chemicals, and hates ferric chloride for all the reasons it should be hated (stains, hot liquids, unavoidable fumes, toxicity, etc...).  In my opinion, it etches a lot better as well.  Also, and I suppose FeCl will do this as well (and it surprises me that I haven't really read about anyone doing this, except for myself and George), but you can quickly etch labeling and center-points for holes on front panels with HCl on standard aluminum. 

RE: circular saws.  I have an occasional drinking partner who is an emergency room doctor.  After a few drinks I can get him to tell some horror stories (alcoholics with BACs that would kill a normal person, all manners of toiletry items being mis-inserted into all manners of orifices).  Apparently carpentry related injuries are really common, because of saws, and planers (which he says just yank a finger off at the next joint).  Finger injuries are difficult to repair with a low success rate, and this is compounded by the fact that many of the tools that make said injury will reduce the part it took off into a meatball covered in sawdust.  So, there's a tool the hand surgeons will use if the finger is not re-attachable.  It's called a bone nipper.  It looks like a heavy-duty stainless steel version of certain types wire-cutters, and it's sole function is to nip-back the bone so that flesh can be stretched over the end of nub.  Thinking about that really kinda runs chills down my spine.

George:

Keep up the gospel!

Robin

[Artesia]

ic, ic...

hmm.. need to find somewhere i can pick up the acid bath mix bits in the UK... without looking like a hairy, hippy unabomber terrorist :)

tried the other etchant i could get hold of, just to see how it faired ..100 or so grams of sodium persulphate dissolved into 1/2 L of water did about the same ammount of boards as the 500g (?) sachet of ferric cloride (around A4). This stuff, as i expected was utter pants to use..

Firstly it needed to be heated to 50c to work anywhere near effectively.. much above this and it starts fizzing in a runaway frenzy... and by the time its 1/3rd done etching ..the solution is near stone cold ..and takes forever to etch.. usually have to reheat before full etching is done. basically its not much use if you dont keep it constantly warmed with some sort of heated tank (or a glass jar sat in a old saucepan of water on the stove).

Additionally, although the etchant being transparent might seem like a good idea.. its a pain, as you never know where it might of ended up - or dripped ...unlike ferric cloride !

Also this stuff seems keener on etching of reworked tracks ...so need to apply fixes throughly. And it also works away at the masked sections too ..if overheated for too long.

All in all, pretty terrible stuff.. tho it'll work in an emergency.

Heres a snap of the stuff in my substitute etching tank (diy, heated bubbler to come soon ;):

And todays pcbs:

2x minimoog filters, 2x arp filters, 2x steiner filters, 1x SSL board, 1x orphan SSL control section.

Ah yes.. the fun of doctors more industrious tools... boneworking stuff especially wouldnt look out of place in a woodshop/metalshop/iron mongers ....except all those really recogniseable things are made of stainless & sergical steel ;)

As for the power tools ...well, it just looks like black & decker on a crome bender..

[SLP]

(diy, heated bubbler to come soon ;):

:D :D

btw. how much does this special paper cost?

matthias

[Artesia]

speacial paper ?

Well the heated bubbler referrs to a method of etching boards involving a tank with an airpump similar to that used in a fish tank; to keep etchant flowing around the board & thus speed up etching :)

as for the paper i used, it was just fujifilm 180gsm glossy ** (2 star) inkjet paper (N073170A / BAR: 5036321051242) ..and is about the usual prices for photogloss paper; but cheaper than epson.

You might of meant the PnP stuff that smashtv meantioned... as for that i have no idea...

hmm... just etched another 2 boards to complete the stock needed to hand; and damn, that dead ferric cloride doesnt half do the eveready bunny thing.. It managed two fairly sizeable boards at 9 min a go ! ...not going to feed anything more thru this batch, as the next board that hits it will probably float ontop of its sludgey consistancy :)

[Jidis]

Artesia,

If you're getting good with the toner procedure, definitely consider the aluminum etching for that SSL panel (unless you're already set on a different style). The black on silver looks really good IMO on analog stuff like that, especially with some old style glossy black or bakelite knobs. Sort of looks like old Teletronix era hardware (maybe not that good ;)). I've done a few things with plain black toner labels (with a thin topcoat), but will likely be moving to etched aluminum. There's a picture of my first attempt at that in that aforementioned thread of RTurner's. Should work really well, but I'd like to revise the "darkening" part of it, and maybe learn how to use colors. BTW- That was done with Ferric Chloride. I'll be trying the new acid mix next time.

This is a thing under the desk here at home (mixes audio outs from the computers):

That's the style of knob I meant. I'm holding a bunch for a cue mixer if I ever get the time to build it. That will be the same style, but with buttons, lights, and way more knobs. There are some pictures of a silver EQ controller here as well (about midway down)-

http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y193/Jidis/

That's also just plain toner. I may do it over with an etched panel now that I know how. The etch method also allows for different surface textures. Before, I had to keep a relatively slick surface on the aluminum, for the transfer. If etching, I can smooth over the final panel however much I desire. The test in that other thread was hit with a really fine grade of paper on a belt sander (for a "brushed metal" look).

The toner/aluminum will take some getting used to. It heats differently and can blur things if you're not careful. Spraying the surface with clear acrylic helped grab the toner and allowed me to lighten up on the heat and pressure for cleaner lines, but with the Staples paper, I may be able to do that anyway. That paper just leaves a nasty film, but if I'm just using it as an etch mask, it won't matter anymore.

Also, I built a heated bubbler tank like you're looking into, but after the first couple uses, it hasn't been set up again. It still may be worthwhile for large boards, but it's a pain to set up and clean, and it requires way too much etchant to sufficiently cover the heater (my main complaint). The acid is doing really well unheated, so I may be fine with that most of the time. On the plus side, the heated bubble tank did really well with some otherwise "useless" FeCl. It really brings out the best in that old dirty stuff.

Like you, I also played with some Sodium Persulfate not long ago. Indeed, it can be a lot of trouble. It did one really great etch, and I was never able to get any mixes to work too well afterward. It seems to change a lot after you mix it, and I never did find very good recipes online for normal measurements like we use. I found it locally and was able to get 500 grams pretty cheap. If anyone knows a working formula to get an amount of etchant in the 1 to 2 cups range, let me know. I'd like to still use it once in a while for doing stuff inside.

On the woodwork stuff- I've gotten by for almost two decades with no table saw. I use a combination of a radial arm saw, a giant DIY router table with a jointing fence to clean up edges, and an assortment of hand-held power tools and jigs. The radial can do much of what the table saw does in a tighter space. It doesn't require all the room at the front and back, as the work actually remains stationary. It can also rip and do all sorts of weird angled cuts, and I've got everything from sanding drums to dado and molding head cutters to mount on the arbor. For larger cabinetry and sheet material, I usually take stuff outside the shop on sawhorses, with an edge guide clamped to the sheet. I'll use the circular saw for that and make a sloppy cut, usually about an eighth inch over what I need. I can then usually take that inside and run it across the jointer a few times to get the edge square and straight and burn down to my layout line. It works out pretty safe (the router table is one of the things I'm least afraid of).

Take Care,

George

PS- I get treated like a hairy, hippy unabomber terrorist at most of the places I go. Buying the muriatic acid was ironically one of the few occasions where I didn't get treated like that. The guy actually opened a "double jug" case to sell me a single jug when I told him how much I really needed. Apparently they're not allowed to do that (there's a regulation involved). He went with me to the counter to explain the sale.

[Artesia]

hmm.. will probably give the acid bath thing a go eventually, made all the board stock i need for now ..tho yeah, was talking to someone about making compressor front panel using the etch method :) ..if that works ok, rest assured it will become a frequent habbit here.. more interesting & less of a pita than lazertran with my printer..

Btw i spy a neve eq :) ...whats the story with that one ? ..hopefully, liike the SSL Comp, its not a small fortune in hadrd to find components ;)