How to PCB (Printed Circuit Board) at home using a laser printer and the toner transfer method
As a fan
Electronics Enthusiast I have always from the fact that it is indeed possible to create a quasi-professional fascinated looking for printed circuit boards (PCBs) at home.
My favorite my card at home instead of produce with the old method of prototyping wound is still more as the years pass and the availability of the packages through the hole (for modern devices) is becoming smaller.
When one thinks of a new design was to select many more devices, whether the SMT is acceptable. It is a very strong motivation to learn your own SMT PCB at home.
It really is a production that feels after finishing people are to do very proud of it.
Also according to the rules is essential to the success of the process. This may seem daunting at first, but in reality the process is very simple
follow the important steps of the production.
2 Cut, sand and clean a copper coin on the glass epoxy laminate.3 Bake your art work in the oven.
4 Etch your board in a chemical attack.
5 Rinse with water and sand remains.
6 Show everyone for your advice.
7 Solder components. Some notes:
Remember, safety precautions when using these steps
It is strongly recommended to use latex gloves when handling the chemical etching
The great advantage of a database PCB SMT for domestic production is that the SMT devices require no holes threw the Board. It’s just brilliant. But sometimes you can not get away with it. There are some cases, the drill motor. For example, some ports holes are drilled. Traces, which are not transmitted and could soldered copper require a transition between two points would be necessary to drill. Anyway, SMT technology significantly reduces the number of holes, while the reduction of the Executive Board at the same time. The reason why I discussed the advantage of SMT for you to keep in mind when designing your circuit, you want the minimum amount of exercise to do and not try, complex designs in the first place. I always try to brake in a few large plates separated. There are two main reasons for this segmentation boundary. First, the smaller the circuit layout easier. Second, small circuits for general purpose building blocks for larger models in the future are based. Think of a card for the gain of the operation. This plate may be more than a device with some resistance OPAMP around him and provides solder joints for the son of an external connection. It is an ideal building block for many projects.
Once your layout is ready for production, it should be possible to create a mirror image on a 1:1 scale on a special glossy paper (would use the toner transfer paper, the best), with a laser printer. brake
Lets buy the preceding sentence into small pieces.
A final design is a graphic representation of the tracks that are on the finished board should look like. The image must be mirrored, because, as we later use in the process industry.is now glossy paper is a general term for a more than “some paper from inkjet printers for photo printing used confused. Just in case you did not know, not all photo papers are the same. Finding the right paper for this work can be tedious be. The first article, which I can not use are removed from the board at the end of the process, and I had discarded. The next article I found was a success. It peels easily and leaves a clean print marks reduced to the copper strip. I will put this issue later in the peeling process. Remember that find you some photo paper before the “man” to try. Do not give up now. Fortunately, there are paper toner transfer specially designed for just this purpose. With a scale of 1:1 means that your software to the image of your board with dimensions equal to the actual dimensions of your components and conductor paths need to configure.
And finally, the laser printer would do the trick. This is because, toner, the substantia nigra (laser “ink”) is used for laser printing is actually a polymer that does not penetrate real not in the paper as ink. The toner is heated in the printer and when it melts, it adheres to the surface gloss paper. stucco on the surface of paper, toner is just waiting for an opportunity to stick (transfer), some, if the surface is hot enough to melt. They are the starting point to get it? Now that we a printed version of PCBs in our hands, cut, we, the paper will be used later as a collection agency to the contours of our board and leave a few millimeters of paper at the edges of the board of directors. The remains of the outer edges of the card for peeling the paper . This is the part where your hands dirty by art and crafts. A PCB starts as a laminate with a thin layer of copper on a glass epoxy substrate (also called FR4 laminate). laminates can usually where you want to buy your electronics. There are two types of laminates for the home user. available in single and double sided. usually 1-2 mm thick. simple means it means one-sided copper on one side of the laminate. Dual that there is copper on both sides of the laminate. This document focuses on a single side PCB laminate face is so good enough. Single sided circuits can be used in single-or double-sided laminate is made, or because the way unwanted copper is etched away. cut the laminate to the size of the circuit is implemented in two phases. First, you select the amount of your tour of the laminate with a sharp knife and a ruler. multi-brand, the easier it will be. After marking the line You must align with the straight edge of a table, and should place the rule of the laminate. By pressure on the brake it in scoring laminate, so that a nice straight edge. Now, the width of the circuit are marked and cut the same way. Now that we have cut the laminate to size, we must prepare for the process of toner transfer. Using the finest sandpaper (wet) should be cut short copper until the copper clean and shiny leaves microscopic scratches on the copper surface. These are microscopic scratches better than targets for the adhesion of toner to the copper. After sanding the copper, it is important to wash the laminate with soap. Use of the kitchen dishes soap would be better. The washing leftover fat removed (fingerprints are too thick). vestige fat would stick it right toner to prevent the copper. Do not touch the copper after washing, because they must be kept free of grease (fingerprints are in bold). Finally, the laminate with a paper towel to dry. Do you remember the mirror image printed on glossy paper? place above the dry copper and copper-oriented upwards and the toner on the copper from. The paper should just be over the copper. Hold the paper and laminate stable and keep the use of adhesive tape on both edges of the laminate of paper and laminate. Ensure that the circuit is designed as you want
The circuit is now ready for cooking step. Few people recommend the paper with a hot iron until it adheres to metal. The problem I found with the ironing, then it is not foreseeable in view of successful transfer of the toner. Sometimes it works and sometimes not. I think I developed a better technique. may commence before cooking, you should prepare some kind of device, keep the glossy paper was pressed onto the copper. I use two thick aluminum plates with holes in the corners. The screws used to fasten the plates together, while the circuit is in the middle. The circuit must be cushioned between thick layers of paper. The padding is important that the pressure in and laminate that some areas of the circuit not to distribute transferred. bolts and nuts should be closed to apply a strong pressure on the game and gloss laminated paper be.
The press must be in a preheated oven at 150 degrees Celsius for a period of about half an hour loaded. The cooking time may vary depending on the mass of equipment use, press. The heavier the press so much time is he to be hot enough to transfer heat to the devaluation of the paper and the circuit inside. After boiling completed, it is recommended, turn off the oven, cool open the door and leave until they touch each pressing device with your hands. It is time these screws loose and find their way between layers of paper. If all went well you should see that the glossy paper is added to copper. Now, when an edge start of the paper and pull it slowly from the copper. If you had no luck, comes off the paper easily and leaves a pleasant impression on copper . If the paper is not a friendly you can ruin real trouble without traces were printed on the outbreak of copper. Sometimes, when the pressure is not applied uniformly in all areas, you would see that some toner will not be liable to the copper and the laminate is useless now for the next steps (can be sanded and started from the beginning). If everything went well you should now take in hand with a laminate your printed circuit makes it just as a piece of paper that came from a laser printer. Just before the burning starts, you can continue to drill holes for some of the packets through the hole and fill the son, if necessary. It is best to drill before the burning starts, because the surrounding copper a better mechanical strength round blocks around the holes. These blocks can sometimes be extracted during drilling, remove the board after etching. Another good reason that the etching after drilling would any strands of copper on the edges of the hole drilled. It is now time for the unnecessary copper, where it remove any trace (no toner). The toner is actually a protective coating that prevents burning the corrosive liquid on our steps. The substance is described as burning iron chloride and can be used for as little gravel or powder form available. The etching fluid is a mixture of hot water (like the temperature you use to wash your hands on a cold day) and iron chloride. The ratio of the amount is not essential. is too little iron chloride -slow burn. to chaos will lead in the dark as fluid mud. I use ratios like making a cup of coffee. Simply put small amount of ferric chloride, at the bottom of the container and fill it with water. The burning tanks are made of plastic or glass be -. must NonmetallicFor the etching process find a way to fall and continued pulling the circuit in and out of the liquid. In this way, each of the remaining copper has been written flushed from the surface and the liquid in the lower to penetrate layers of copper. I’m using something like a fishing rod with a small line on a small hole somewhere on the laminate. was started after the etching, it may take several minutes to burn, until you see results. First to disappear from large areas of exposed copper begin. will expose a few minutes, the gaps between tracks. Finally, after about half an hour or more, the board terminated.
If the board looks the way you want, it should be under running water to remove the remains of the etching fluid and stop the etching process to be washed. Be careful when you wash the circuit (and containers). splashes of dark liquid stain anything in the way.After the circuit was washed and is ready for the final stage. With the sand paper again (wet paper), the black toner removed to expose the copper. Another way to remove the black toner, with a few drops of acetone wash. When all the copper exposed to the Management Board is ready
soldering. It is
. you fill in your first hand PCBs. This is the time to show everybody what you have achieved.
All you have to do now is lean and turn the components on your circuit …
PCB