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Tutorials |
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Fotoresist method PCB etching tutorial ?>?> Find a schematic on the net or make your own PCB layout that you want to etch. I made this one,
the Mini Man, in DIY layout
Creator. (se
links)
Print it out on a
transparent film with a laser printer or a good
inkjet. Some tutorials may tell
you to
print the same film
twice or more times to getnontransparent lines. I
have always printed just ones
and never failed
because of to
transparent lines
so
forget
that.
Then cut a piece
of cupper with
fotoresist in
appropriate
size. Remove
the
cover and
place the
printed film on top.
IMPORTANT,
mind
what
side you use.
Remember
that you
need to make
a mirror image of
the PCB to
have it
right
when
it
is
exposed. Put a piece of
glas
or plexiglas on the
transparent folio to ceep
it
flat. You dont want
any
light
to leak in
under it. Use a small
fluorescent lamp
with a
UV
tube. you might see the
blue
light from the
tube in the pic
below. I
expos the PCB for
aproxematly 10-12
minutes. The
lamp is
aprox 5
cm over
the cupper.
The
time is
dependent on the cupper you are using
and the lamp
you use.
you just havre to
test.
It is
better to
overexpose
caus you can always
compensate with less time
in
the etch bath if to
much
copper goes
off. If you
use a to
short time
under the
lamp you will not be able
to compensate with
longer time in the etch
bath. Its just to start over
again with a
new piece of
cupper. I bought my lamp
at
IKEA and the UV
tube at
a special lamp shop.
all
together about
$20
Now its time to
process the exposed PCB to get rid of all the
redundant fotoresist . You can se
how the brown
fotoresist
resolves.
Now its time to
etch but before that rinse carefully in warm water.
Rock the bowl constantly and
keep the liquid warm. I
heat
it
to near boiling in the
micro before I drop in
the
PCM. It
usually is
enough to
keep the fluid warm
long
enough for the cupper
to
etch. About
7-10minutes.
Ready to drill.
IMPORTANT. Clean the cuppertraces with acetone or
something like it to get rid
of the fotoresist on
top
of
the
traces or
you
wont
be
able to solder or at
least
have serious problems
with the
soldering.
OK from printout
to ready PCB (not counting the drill job) 25
minutes.
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