Etching PCBs

[AncientBrit]

Also interesting to see from Steve's link that Milford do a range of colour QVGA LCD modules.

Not sure whether the data update could cope with an incoming digitised NBTV signal though.

Cheers,

Graham

[dominicbeesley]

Nah, just messing about "Dossytronics" was my ficitional software company at school when we used to write games and demos...My full name didn't really fit!

Milford have some interesting stuff - glad Steve posted that link. A while back I got an Altium FPGA designer kit and this comes with a little LCD touch screen - when I work out the incredibly complicated software no doubt I'll try and make an NBTV monitor! For now turning a few LEDs on and off is about my limit!

Dom

[gary]

I'm far too tight - I'm doing all this on a (near zero) budget.Dom

And yet you can afford that incredibly expensive photo-resist board stuff? (I assume since you need the UV source) - looxury.

Since retirement I confine myself to using the laser toner method etched with hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide - works quite well if the board is not too complex - at least I don't sit and cry my eyes out when I get one wrong (yes I'm a tightwad too).

I built my CNC machine for around $200 (and could have been a lot less if I had known then what I learnt from the experience) and it is heaven to use for the drilling.

It can even be used to mill the boards completely - at least the simpler ones - I haven't tried it on more complex ones yet (although theoretically it would work if I had purpose made mill bit) - but copper is murder on my end mills so I won't do many more unless I can find a cheap(er) source of suitable end mills.

It is not that difficult to build your own CNC, they can be made using hand tools and the router that will eventually be on the CNC machine. I would encourage others to have a go at one if they feel it would be useful to them.

[dominicbeesley]

I've not got access to a laser printer these days or I'd have thought about that method. The boards aren't that expensive about £1 more than the normal copper clad ones.

Your milling machine sounds interested - did you build it from scratch or from a kit? I'd have a go if I could build it up from bits and pieces...how about a picture?

Dom

[Andrew Davie]

Along the same lines as a homebuilt CAD, have you all heard about RepRap machines?

http://objects.reprap.org/wiki/RepRap_Version_II_Mendel

Basically, a homebuilt 3D printer which can be used to print a significant number of it's own parts, suitable for making other 3D RepRap printers (!!). All the plans, software, etc., free and there's a great online community. I'm very tempted.

http://reprap.org/bin/view/Main/WebHome

Cheers
A

[gary]

I've not got access to a laser printer these days or I'd have thought about that method. The boards aren't that expensive about £1 more than the normal copper clad ones.
Dom

wow, in that case you would definitely go that route - here it is nearly three times the price - probably because the only type available is the Riston stuff which is generally expensive. So a $90 laser printer soon earns it's keep...

Your milling machine sounds interested - did you build it from scratch or from a kit? I'd have a go if I could build it up from bits and pieces...how about a picture?

From scratch - I posted a little video of it making a bead disk here:
http://www.taswegian.com/NBTV/forum/vie ... c&start=15

I used a borrowed camera for this so I don't have any others.

The machine was my first attempt so I didn't bother to make it "pretty" as I intend to use it to construct another - I am waiting for a cheap stepper motor offer to come up. This one has smallish steppers so is slow - but quite accurate.

The design is pretty much that of the tutorial provided here:

http://buildyourcnc.com/default.aspx

probably, if your main aim is to make PCBs there are more appropriate designs around, but this is relatively easy to make, source material for, and is generally useful.

[gary]

Along the same lines as a homebuilt CAD, have you all heard about RepRap machines?

Yeah, I have a an RSS feed to this guy's version:

http://hydraraptor.blogspot.com/

This blog is a great read if only to check out his fabrication techniques.

[gary]

..and if you really wanted to keep your costs down whilst getting your feet wet this or a variation of it might be the go...

http://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-to ... g-Machine/

I will probably have a go at this myself some time for the sheer fun of it - the only thing stopping me is that for some crazy reason little bits of plumbing as shown here are incredibly expensive in Oz.

This in turn can then be used to build a reprap:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6TSXfGVz-s

These people are almost as crazy as people who like to make TVs out of whirling disks....

[dominicbeesley]

Wow they all look brilliant....Oh no I feel another set of projects coming on!


Dom