PCB shop

History

Here is my PCB shop,  If you do just a little bit of electronics you need this. Home made PCB is a kind of an art.  You can archive without any problem track as small as 10 mils without any trace cut or short.  I've used MG Chemical products with great success. One thing to know is that there is a lots of possibility of problem due to many factor.

The manufacturer may give you product instructions but chances are they may not work with your own installation. You will need these items in your lab:

• Ultraviolet tube power
• Ultraviolet tube to PCB distance
• Kind of glass on you PCB & Printout
• Kind of  "transparent" Printout
• Laser tonner darkness
• Quantity total of developer
• Kind and quantity of acid

It's like a big receipts, you will scrap a lot of cake but when you will have one good you will know the way to go for the next 100 years. I will try to guide you step by step with what you need to know to create great PCB.

Printout

You need a transparent for ordinary photocopier that you will use to print your layout,  After you need a tray that will be larger than your printout and smaller than your transparent, fill this tray with 1/8 inch of acetone, put your printout face down the tray.  The acetone vapor will reach the tonner and make it melt and the trace will become 50% darker !!!

Ultraviolet

Now, close the light in the room,  light up a red bulb,  Peal off the PCB that is photo sensitive.   Lay it on your insulation foam bed, place your layout over it, close the glass, open the UV lamp, place the bed inside.  Ok for the time.??  it depends on the factor I already say. In my case it's 2 minutes 30s.

Developing

At this step you need to mix part of developer with water (hot) in a tray,  The manufacture say 1 for 10 but for me 1 for 8.5 is better.  Place your PCB into and pass a small sponge on the PCB to help the developer to do its work, after wash with water.

Etching

I use Ammonium Persulfate,  it's a powder,  you just have to dissolve 1 cup in 10 cup of VERY hot water.  Also, you need an aquarium heater and crank it at the max value so the eater will never turn off.  The water heats faster and the job will be done sooner. Your track will be clearer as well. You need to have some air bubble to make movement in the acid.  And now you can place your PCB in.  In my cast it took about 15 minutes. When you are done, you can wash the PCB

Remove the photo resist

This step is simple, just put your PCB in the acetone you had at step one, and wash

Scratch

With a steel wool (very very fine) scratch your PCB not to gently you must scratch it

Thin

Place your board in a tray with "liquid thin" and wash it again

Drilling

The final step, you need a press drill, and use very good carbide drill bit, (it's about 10$ at DigiKey) but if you didn't break it you will have it for life. also you can find those on eBay at very good price

and now the job is done !!!!  Good Luck