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Friday, June 11, 2010

Creating Printed Circuit Boards with a INKJET Printer

introCreating Printed Circuit Boards with a INKJET Printer

When I first started looking into how to etch my own printed circuit boards, every Instructable and tutorial I found used a laser printer and ironed on the pattern in some sort of fashion. I don't own a laser printer but I do have an inexpensive inkjet printer.

This Instructable will show you how to use your inkjet printer to etch your own printed circuit boards, as well as be able to display a printed component footprint on the top side of the board giving you a professional looking design.

CAUTION:

For this instructable you will be working with chemicals and power tools. Please wear appropriate protective wear. i.e. goggles, latex gloves, etc.
The chemicals used in this instructable will stain clothes and your skin.
DO NOT pour chemicals down your drain. Properly dispose of chemicals according to your local waste management.
Chemicals used in this instructable will eat metal. i.e. your copper plumbing pipes, metal sink, etc.

Why would you want to etch your own printed circuit board from home? For one it can be cheaper than sending your boards out to a fabrication company. The second reason is if you are planning to send your boards out to have them professionally done, by printing a few prototypes at home to test first will save you money! Nothing like getting your boards back in the mail to find out you had something wrong with your design!

Creating Printed Circuit Boards with a INKJET Printer

step 1Equipment and Materials
REMINDER: DO NOT use anything metal that will be in contact with the chemicals. You want plastic, plastic, plastic...Tools: Dremel Various sizes of drill bitsChemicals: Nail Polish Remover Copper Etchant - available at Radioshack. Positive Photo Resist Developer - available at various online stores. I purchased from Parts-Express.Hardware: Daylight fl…

step 2Designing Your PCB Files
For my project, I used Eagle Cad for my schematic and PCB design. Eagle Cad has a freeware version for hobby users that has board size limitations. I never making anything over 4" x 3" inches so it fit my needs. There is other PCB design software that you can download by searching Google.Once your design is finished you need to print it out to size. Since this is the b…

step 3Prepare Your PCB Transparency for the Solder Side
The presensitized PCB board that I used was 4" x 6". My actual circuit is roughly 1.25" x 1.75" so I was able to get a total of 8 boards from one presensitized board.In Photoshop, I opened up the solder side .PS file and the copied my single circuit design to a new 300 dpi 4" x 6" file. I then laid out a grid, and just copied and pasted the design over and over to fill …

step 4Prepare Your Component Footprints
With this step you are going to use the Grafix Rub-onz sheets. This time, I opened the component .PS file in Photoshop but created a 8.5" x 11" image at 300 dpi. I then created another grid and pasted the component footprint layout onto the sheet over and over again. The extra space down the side I placed some small copies of my blog logo.When you print, make sure you m…

step 5Exposing Your PCB to Light
The presensitized PCB boards have photo-resist coated on them. The way the process works is everything that you have as black on your design will remain as copper. The areas that are clear, will be removed by the developer and be left with bare board.The boards come in a foil wrapping, with a peel of white protective cover over the photo side. It's not necessary but I u…

step 6Developing Your PCB
Once you have exposed your PCB to the light source you will want to quickly add it to the developer. The board will still have a green color to it, but you will notice a faint yellow color showing your design.To develop the board: place 1 part developer to 10 parts warm water in a plastic container. Gently rock the container back and forth. Everything that was exposed t…

step 7Etch Your PCB Board
Now that you have your developed PCB you are going to use the etchant solution to remove the copper. Everything that green (or black) on your design will be protected from the copper etchant. The exposed copper areas will be removed.I used my Dremel and a router bit to cut out the 8 circuit boards off my 4"x6" panel. Next you will want to pour the copper etchant into a…

step 8Applying Graphics to Your PCB
Once your PCB is completely etched wash it with a little soap and water and then drill out your holes for component placement.Now comes the tricky part. Cut out one of the Component side graphics that you made earlier. You will place this inkside down on the top section of your PCB. (Make sure both are going the same direction, in my photo they are not. I did line them …

Go there...
http://www.instructables.com/id/Creating-Printed-Circuit-Boards-with-a-INKJET-Prin/

Here's some more links to other ways to do this...

Don