Completely pre-drilled copper boards?

[ExpAnonColin]

Is there any way to get copper boards that already have holes drilled in them all over, sort of like a perfboard covered with copper on one side instead of nothing or just pad-per-holes?  That way you could just draw in the trace and you wouldn't have to drill any holes...  What would this be called for googling?

-Colin

[Gilles C]

The closer thing to that is a stripboard.

When I add jumpers, I see them as components.

Gilles

[ExpAnonColin]

The closer thing to that is a stripboard.

When I add jumpers, I see them as components.

Gilles

Can you really etch stripboard like that?  It would be interesting...  sort of a pain.

Are you sure they don't make anything at all like this?

-Colin

[puretube]

hey Colin: a super idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the only minor drawback/difficulty for the DIY etcher would be proper alignment of the (photocopied or whatever) layout exactly fitting the holes.

[btw: you ever seen those machines drilling/pressing those holes @ a rate of hundreds at a time through a stack of 5 PCBs?]

the other fear would be under-etching the pre-drilled pads, but with proper developing/etching, you could get over that...

I don`t think this has been done yet (at least for DIY, afaik...) - I`ll try to get in contact with people/companies related to this...

Thank you for this great idea!      

[ExpAnonColin]

hey Colin: a super idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the only minor drawback/difficulty for the DIY etcher would be proper alignment of the (photocopied or whatever) layout exactly fitting the holes.

[btw: you ever seen those machines drilling/pressing those holes @ a rate of hundreds at a time through a stack of 5 PCBs?]

the other fear would be under-etching the pre-drilled pads, but with proper developing/etching, you could get over that...

I don`t think this has been done yet (at least for DIY, afaik...) - I`ll try to get in contact with people/companies related to this...

Thank you for this great idea!      

Sorry I didn't see your reply until now.  I can't wait to hear more about this!  I was thinking more along the lines of just using a pen...  or, I'm sure if you designed your own PCBs it wouldn't be super hard to set up your PCB software to autodraw up the holes or something.

-Colin

[toneman]

U can't etch plated strip pcbs.
Only copper strip pcbs.

[puretube]

"plated" ?
imagine: plain copper-layered PCB, like the ones you normally use for etching
- but then:
already have holes (preferably 0.8mm) drilled in there, in 2.54mm distances...
now go, paint your traces on it (lines between the holes..., pads around the holes) with a etch/waterproof pen.
or have the "Colinboard" presensitized for photographic transfer...

[jrc4558]

Hey!
Take a piece of predrilled, put it ontop of not predrilled, secure them together to prevent sliding and... drill away!!!

[puretube]

I did use such masks (jigs?) for drilling since a couple of decades ago...
but now we`re tired of drilling!

[gez]

SMT  

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

Oh no Gez, you just gave me a truly awful vision.. SMT stripboard! The horror, the horror :shock:  :x  :cry:

[NaBo]

i personally love the idea.  i drew and etched 7 boards a month ago, and that part was easy.  now, just to drill, i had to find a 1/32" bit for dad's dremel (only found that as part of a 15$ set, no doubt)... only to find that it wouldnt lock in either of the little tip things he has... so theres another search and expense on my horizon.  so here i am waiting for boxing day, when, if there were pre-drilled copper clad boards, i would have probably built 7 circuits by now.

probably not a good idea to use exclusively, in the long-run, but could easily beat perfing in my books.  much easier.  of course, you have the added danger of more horizontal etching around the holes, eating away at your pads... but i doubt that would be a serious problem when using some of the quick-etching methods i've seen described while searching through this forum.  great idea, hope someone can put it out there some day.

[zeta55]

Here's what i've done in the past.
I used singlesided copperboard, printed the layout on plain paper. Then I glued the paper on the board with a water based gluestick. Drilled the holes, peel the paper of cleaned the board and used a good permanent ink pencil to draw the traces.

[gez]

Oh no Gez, you just gave me a truly awful vision.. SMT stripboard! The horror, the horror :shock:  :x  :cry:

I think there is something like that Paul ('SMT Prototype Board'?) It has common shapes for ICs and traces running here and there.  You just link it up and use a different board if there aren't enough/the right pads to make the circuit (it seems a bit haphazard to me)...the nightmare begins!  :twisted:

[ExpAnonColin]

Somehow my post from last night got completely deleted.  Oh well.

Here's what i've done in the past.
I used singlesided copperboard, printed the layout on plain paper. Then I glued the paper on the board with a water based gluestick. Drilled the holes, peel the paper of cleaned the board and used a good permanent ink pencil to draw the traces.

That's not too bad of an idea, but you still have to drill

-Colin

[puretube]

zeta: done that many times in the past (cellotape on 4 sides - easier peel of...),
but have to agree with Colin, again!

[David]

Colin:

I hesitate to chime in on a subject that I don't know too much about, but perhaps this might lead to something good.  Check out the thread on using conductive ink.  Perhaps using that with non-pad per hole perfboard would get you what you want.  At any rate, it should make for some very interesting experimentation!

I don't understand your hesitation about PCBs, though.

[Peter Snowberg]

SMT  

I agree!

[ExpAnonColin]

Colin:

I hesitate to chime in on a subject that I don't know too much about, but perhaps this might lead to something good.  Check out the thread on using conductive ink.  Perhaps using that with non-pad per hole perfboard would get you what you want.  At any rate, it should make for some very interesting experimentation!

I don't understand your hesitation about PCBs, though.

Drilling is tedious, that's all.

-Colin

[NaBo]

very.  i bought the little attachment that i needed to use the 1/32" bit with the dremel yesterday... another $20.

oh well, i have some pretty decent boards now RTS... it'll be easier than perfing im sure, but damn, its much more expensive and time-consuming to make and drill boards from normal copper-clad.

im still totally on board with this idea.  let's make it happen, people!