does anyone have a layout for the easyvibe with bigger traces/holes?

[jimbob]

The john hollis one I printed looks as though I will need an extra small drill bit and I sometimes lift a few traces around the circles when too small. Does anyone have a layout for the easyvibe with bigger traces/holes?

[David]

Could you just "fill in" the offending areas with a Sharpie or paint and then drill the hole of your choice?  What size bit are you planning to use?  I usually use a .032 in and find it's plenty small...

[jrc4558]

I am working on a redraw that will incorporate some mods as well, but its far from being complete...

[jeff g]

maybe it's not ideal, but for some of the smaller pcbs, i just make the whole board bigger and add to the pads with a sharpie

although i haven't built it yet, i just did this for the easyvibe.  i took one look at the actual size of the pcb and knew i'd never get clean solder joints on that one!

the enlarging/sharpie modification approach seems to work ok, but sometimes the etch dissolves the marker faster than the transfer ink - i just check it regularly

[jimbob]

Could you just "fill in" the offending areas with a Sharpie or paint and then drill the hole of your choice?  What size bit are you planning to use?  I usually use a .032 in and find it's plenty  small..

Thats what I usually do but I only have 1 size sharpie which is too big. The great cheddar was the same way. A great pedal but by the time a drill w a bit obviously too big, I ruin the pads. I go through those damned things so fast (drill bits) and buy the smallest ones at a local hardware store.

[R.G.]

There's a bit of technology you need that you don't yet possess.

First, you can't really make IC leads be farther apart. So there is a limit to how big an IC pad can be without also compromising etching between pads and also making it terribly easy to solder-short between them. The easyvibe board layout - mine, by the way - could get larger pads, but not a whole lot larger. I'll have a look and see.

Second, given that you simply must drill holes on 0.100" centers that are not much more than 0.032" in diameter, you need a better drilling setup. I would guess that you're trying to drill them freehand. I did that for a long time.

Go get either a Dremel Moto-tool drill press, or a small bench drill press. This will cost you perhaps $50. It may be that you can find a friend who has one you can borrow. The drill press is important because you need to use solid carbide drill bits. High speed steel ordinary drill bits wear out in PCB stock in about 100 holes. A good carbide bit will do upwards of 10,000 without noticeable dulling. If you don't use a drill press, the carbide bits will snap off instantly. You really can't hold them steady enough by hand.

Carbide bits can be had by mail order for about $2-$3 each, and sometimes you can get assortments of 50 for $20 or so.

As for soldering, get a sharper soldering iron point, keep it clean, well tinned and hot, and use thin gauge solder, perhaps 0.025" to 0.032" diameter.

[jimbob]

That really made a lot of sense. I have been using obviosly bits that were too big.

I would guess that you're trying to drill them freehand. I did that for a long time.

Yup- thats what I have been doing and those drill bit have only lasted about  or around 100 holes. I use a hand held dremell.

A good carbide bit will do upwards of 10,000 without noticeable dulling.

I cant imagine! That would be nice.

Go get either a Dremel Moto-tool drill press, or a small bench drill press.

I think I will!

[RedHouse]

I use carbide but only because friend gave me a whole coffee can full that his ex-girlfriend used to bring home from her work.
(it took me like 4 hours to sort the sizes with a digital caliper one afternoon)

I would also recommend this which has worked very well for me for years, go to the local Hobby Shop, they have numbered drills usually about $1 a piece, get a few #65, #62, and maybe some #58 don't think they're carbide as they bend a bit when drilling which is often an ok thing if you don't get your pilot hole lined up just exactly right, the speaking of pilot holes, when you create your artwork for your board traces, use a generous hole in the center of your pads about the same size as the drill bit, when the etchant etches the traces it will also create a small pilot hole in each pad that not ony centers the bit when drilling, but makes it so the bit is really only drilling board material. Also when drilling (using a standard drill press) use the highest speed the drillpress will allow (>1500 rpm), when using a Dremel use a medium speed setting as Dremel's go up to like 20,000 rpm Fiberglass drills better with higher speeds.

[R.G.]

don't think they're carbide as they bend a bit when drilling

They're not. Carbide bits do not bend, even the tiniest amount. They simply break if you put any side force on them at all. That's why you need a drill press.

If you have to drill freehand, you must use steel bits and just count on replacing them every 50-100 holes.

If you drill freehand, a useful dodge is to take a steel rod - large nail, bit of CRS rod from the hardware store, ice pick, etc. - and put a very sharp point on it with a file. Pre-punch each place you're going to drill a hole. The dimple is much better than a void in the copper at sucking a spinning drill bit into the hole. It takes some time ahead to do this, but it returns the time back in being very quick to position things.

Here is the ultimate PCB driller - well, at least ultimate if you discount CNC machines. Take your dremel drill press apart and mount it so that the dremel comes UP through the table's hole from the bottom. Go buy a cheap 6x20 rifle scope (Under $20). Unscrew the eyepiece and make a cardboard extender tube for it so it will focus to a couple of inches. Mount the rifle scope looking DOWN at the hole in the table. Raise the dremel with your drill bit in it and move the scope/dremel/table until the crosshairs point right at the point of the bit in the dremel. Lock things down so they don't move.

Now you can just peer through the scope and move the circuit board around until a pad gets properly centered in the crosshairs. Hold the board still and stroke the Dremel up through the board.

PCBs were manually bottom drilled as the preferred manual technique until well into the 1970s.