PCB Manufacture

[bettsaj]

I'm looking at getting some PCB's made similar to the Pigeon FX boards... brown board with copper tracks, no mask etc. Vintage looking boards.

Can anyone help? I've contacted Brook at pigeon FX and am waiting for a reply but I'm hoping someone here might be able to help

Cheers in advance

Andy

[carlozsulca]

Vintage PCB? hahaha this is how we make pcb in Latin America, I leave you the link of a tutorial in Spanish, you can subtitle it in your English

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVfcx9tzEhI&ab_channel=SPmat

[garcho]

^ yeah, draw your pcb with a sharpie on some copper clad, etch it, and paint the top brown, voila, actual vintage.

that brown was just how F4 used to come, no? i don't think it was an actual silk screen layer, like what you get from a fab house.

when i look closely at the PCBs at Pigeon FX (post a link next time  ), they look etched to me. Some of the copper looks like it's been sanded.

[danfrank]

The brown boards of yesteryear were actually made of phenolic, which is an vastly inferior PCB material than FR4. Phenolic is brittle, prone to cracking among other things. I wouldn't use it because FR4 is so much better.
You could probably get FR4 custom colored in brown if brown is really your thing...

[Kevin Mitchell]

Yeah what that guy said.

It's really outdated and no one would recommend using it. I actually tried to source some brown phenolic board years ago for a vintage style home-brew clone. But the reality is they aren't readily available for a reason. Many old circuit boards suffer from rot due to years of moisture. Paper based PCBs belong in the past.

Get with the times, man 

[R.G.]

CE-1

[soggybag]

If doing boards at home I'd go with the FR-1. The FR-4 boards are fiberglass and produce toxic particles when cut and drilled. If you're ordering from a professional shop get the FR-4.

I like the classic look but I think there's room for new classics. Look at what people are doing these days. The Beetronics boards pretty amazing. Total;y modern and up yo date.

[iainpunk]

i bought 100 perfboards made of phenolic resin and paper a year ago or so for only $5, for some reason they were very cheap then, they are quite nice to work with, and the smell is amazing!!
idk if you mind using perfboard though.

https://www.ebay.nl/itm/7x9-cm-DIY-PCB-Universal-Prototype-Paper-Matrix-Circuit-Board-Stripboard-IR/333728765091?hash=item4db3c8d4a3:g:r6wAAOSwvfFe9MvF

cheers, Iain

[peps1]

when i look closely at the PCBs at Pigeon FX (post a link next time  ), they look etched to me. Some of the copper looks like it's been sanded.

Yes, they are etched, and the substrate is CEM-1 made from paper and two layers of woven glass epoxy and phenol compounds, to get as close to the vintage phenolic but without the issues of it not blowing out when cut/CNC or drilled and avoid issues in humid condition. The slightly scratched look is a by-product of  OSP coating (Organic solderability preservativeis a method for coating of printed circuit boards. It uses a water-based organic compound that selectively bonds to copper and protects the copper until soldering). 

[niektb]

It's quite clean, I must give you that! Much better than the boards I used to etch when studying electronics! Nowadays, etching your own boards isnt really worth the hassle! You can get your PCBs sooo darn cheap in China (few weeks ago, I ordered 5 PCBs from JLCPCB, totalling a €6.40 including shipping  )

[peps1]

It's quite clean, I must give you that! Much better than the boards I used to etch when studying electronics! Nowadays, etching your own boards isnt really worth the hassle! You can get your PCBs sooo darn cheap in China (few weeks ago, I ordered 5 PCBs from JLCPCB, totalling a €6.40 including shipping  )

Yeah JLCPCB offers an amazing service for the money, compared to DIY, unfortunate I deal more with anal-retentive clone PCBs for retrofit and repair primarily (and people who just want original layouts), but for modern builds, China is by far the most cost-effective, and I use JLCPCB for prototyping too for anything I can't mill out fast.   

[Big Monk]

It's quite clean, I must give you that! Much better than the boards I used to etch when studying electronics! Nowadays, etching your own boards isnt really worth the hassle! You can get your PCBs sooo darn cheap in China (few weeks ago, I ordered 5 PCBs from JLCPCB, totalling a €6.40 including shipping  )

Yeah JLCPCB offers an amazing service for the money, compared to DIY, unfortunate I deal more with anal-retentive clone PCBs for retrofit and repair primarily (and people who just want original layouts), but for modern builds, China is by far the most cost-effective, and I use JLCPCB for prototyping too for anything I can mill out fast.   

I needed some custom boards in black and was shocked at the prices at JLCPCB. 5 for $20? I like that.