Double sided copper clad

[mark2]

Does anyone use the back of double sided boards as a GND plane? e.g. and use a resistor cutoff or bare wire to connect the front pad to the back plate?

I'm considering etching and building a complex circuit and this seems like an obvious way to cut down on the PCB size, but I've not yet seen anyone do it.

Thoughts? Anything I may be overlooking?

Edit: by the way , I'm actually considering just gluing two single sided boards back-to-back since I don't have double sided.

[bean]

Edit: by the way , I'm actually considering just gluing two single sided boards back-to-back since I don't have double sided.

https://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=129943.0

I posted this a month ago and had no takers.

[marcelomd]

I know it's not what you asked, but double sided boards are 2 dollars nowadays. +8 for delivery in 10 days. It doesn't make sense to etch boards at home anymore.

As for the ground plane, it can work if you do the ground  plane on the component side. Maybe it will be harder to sober because of thermal mass of a full plane.

[mark2]

https://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=129943.0

I posted this a month ago and had no takers.

That's really generous Brian! I may take you up on that (and of course cover shipping + your time) but I'm not even sure I'll do this project yet. and if I do the double board trick will probably work.

I know it's not what you asked, but double sided boards are 2 dollars nowadays. +8 for delivery in 10 days. It doesn't make sense to etch boards at home anymore.

Yeah, I hear you. I order PCBs quite often. For anything where practicality matters and cost and timing are more flexible, it's a no brainer.

But it's also a hobby so it doesn't need to be practical. There's something satisfying about DIY.

Plus you can't beat the immediacy of etching. Getting them fabricated is either expensive or takes weeks.

• same day for ~ $1 on an etched PCB
• 2 weeks for ~ $22 for a 2-sided, or
• 2-4 weeks ~ $11

[mark2]

Maybe it will be harder to sober because of thermal mass of a full plane.

Yeah, that's a good point and definitely worth a quick test before designing around the idea. Just solder a wire or two to it and see how practical it is.
If I need to put thermal reliefs into each pad then it may well negate the simplicity and time savings which drew me to it.

[marcelomd]

But it's also a hobby so it doesn't need to be practical. There's something satisfying about DIY.

Plus you can't beat the immediacy of etching. Getting them fabricated is either expensive or takes weeks.

• same day for ~ $1 on an etched PCB
• 2 weeks for ~ $22 for a 2-sided, or
• 2-4 weeks ~ $11

Got it. In my case I don't have a laser printer so I need to find someone to print the design for me. Then it's a few hours of etching (setup, etching, cleanup). So, not immediate. Ordering online means I need to be more deliberate with scheduling, but it's also faster.

[slashandburn]

But it's also a hobby so it doesn't need to be practical. There's something satisfying about DIY.

Plus you can't beat the immediacy of etching. Getting them fabricated is either expensive or takes weeks.

• same day for ~ $1 on an etched PCB
• 2 weeks for ~ $22 for a 2-sided, or
• 2-4 weeks ~ $11

I agree with this too. I can probably etch about 6 smaller boards in about an hour or so. It's quite therapeutic tbh, drilling them is the only really tedious part. The rest of the process I just listen to an album or podcast. I really don't mind it.

I'm also incredibly disorganised and absolutely hate waiting around on deliveries. For whatever reason, if I'm at home and expecting a delivery I just can't relax the same and become this curtain-twitcher whole lives in with an irrational fear I'll miss the delivery guy by popping out the the shed or going for a shower and have to repeat the entire ordeal again the following day. Obviously there are solutions to this delivery problem, like get a doorbell or something but as I say, I'm incredibly disorganised (fix doorbell has been on my to-do list for about 11 years).

[bluebunny]

[aside]
Given the questionable behaviour of some courier drivers, curtain-twitching may not be a bad idea.   
[/aside]

[bean]

I'm gonna dig out the Klon build I did using double sided self-etch cooper and post a pic. Hopefully, I still have it. It was a challenge, for sure.

Anyway, blank PCBs are still available, and free to anyone who claims them (USA).