Drilling

[9V]

another apologies for beginner question...

but have you guys had trouble actually cutting and drilling the pc board, because, i believe (for now), this might be the most frustrating steps to making a stompbox...

the sawing of the board is easier for me, since now i built useful muscles tissues around my arm by sawing many many boards.. :?  :wink:

however the drilling is still..bad...(don't know how much finished board i had to throw out..)

could i drill (with the sharpie marks on it) it before the etching process? or would it go through little spaces and eat the copper underneath?

i used IC socket sized drill bit to drills holes, and for the wirings, i had to go with a little thicker ones, but which aren't availble in radio shack or specialty inexpensive electronics store..(so i had to solder the wirings underneath the board directly on the coppered dots, squards and ground..)
so it's little shaky..heh.

but the worst part is these drill bits don't even last complete two days, i would break them in the next morning when i've bought these in the afternoon... and doesn't even fit into my black and decker drill, so i had to tape it to make it larger to be held....oh man..very frustrating..

is there any tip on drilling? or better drill bits out there, which won't break and hit my forehead?

thanks..

[YouAre]

Dremels seem to be popular

[Gringo]

I use this:

http://webs.advance.com.ar/arch1234/Pablo/Images/taladro.JPG

It has a 1mm bit stuck in a cork butt, wich is then taped to the engine's axis, a momentary switch to operate it and that's it.

Not exactly a dremel, but gets the job done

[9V]

you invented it? that's real nice a genius device

looks like it's going to break though..

[Gringo]

Well, sometimes i feel like i'm doing surgery with a breadknife(specially when the tape begins to let go), but after the first four or five holes, i get the hang of it (again) and drill away.

Edit: I forgot to mention that the engine is a 12v one, from an open reel tape recorder (if my dad ever finds out what i did to that recorder, i'm dead meat ) ).

[downweverything]

are you using a hand drill?...   try a drill press, they are cheaper (you can get one at menards for $35) and are way more accurate and suited to pcb making.  its really hard to use small bits in a hand drill...

if you are doing the sharpie etch method, drilling works a lot better before you etch for me, then you just connect the dots with the sharpie.

as for cutting the board i just score it about twenty times with a razor blade knife then bend and break it.

you can get really nice tiny drill bits from either mouser.com or smallbearelec.com, i use #66-#62 the most sometimes a little larger for wire connections

hope that helps

[punkaled]

If you are using small pcb drill bits which are to small for your drill chuck, and wrapping tape around them to get them to fit, then they are unlikely to be in the drill straight, adn they will snap easily.
What you need is the type of bit with a larger shank than the bit itself (the bit you put in the drill chuck is bigger) These can be expensive, but many electronics suppliers sell packs of these which have been used on cnc drilling machines until they go blunt, then re-sharpened and sold in packs,(i think rapid  electronics do them for about £12 for 10, and you'll be paying that much for pcb size bits anyway.
Anither option is to buy a pin-vice which closes down to 0mm, put the bit in that and then put that in a drill, might be a bit straighter. Its also worth either getting a bench drill or drill press, or at least a drill stand for your drill, not only will this make your pcb drilling easier and straighter (and help your bits last longer) but they're also much easier for drilling boxes up tidyly.

[MartyB]

I bought two packs of various drill bit sizes from a place called Harbor Freight Tools for about $.50/ bit (US).  They have uniform shaft sizes at the chuck end that fit standard drills or Dremels.   I made a drill press out of rods and bearings from an old photocopier, that works fine, but my favorite way of drilling pcbs is by hand.  I clamp my dremel to my workbench (with two carpenter's clamps) and, using a slow speed, press the pcb onto the tip of the bit.  This sounds crude, but it's incredibly fast.  No hand fatigue from holding a 2lb 'pencil'.  Your accuracy is as steady as your two hands holding onto the pcb.  If the pad holes are poor I tap a centering point into the copper with a sharp nail.  This drilling method is the most fun step in making pcb effects for me (apart from using the finished product.

[cd]

You're making things way too complicated.  Find one of those mini drills that can be powered by a 9V adapter.  I got one for $6, it's only for tiny PCB sized bits (1.5mm and smaller).

[9V]

thanks again guys for them tips

[Chris Goodson]

I got a Dremel a few months ago and I'm a lot happier making boards now.  It makes drilling those small holes a breeze because it's much easier to handle than a standard drill.  Also, it works well for cutting boards, I can cut off just the amount I need which tends to save me some because I don't end up with as many pieces that are too small for anything.

[lightningfingers]

hey 9V, just curious, what effect is going in the box?

[sir_modulus]

For an electronics junkie, one of the needs for salvaging parts from stuff is a dremel. You are breaking bits because you drill is bending the bits as it drills. Get a dremel and the dremel press stand(like a drill press, but you use your dremel) for a good solution. Get a drill press for a Great solution. A good drill press is expensive(here it's 250 Canadian) but worth it.

[9V]

whoa 250 canadien, that's bit too expensive, but worth it? i might check it out then thanks alot, how much are those in USA?

btw what the heck is a drill press? and drill press stand sorry for being so ignorant but..

oh and fingers, i'm trying range master, octavia, scrambler, mxr +, electra distortion, easy face, and a blue box, they are all ready to go, but i have to purchase a DMM to figure out what the heck is wrong...

i also was going to ask for drilling for the metal box...

[Fret Wire]

I wouldn't use these for precision production work, but for home and hobby use (drilling pcb's), the 1/3hp drill presses Harbor Freight carries are a good deal. Free shipping on orders over $50, and both of these presses qualify.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=44506

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=44505

[MartyB]

Yep, here's the bits Ive been using.  (see my prev post)

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=44924

I learned by breaking one that you need to use a slow speed rather than high.  The dremel  I use for this is also from Harbor Freight

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=40457


Here's another even cheaper one.


http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=41695


Bits, 3-speed drill, and c-clamps you're up to  $31.00 US  I'm happy

[sir_modulus]

9V, where do you live? If in america, I think you have a SEARS? If so get tools from there. Craftsman tools are rarely overpriced, and are pretty good quality (+they are in your city, so you can see your tool)

DrillPress: a vertical drill spinning at a constant speed (set by belt drive pulleys above drill) that has a raisable stage where you place the object. You can use the handle to lower the drill press and exert the amount of force you choose. Bit goes in vertically, so bit breakage is not common.
all small bits will fit the chuck.
Craftsman 9in. Drill Press /w attachments
$99.00

Dremel: Tool that has a variable speed (usually 11,000 - 30,000 RPM) and can hold small bits that can cut, sand, grind, drill, polish, etc.... (basically everything) A dremel press puts the dremel in vertical position and allows you to lower it like in a drill press.
Dremel site

Hope that helps.

[Fret Wire]

DrillPress: a vertical drill spinning at a constant speed (set by belt drive pulleys above drill) that has a raisable stage where you place the object. You can use the handle to lower the drill press and exert the amount of force you choose. Bit goes in vertically, so bit breakage is not common.
all small bits will fit the chuck.
Craftsman 9in. Drill Press /w attachments
$99.00

That's the same Chinese drill press Harbor Freight offers for $59, with different graphics. Most all the under $100 drill presses with those specs are made by the same Chinese factories.

[9V]

i used to live in washington for very short time
now in british columbia

those harbor freight drill bits ones do look good (4.99) maybe i can go with since it offers them fat bottoms so i can place it on my Black and Decker(?) drill

and those two other ones..in guess a reasonable price.., unless i go down to america i can't buy those..

but those mini (compared to a b&d drill) dremel hand held like drills look too fragile, i might slip, and rip off the copper lines on the PCB (this happened with my MXR+ distortion...), just having fear of slipping and ruining the etched PCB board...

drill press do look awesome, and has a nice concept of drilling, without having to worry where you aim or fatigue, or breakage cos it goes straight to the point, not wobbley..

i was guessing i can drill in with my hand with drill bits for little while and make a wedge so drill can be secured and easy..

but them local stores don't offer any of these, and the store that do offer is 1.00$ each, not a bad deal, but it breaks easily,

so i am saving some money now to buy the press, but if that does not happen, i'll just look for the bits with fat bottem so i can just give it ago..

thanks guys!

[mugan]

well, apart buying a dremel or somth, an advice i give you is to keep the pcb in vertical position, like a picture on the wall. You should be much more accurate than with the pcb laying on the desk.