first pcb etch with ordinay picture paper -- works great! (pics)

[zjokka]

Soldering up these larger boards on perf almost made me crazy, I was going to try etching. Because I thought it couldn't be done otherwise with some success, I ordered Press n Peel Blue. Meanwhile running across an article that explained how to heat transfer the design from ordinary picture paper. The page also says Staples is the best, but try getting that over here in Europe.

Went the bold way, just had it printed high res on the best glossy paper they use for printing photographs on. the procedure in short is:

1) clean board with steel wool and then aceton
2) iron it on like pnp blue. i think you could iron a bit longer than with pnp because the picture paper is thicker.
3) throw it in boiling water for the paper to come off, add hot water once a while, be patient
4) after 10 min you can certainly start rubbing paper off with your thumb. will come off in layers.
5) i didn't  apply enough heat in certain spots -- check where the large surfaces are and apply extra heat. if this is the case and parts come off, use a sharpie. I used a thin marker that for writing on CDs, couldn't come out better.

will try pnp too, but still, if I improve my technique a bit, this will do me. Paid 1,20 EUR for 4 A4 sheets or something. and it's readily available. I heard some people around here use this technique -- anyway i love this. I'm such a cheapo 






zj

[John Lyons]

Cool! looks nice. Glad you found something that works well for you.

I use Staples brand "photo basic gloss" and it works well. Just iron the Sh#t out of it and especially the corners and edges.


John

[markm]

I think PNP probably gives cleaner and neater traces but, that has to be some of the best PCB etching I've seen done
using the photo-paper method.
Hey, whatever works right? 

[Torchy]

Bog standard Staples inkjet photo paper ...

[markm]

 
Wow!
That looks good.

[tcobretti]

Do you guys use Inkjet or Laser printers?

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

Do you guys use Inkjet or Laser printers?

It MUST be laser.Or, you can print inkjet, then photocopy, and work with the photocopy.. because the photocopier uses a toner process, same as a laser printer.
Just be careful that everythig is the right size after photocopying, there cxan be some distortion or slight size change.

[John Lyons]

This always comes up. As mentioned above..

You can print out your PCB pattern to take to the Photocopy place but you need a Lazer printer or photocopy on photopaper or Press and Peel blue in order to make a PCB at home with the toner transfer method.
Toner is what the lazer and photocopier uses as "ink" it's a powder that get deposited and then melted onto you photopaper.
When you iron your patern onto the copper board the "ink"/toner melts and sticks to the copper leaving you with a reverse pattern.
The toner protects the copper from your etchant. When you are done etching you wipe off the toner with acetone etc. and you have the copper PCB pattern.

Inkjet absorbs into the paper, lazer or photocop sets on top of the paper. It's a plastic or sorts.

I have almost perfect resuslts with Staples "photo basic gloss" paper (red package)
Once and a while I get a flake or two that come off with the paper backing but mr sharpie works well for those fixes.

John

[jrc4558]

I use this method all the time myself and I sincerely beleive that the person who came up with it deserves his/her name next to the inventor of the printing press.

[coitmusic]

I've also had very good sucess with just plain magazine paper and a laser printer...I had read that this was possible and before I could get to the store to get some photo paper, I thought that I'd try it out. I've done maybe ten or so transfers and have yet to open my package of photo paper! When I go to the dump, I look for large mags that don't seem to have been read much (no finger grease) these I cut down to 8 1/2 by 11 and straight feed through the samsung printer I bought to do transfers with. Clean, clean, clean the copper and Iron on with lots of pressure and care, let cool completely and then into warm, not hot soapy water to soak for a bit.
HERE'S THE TRICK: I read somewhere else about using a great deal of dish soap to loosen the paper. So after it's sat for a bit in the dish soapy water, I take it out and put a tablespoon or more of dishwashing detergent on it and gently rub in. Back in the tub and after a few more minutes the paper really starts to come off. I finish with a soft toothbrush and do any necessary touch ups with a sharpie and then etch with muratic acid and hydrogen peroxide as described here:
http://www.fullnet.com/u/tomg/gooteepc.htm
Very easy and cheap, cheap, cheap.

[zjokka]

I've also had very good sucess with just plain magazine paper and a laser printer...I had read that this was possible and before I could get to the store to get some photo paper, I thought that I'd try it out. I've done maybe ten or so transfers and have yet to open my package of photo paper!

  wow even cheaper. you just xerox it on the magazine, no matter what is printed on it?
Do you mean the cover (very glossy) or the inside pages?  I really should try this.

zj

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

It is worth experimenting with magazine paper.
But.. I have seen people say, that "coated" paper is best. That's the kind of paper that has a thin layer of clay and titanium dioxide pigment on the surface (used for high res glossy printing). Disclaimer: havn't tried it myself, but sounds highly plausible.

[Jay Doyle]

It is worth experimenting with magazine paper.
But.. I have seen people say, that "coated" paper is best. That's the kind of paper that has a thin layer of clay and titanium dioxide pigment on the surface (used for high res glossy printing). Disclaimer: havn't tried it myself, but sounds highly plausible.

Thing is though, once you start getting into the upper reaches of high res paper, you are getting close to the cost of PNP!

[Meanderthal]

 Hey, this is great! Now if someone can come up with an el-cheapo laserjet/copier substitute... hehe! By the time I painstakingly trace/copy stuff with a sharpie, then try to figure out what to do with the nasty trays of spent ferric chloride, and break a few extra tiny drill bits, I get just a little frustrated... Skipping the sharpie step would certainly be one less annoyance. As it is I just reach for a hunk of perf (not that horrible pad-per-hole stuff) and just plain build. Works for me, and I have yet to figure out how it's supposed to be harder to debug?. Especially if ya follow a pcb layout.

But those pcbs sure do look nice! Maybe someday I'll be set up to do this in a way that actually makes it easy... till then all I can do is just look at everyone else's beautiful pcbs and seeth with envy.

[John Lyons]

A few tools I find helpfull.

Toothbrush (as mentioned above) If you lightly scrub the surface in small circles you can clean up the paper left behind quickly. It wont hurt to put some pressure on it but the lighter you press the more the bristles stay straight and the work better at a rough 90 degree angle.

Wood toothpicks These are nice to gently pick out and rub out just between traces and hard to get spots. When the toothpich gets a little wet it gets softer so it's not too agressive, but works well!

A Jewlers  or photography Loupe ( close up magnifier)  is very helpfull for getting all the small areas cleaned up. Some things are allmost impossible to see with the naked eye. A loupe is just as valuable for soldering and checking foe solder bridges. An 8X or 10 X loupe is the one you want.

John

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

Thing is though, once you start getting into the upper reaches of high res paper, you are getting close to the cost of PNP!

Sorry, I meant to say, high-res magazine paper! Like Vogue, or other fashion mags!

[David]

A few tools I find helpfull.

Toothbrush (as mentioned above) If you lightly scrub the surface in small circles you can clean up the paper left behind quickly. It wont hurt to put some pressure on it but the lighter you press the more the bristles stay straight and the work better at a rough 90 degree angle.

Wood toothpicks These are nice to gently pick out and rub out just between traces and hard to get spots. When the toothpich gets a little wet it gets softer so it's not too agressive, but works well!

A Jewlers  or photography Loupe ( close up magnifier)  is very helpfull for getting all the small areas cleaned up. Some things are allmost impossible to see with the naked eye. A loupe is just as valuable for soldering and checking foe solder bridges. An 8X or 10 X loupe is the one you want.

John

Basic:

I've done the toothbrush thing.  I'll concur.  One thing I've noticed is that I frequently have a layer of paper "fiber" still stuck to my pattern after I'm done.  Could this be because I haven't ironed long enough?  Any suggestions?  I've tried transparencies, coated paper and just regular paper in the copier.  Except for the fibers, I seem to have done the best with the regular paper.

[John Lyons]

My boards have paper stuck to them as well. As long as the traces are clean and there is no paper stuck to the bare copper (where the etchant should go) you will be fine. The toothbrush and toothpick is for getting the paper and paper coating stuff off the bare copper so the etch can do it's thing. If I have paper or coating stuck to the Toner areas I just leave it, can't hurt anything. Once the etch is done and you clean off the toner you'll never see it again.

John

[runmikeyrun]

will this work for etching boxes too?

[jrc4558]

will this work for etching boxes too?

It may. Just polich the aluminum well before ironing on.