The PC Board-Making Kit

[smallbearelec]

http://www.smallbearelec.com/Detail.bok?no=600

It took awhile to get this done, mostly because I needed time to ship on-line for the bits and pieces; it's easy enough to buy one steel ruler in a hardware store, but finding several dozen wholesale is harder...

I know it is more expensive than the kit that many people still buy from RS. But please note:

--The boards are FR-4, not cruddy paper-phenolic
--The etching tray is smaller, so you don't waste etchant
--The drills are the right size for small holes
--Press N' Peel is included

I am working on a companion How-To article, but I probably won't get to finish that till after return from Argentina. Comments and suggestions are welcome!

Regards
SD

[Mark Hammer]

It costs a bit more, but then so does a Lamborghini compared to a Ford Focus.

VERY very nice, Steve.  A terrific all-in-one package for the eager beginner that easily provides value for money when you consider all the things included.

I would offer a few suggestions, or areas for clarification.

1) I know there are a bunch of liquids that will simply not make it across international borders when I order from Stew-Mac.  Do we know that etchant will be successful in crossing international boundaries?  If not, then perhaps a "reduced" version of the package might be available, minus the etchant.  Alternatively, since ammonium persulphate needs to be mixed, maybe you could offer a "wet" (FeCl) or "dry" version (Amm. Pers.) of the kit.

2) The wide-shank carbide bits with the plastic collars fit both drill presses and Dremel-type tools, and provide more dependable drilling and longer life because the wide shank reduces "bit-wander" via a more secure and true grip by chucks.  Any possibility of scoring some of those bits instead?  Not trying to make your life difficult.  Rather, those type of bits have longer life in my experience, hence fewer requests for replacements (although, I suppose if people order 100 ICs when they order a new bit to replace the broken one, maybe it's not such a hardship!)

Again, even with those things taken into account, beginners who don't know what exactly to ask for at their local dealer will find themselves sitting pretty in a hurry by ordering this.  A community service, my friend!

[zpyder]

With your smaller etchant tray and the 6 oz of etchant provided, how many batched could be done?

thanks,
zpyder

[smallbearelec]

perhaps a "reduced" version of the package might be available, minus the etchant.

Thanks, I did think of this and forgot to post it. Done, SKU 0400B.

2) The wide-shank carbide bits with the plastic collars

See SKU 2802. I can get other sizes of these from the same source, but they are bloody expensive! I did not want to louse up the pricing further by offering these standard, but I can probably work out an "allowance" if someone wants one of these instead of two standard drills.

[smallbearelec]

With your smaller etchant tray and the 6 oz of etchant provided, how many batched could be done?

I don't know exactly, but the 6-ounces is more than enough for the two boards I provide. I still advise repleneshing Ferric Chloride at Radio Shack, as it is expensive for me to ship.

[Mark Hammer]

With your smaller etchant tray and the 6 oz of etchant provided, how many batched could be done?

I don't know exactly, but the 6-ounces is more than enough for the two boards I provide. I still advise repleneshing Ferric Chloride at Radio Shack, as it is expensive for me to ship.

If a person makes a point of not etching areas that don't need to be etched (e.g., by making the ground area cover more empty space), and also uses thicker traces and pads, 6 onces can go a long way.  A person could easily make half a dozen 1590BB-sized boards, and probably twice as many as that if they were careful.

That's a good point about weight and shipping costs.   A couple of year ago, I purchased some *dry* ferric chloride crystals.  Well, they were "nuggets" in a bag, to be mixed up with water.  I probably didn't mix them up right or in the right proportions, and they were sitting in a damp garage (where they absorbed moisture from the air) a little too long, but it worked reasonably well, and certainly shipped much cheaper, given that one wasn't paying shipping for water.  I imagine most people here HAVE water.  Seems silly to ship it.

[smallbearelec]

I can't be the only person who had this problem, so I will describe it and explain how I dealt with it.

Half of a  plastic box is an obvious choice for an etching tray, right? But then you find that a board lying in the etchant kinda sticks to the bottom because the surface tension of the liquid is binding together two smooth surfaces. Getting the piece loose can be really awkward and messy.

When I was shopping, I looked first at developing trays, because they have ridges on the bottom. But the smallest ones were 5" x 7", and they were really expensive. Back to the box idea, but try to find one with ridges!

I started with a regular styrene box, and attached thin plastic strips to the bottom using epoxy cement:

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q59/smallbearelec/tray.jpg

The tray shown is the one provided with the kit, but I'm sure the idea will be useful with others. I created the strips by cutting in half a few %^&*tail straws. This works! I can easily get the forceps underneath the board to lift it out, and the convenience is a small price to pay for the small amount of extra etchant used to cover the board. Of course, if you want this feature, you have to do the gluing.

[sfr]

Hrm, the tray mod looks cool. 

My method for getting around that was to use a rubber-maid type container rather than a square-bottomed plastic tray.  The container has curved sides and round corners, so when the board sticks to the bottom, I can slide it towards the corner, and as the edges curve upward, it lifts the board from the bottom fairly easily.

[choklitlove]

i've done about 14 boards (around 2X3" apiece) and 1 enclosure (mxr size) with my 16 oz. bottle from radioshack.  i still have about a third of it left.

just for some comparison.

[Mark Hammer]

The ridged bottom is an excellent idea but the "best" etchant is always the stuff closer to the surface ("occupied" etchant molecules sink to the bottom).  Here's what I recommend.

1) Spring for a box of toothpicks, or grab a bunch on the way out next time you pay your restaurant bill at the cash/counter.

2) Drill a small hole in each corner of the to-be-etched board that you can wriggle a toothpick into.

3) Turn your board into a tiny "coffee-table" for mice, with the component side up.

4) Clip the toothpicks with your wire cutters so that the board sits as high up in the etchant as it can while being partially submerged.

5) Stick the coffee-table in the etchant.

6) Smile a lot and pick the board up every now and then with the plastic forceps/tweezers that Steve provided to see if its done yet or not.

[markm]

ummmm
has Pete Moore seen this thread? 
Just kidding Pete!!

[coxter]

That's a good point about weight and shipping costs.   A couple of year ago, I purchased some *dry* ferric chloride crystals.  Well, they were "nuggets" in a bag, to be mixed up with water.  I probably didn't mix them up right or in the right proportions, and they were sitting in a damp garage (where they absorbed moisture from the air) a little too long, but it worked reasonably well, and certainly shipped much cheaper, given that one wasn't paying shipping for water.  I imagine most people here HAVE water.  Seems silly to ship it.

I'm from Singapore, and still quite a noob and has been avoiding etching PCBs for a real long time and just sticking to stripboards. LoL
another reason is because the etchant wasnt available to me all along. Until I saw your post on the crystals.

Is it this one?
http://www.rssingapore.com/cgi-bin/bv/rswww/searchBrowseAction.do?D=Ferric%20Chloride&Ntt=Ferric%20Chloride&Nr=avl%3asg&Ntk=I18NAll&N=0&Nty=1&name=SiteStandard&forwardingPage=line&R=0551277&callingPage=/jsp/search/search.jsp&BV_SessionID=@@@@0920435714.1161832687@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccfaddjeklhlmhcefeceefdffhdhif.0&cacheID=sgie

[smallbearelec]

another reason is because the etchant wasnt available to me all along. Until I saw your post on the crystals.
Is it this one?
http://www.rssingapore.com/cgi-bin/bv/rswww/searchBrowseAction.do?D=Ferric%20Chloride&Ntt=Ferric%20Chloride&Nr=avl%3asg&Ntk=I18NAll&N=0&Nty=1&name=SiteStandard&forwardingPage=line&R=0551277&callingPage=/jsp/search/search.jsp&BV_SessionID=@@@@0920435714.1161832687@@@@&BV_EngineID=cccfaddjeklhlmhcefeceefdffhdhif.0&cacheID=sgie

That is the right stuff for Ferric Chloride etching, yes. Be careful to follow directions when preparing, as re-hydrating that material gives off a Lot of heat.

SD

[axeman010]

Hi

I really like the coffee table for mice idea !!!!

I am planning to build an etch tank and was wondering how to support the board – problem solved – thanks very much.

Mine is going to consist of a small plastic square fish tank and I am going to fit a small air pump with a length of tubing, block at the end and pierced to aerate the solution.

Any comments welcome !!! 

Axeman.

[Mark Hammer]

I should just note that Steve's idea for the ridges on the bottom is an excellent one, and should not be thought of as dispensible if one chooses the "coffee table" approach.  It can easily happen that toothpicks dislodge, or that the board layout does not readily permit a place to stick them, or that you simply run out of toothpicks on a day when you want to etch.  Being able to scoop the forceps under the board and pick it up with a firm grip without splashing etchant all over is wonderful thing.  Once you stain clothes with that stuff it never comes out.  Worse, if you stick those clothes in the machine with others, the stains easily transfer to other clothes.  Anything that prevents such splashing from occurring in the first place is a GOOD thing.