Drilling on etched PCB with a hand drill.

[mitzrecords]

Hello, I search and no answer here so I post this sorry if I missed it.

I'm about to etch my PCB myself soon but I don't have a drill press. I think the drill bit is really thin that if I don't drill straight, it might break easily...or not so bad?

If anyone uses hand drill to drill holes on PCB, any tips? like drill guide that you can buy or something else?

thanx!

[hday]

I put my PCBs in a small table vice, making sure the chuck of my cordless drill won't hit the vice. If you drill slow and straight, and your board isn't moving around, you'll have no problem. The only time I've broken a bit drilling boards is when my chuck hits the vice and bends the bit up or I move the drill at a weird angle causing the bit to bend.

A variable speed drill is important too. Make sure you've got a good starting point by making a small, centered hole first by drilling very slowly. From then on, any speed will do. Some people drill slower, but I drill them at a pretty decent speed so I don't second guess myself and move the drill around while I'm making the hole.

[ringworm]

I use a small spiral push drill, you can conceal nearly all of the dill bit in the chuck making it less prone to breaks. I set the pcb on a piece of polystyrene to let the bit out the other side and go at it, takes longer of course but it's cheap and it works for me.

[mitzrecords]

cool! thanx!

[Thomeeque]

I use this "combo" - not absolutely cheap, but saves lot of time and nerves

[R.G.]

It makes a huge difference what drill bits you use.

If you use high speed steel (HSS) bits, the sizes used for PCBs are called "wire sizes" because they resemble thin wire so much. Accordingly, there is some amount of non-fatal bending that they will tolerate for a while. If you use solid carbide bits, they will snap if you are not absolutely, perfectly in line - there is no tolerance for wobble at all.

PCB material is fiberglass inside epoxy. It is ...very... abrasive. My experience is that HSS bits are too dull to use after 100 holes in glass-epoxy stock. Carbide is still sharp after thousands of holes. With a good drill press, I have never worn a carbide bit out, only broken them because I got too eager on forcing them through at too-low speeds.

I have also broken HSS bits drilling by hand, but then I'm clumsy. 

[bdevlin]

For what it is worth.  I drilled just about every board I have made with a mini cordless Dremel while hold the board in my hand or on a block of wood.  If I was smarter I'd play it safe and use the block of wood to avoid injury.  I have only broken one or two bits.

[captntasty]

I use a method like hday... I've broken bits but not that often - you just have to keep your drill straight.  By the way, the bits I use are #62 bits.

[modsquad]

I have broken so may drill bits by hand...It can be done but you have to be real steady.  I found using a dremel tool the best route because of the speed and its easier to keep steady.   You will snap bits if you can't keep the drill/dremel steady.   Having said all that I bought a drill press for my boxes and pcbs last year.

[moosapotamus]

I use a hand-held Dremel tool. And to prevent the tip of the drill bit from skating across the board, I use a spring loaded center punch to make a nice little dimple where each hole will be.

~ Charlie

[bumblebee]

I use a hand drill, a cordless drill that is, thats 18volts. I would never use a mains power drill as they are are just too powerful for this kind of hand drilling. When I first started drilling PCB's I broke two bits, that was ages ago and I've been on my 3rd bit for god  knows how long now. My tip is, by a bunch of bits so you have back ups and back ups to the back ups, just till you get the hang of it.
It might be easy but it does get tiring after a few dozen holes.

[MetalGuy]

 I'm using only dentist drill bits or whatever they're called.

[Zben3129]

Even though it might not make sense, use the fastest speed possible on your drill. The speed of the outer edge of the bit, which will be making the "outline" of your hole is a function of the size of the bit. You can run big bits at slower speeds because while the center may not be spinning that fast, the edges will be. Think of it like swinging something around on a rope. Since these drill bits are so tiny, they are supposed to be run at very high speeds (upwards of 100k rpm!). Your bits will stay sharper longer and will also break less often.

Keep in mind, I have not used a dremel to drill a pcb. If running a dremel at higher speed causes significantly more kick and dancing then I guess you may need to sacrafice bit life. I would imagine breakage is way more likely than dulling.


Zach

[Evad Nomenclature]

I bought a dremel a few months ago and just found that practice makes perfect. 
I had some serious issues at first but there are a few keys.

1.  Clamp down the board or at least have it on a surface that it won't skid easily.
2.  Make sure that your guide holes in the copper are all present.  You can use an autopunch if need be, but if your guides are really all clear, I dont find a need to use the punch anymore.
3.  Be quick.  Don't rush, but don't hesitate when you are going to put the bit down... I was a bit hesitant at the beginning when I started with it (mainly because I had no idea how damn fast that they rotate)  Pick your spot and nail it.
4.  Have at least 17 cups of coffee and a big bowl of crack before you start drilling... oh wait... no  scratch that one 
5.  Dont be afraid to have a couple practice boards, (if you etch your own)  I botched like my first 4 boards I tried to etch, so I had some practice before I got to the real thing
good luck! 

[bumblebee]

4.  Have at least 17 cups of coffee and a big bowl of crack before you start drilling...

I LOL'D.

[mitzrecords]

thanx everyone!!

[hday]

If you're having problems with constantly breaking bits, place the bit at the very end of the chuck. You want to have as little in the chuck as you can while the bit still maintains stability. That way, when it breaks (IE you bump the chuck, bend the bit, etc), the bit will probably break at the chuck, and you can put the long part of the bit right back in.

Kind of bad practice, but you'll spend less on bits if you've got shaky hands.

[sfx]

It's probably not the best or most professional choice, but I have been using the Dremel drill press with great sucess. Paired with the adjustable dremel chuck and some small bits from Drill Bit City I can drill an entire board pretty quickly and usually without issues.

[Mark Hammer]

The greater the risk of the bit "travelling", the greater the risk of breakage.  And believe me, the only thing more frustrating than being that close to finishing a project (but for the inabilty to drill a few more holes), is being that close to finishing a project but the key chip is not available. the reason why the relationship exists is because when you're pressing down, and the bit tip has moved off-axis so that it is now at an angle, all the pressure you apply is being applied to the pivot point in the length of the bit, and not to the tip.  Snap!!

The advice to create a dimple to seat the tip of the bit exactly where you want is well-taken.  A spring-loaded centre-punch is wonderful, but if you don't have one, even just twisting the tip of a utility knife into the copper, or tapping a nail in to produce a dimple will help a lot.

[CASTOR]

Hello! I use a regular household drill with hss bits.. broke a couple and got tired so I devised a method so-to-speak. I tape the board to a block of wood which is secured to my desk, with regular scotch tape all over it. it is transparent of course so I can see where I drill but at the same time it wont move at all. Not necessary of course if you had a clamp to hold the board