From Cricut to Circuit - Making your own Printed Circuit Boards

[BlueJay]

The wife and I for Christmas inherited a used CriCut (scrapbook cutter) from the parents, and I got the harebrained idea instead of cutting out letters, to use it to cut out circuit layouts instead.  Turns out I wasn't alone after Googling the idea...quite a few people have come up with the same idea.  I used their method to cut out traces and pads using alternative software that doesn't require the use of expensive font cartridges which the machine was designed for.  It has been challenging so far in that I have wanted to make PCB's for the ValveCaster and other pedals instead of hand-wiring everything or using perf-board. 

First I started out using Freekmagnet's perf-board layout here(http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=63479.1860) and proceeded to redraw it into InkScape to save as an SVG file, which I used Sure-Cuts-A-Lot to print to the Cricut.  but have run into failure on my first attempt in etching it out with Ferric Chloride...the resist-pen ink started coming off the board and eating into the traces.  I am thinking of trying to use the PCB mask with enamel spray-paint as an etch-resist this weekend.

Why?  I don't have a laser printer, which appears to be the most common way to print/transfer the etch-resisting toner to a copper-clad board.  I also don't have the photo-resist hardware to be able to just print out a PCB layout and transfer and develop onto pre-sensitized boards either. Plus I am currently too broke at the moment to invest $120+ in a bunch of PCB Fab gear that may not get used enough to make it worth the cost.

I wanted to try some new ground and find cheap alternative methods to making workable circuits.  Anyone else interested in this? Someone give me a good method to post the SVG file and it's yours.
Step 1 - obtain desired layout from raster format

Step 2 - convert raster format to vector format

Step 3 - cut vector format using popular scrapbooking tool

[danielzink]

I like it - I really like it. I think with photoresist this could be a real win.
But on your end - the main problem I see with using spray paint as a resist (and I've tried something like this - so I speak from experience). Is that the cardboard "cutout" of your circuit will not "tack" down to the PCB material. As you paint - the paint itself will wick into (or under) the cardboard - then "crawl" under the edges.
If you could get your hands on some vinyl or some sort of semi-tacky material that would prevent the paint from getting under the edges - you'd be all set.

Just MHO

Dan

[askwho69]

nice idea.. if the problem is the paint will crawl.. try spray it far? so that it will emit little liquids? or try use brush then?


just wanna try to help

A2

[deadastronaut]

$120.00 ?        making your own pcbs won't cost anything like that!...

copper clad board and etchant...thats it..i get an A4 sheet of copper board and etchant for just under £10-.00 and it makes plenty of boards out of that.. (not photo-sensitive)...

i do have the advantage of my girlfriend working in an office with a laser printer though!...have you tried a printers?...they'll run off a couple of A4's for you!.


just as a thought...nail varnish is an excellent resist...!!!! dab and blob....

[BlueJay]

Crawl is precisely another issue I was having with using the Ink-resist based method (Sharpie marker).  I am feeding 110# Cardstock into the Cricut because it is rigid enough to hold up well when peeling it from the slightly tacky Cricut Cutting Mat, and holds it's shape with excessive handling.  I tried it just over the copper board alone and experienced significant crawl as well as bleed through the paper.

Next I tried spraying the back of a cutout with a spray adhesive, stretching out a piece of cling-wrap plastic, and applying the two together.  That eliminated the bleeding problem but it didn't eliminate the crawl.

I read a posting that enamel paint for models (like Testors) can be effective as an etch-resist if applied properly.  I am going to try to spray the back of the cutout with adhesive again, let it dry, and press it firmly to the copper board, perhaps with a warm iron (not hot).  Then building up very light coats of enamel from a distance, letting each coat dry to tacky.  My hope is that I can keep the paint viscous enough that it won't crawl under the adhesive 'seal' as it dries.

Where I am at the UV Photokit costs around $59, and between the other chemicals, developer, cleaners and $59 "etching starter kit" manufactured by MG Chemicals... the total for a decent etching setup would cost at least $120.  I may get the starter kit anyways because having the tank, air-pump setup would help with running the board through Ferric Chloride

[robmdall]

Have you looked into this: http://www.staples.com/Cricut-Adhesive-Backed-Stencil-Material/product_837414

[BlueJay]

I haven't seen that material yet.  I will check it out and trim it down to the 12"x6" size for my Cricut (Personal)

[ItZaLLgOOd]

Where can I find this alternative software?  My wife has a Cricut and those cartridges are expensive and limited.

[BlueJay]

Where can I find this alternative software?  My wife has a Cricut and those cartridges are expensive and limited.

1. First, what's needed is to update the Cricut to the latest available firmware.  Download Provo Craft's Cricut DesignStudio software (free trial version) @ http://www.cricut.com/cds/

2. Update the Cricut to the latest Firmware using a standard USB cable, it may require several update passes to get it to the latest version for your machine (ex. latest for Cricut Personal is v1.3)

3. Obtain Craft Edge's Sure-Cuts-A-Lot software ($75 for the download-only product), which enables you to cut TrueType fonts and custom Scaled Vector Graphics (SVG) designs through the USB @ http://www.craftedge.com/products/products.html

From the SCAL site: "*** You must have a cartridge inserted into the Cricut machine in order to cut. It does not matter which cartridge is used."
I just have the "Disney Pooh Font Set" cartridge plugged in, and it otherwise works great for me.

[davent]

Hello,

All you need buy is the photo-resist board and developer, everything else can be ad-libed. Well even the developer could be mixed up from  household supplies, i believe sodium carbonate.

To hold the transparency to the board i use a small frameless picture frame from Ikea that i took off the wall, easy to pop apart then put back together when i'm done.



To expose the board i used to stacked up a pile of fat books on the kitchen counter until  they were within an inch of the undercabinent flourescent light and that was it. Place the frame on top and turn on the light.  Now i've screwed a piece of pleiglass to the joists above my workbench and expose the boards up there.




Expose for the determined time, throw it in the tray of developer for a minute and you're ready to etch. Tray, some plastic thing from the dollar store.

There's no need to spend much money. You just need to find a way to get a transparency of your artwork, photocopy or laser printer.

Take care
dave

[chi_boy]

That looks nice, but wouldn't there be a limit to the complexity of the circuits you could make?  I would be concerned that with more complex circuits you would have areas that are isolated that would essentially fall out using this method.  Maybe before you get too invested in this method you should try to cut out a more complex circuit, just to be sure this can be your only method.

On a different thought, can the Cricut cut vinyl?  Could you cut the vinyl or other adhesive product and use that as the mask for etching?

[BlueJay]

I tried the Enamel method which just ended in spectacular failure.  After applying a very light coat of spray adhesive to the back of the cardstock, I pressed it with a warm iron with another sheet of cardstock between the board/layout and the iron.

I then applied some very light coats of Auto Enamel allowing to dry between coats.  I should have realized that the solvents in the spray paint would be absorbed into the paper very quickly, and liquefy the dry adhesive.  There was major crawl when I removed the paper.  I was wondering why my traces were appearing so light and sparse of paint, now I know.

Next attempt, cutting adhesive backed vinyl...stay tuned!

---

Again, why am I doing this.  I need to reiterate that I do not own a laser printer, nor have easy access to one...otherwise I would print out a bunch of layouts on Photo Paper and do the very-hot iron transfer method, which is a documented working method.  I only have an inkjet and am leery about how much UV light can get through inkjet ink...  I wanted to try new methods and experiment here, documenting it for your amusement.  If I come up with something incredibly useful, fantastic!  If not, well I certainly had fun!

Plus I am having an absolute blast playing with the Cricut and learning new things, like working with Vector Graphics.

[Quackzed]

i would just tape the paper stock at 2 opposing edges, just enough to hold it in place, then a few mist sprays of paint, very light and remove one side of the paper tape and open like a door... and remove the paper template... if you hit it with a few light passes it shouldnt be thick enough to creep or slip around... but you have to take the paper off as soon as your done the spraying... dont let it dry... no?
tape...zip zip with a few light misty coats... can 8-10 inches away as you spray... remove one tape... carefully remove paper right away...
let dry...

[MikeH]

Again, why am I doing this.  I need to reiterate that I do not own a laser printer, nor have easy access to one...otherwise I would print out a bunch of layouts on Photo Paper and do the very-hot iron transfer method, which is a documented working method. I only have an inkjet and am leery about how much UV light can get through inkjet ink...  

Fyi - if you live in america, no doubt there is a kinkos or some other sort of copy show near by you.  You can print layouts on an inkjet and photo copy them onto photo paper.  All of the copiers at copy shops are laser-type copiers

I wanted to try new methods and experiment here, documenting it for your amusement.  If I come up with something incredibly useful, fantastic!  If not, well I certainly had fun!
Plus I am having an absolute blast playing with the Cricut and learning new things, like working with Vector Graphics.

And that is a fine reason to do so.


The only issue I can see you running into with this method is the lack of a drill-hole-guide-thingies, or whatever you want to call them.  Without the small etched-out area to guide a drill bit it's going to be tough to 1- keep the bit on track to drill centered holes, and 2- keep it from wobbling so much that it breaks.

[Earthscum]

I've tried "spray&peel" etching before just to check the viability. The problem I ran across, even using proper materials, is that when you pull up your mask, it pulls up the edges of your paint. This allows undercutting.

I did find that using enamel, if you do a once-over and make sure you don't have any small bits, and all your edges are smooth as possible, you can throw it in the oven, set it to about 350  and let the oven warm up for 10 minutes with the board inside. This melts the binders and causes the edges to adhere, as well as driving off any solvents that may become reactivated from the heat of the etching process.

If you've used an ink that suddenly lifts after about  halfway through etching, this could be partly why. I have boards that I tried etching (I use lacquer since it's readily available... I screen print my stuff), that have been sitting for about 2 months. I forgot to throw them in the oven before I etched, and about 15 minutes in when I could see through a good portion of the board, my traces suddenly lift and the etch goes bad. If I do the oven trick, they work just fine. Still has solvents that won't ever leave unless warmed up. This is how some cheaper paints resist cracking... but they always oxidize anyways after those solvents leave the paint... like spray-can black, which absorbs heat most. I always loved seeing the flat black hot rods that would eventually turn dark grayish-blue.

[smallbearelec]

Please check out my tutorial on the Positive Photo process:

http://www.smallbearelec.com/HowTos/PhotoPCBoards/PhotoPCBoards.htm

You Don't need a laser printer, you Don't need a contact printer, and the developer can be made safely at home if you are careful. I create my patterns using EAGLE CAD, which many people here know well. An evaluation copy is a free download at cadsoftusa.com. It's a fairly steep learning curve, but once you learn it, it will turn your layout into a jpg. Print that to window-decal stock and go.

If you can't find the decal stock and the sensitized board locally, they are not impossibly expensive to mail-order:

http://www.smallbearelec.com/Categories.bok?category=PC+Boards+and+Prototyping

Regards
SD

[BlueJay]

Have you looked into this: http://www.staples.com/Cricut-Adhesive-Backed-Stencil-Material/product_837414

The wife was going out of town on Friday. When I dropped her off one of the other women she was meeting suggested the adhesive-backed vinyl...and which hardware store had the stuff dirt cheap.  
Well, I went to the local craft store today and picked up a package of Cricut branded Black vinyl, and tested it out tonight.  And after some trial and error with the pressure and cutting depth settings, I could see when I was cutting clear through it by holding up to the light (Blade depth = 3, Pressure = 4).  I applied a section of Cricut Transfer Tape to the cutout and removed the vinyl's backing.  

I then pressed the adhesive to a copper board I just cleaned with acetone, and very slowly peeled off the vinyl.  And was pleasantly surprised to get a 90% transfer out of it, only losing one trace (and thus one circuit) to non-transfer.  I am going to reseal it with a quick press with an iron against paper and then get a FeCl bath going for it, to see what the result is.

[PRR]

I don't know how tough a Cricut is, and do not want you screwing-up your new and handy craft-tool.

But is there any chance it will cut the copper foil directly? If you can cut completely through the copper ALL around the trace, you are done. No transfers, no sticky-stuff, no etchant to spill or pollute. The blades will blunt faster, and I see they cost $4 each. And the Cricut may be making a 99% cut not the 101% cut we need. And if you set it a bit tight (or board thickness varies) the Cricut's cam comes around, hits too hard, and BAM strips a gear.

[davent]

Before you etch, put some plastic tape in the large areas between and around your circuits. There's no point in having those areas etched, takes longer, uses up etchant, more copper waste to dispose of... and so on. Looks  real good so far!

dave

[BlueJay]

Running the copper board directly into the Cricut directly would require raising the carriage up about 1mm, which would probably not allow the thing to be operated normally with paper (the wife does want to use it too).  The thought had crossed my mind to either have the blade cut the copper directly, or to use a Sharpie directly on the copper to act as the etch-resist, but either way would require modifying the machine.

I ran the vinyl resist through the FeCl and the results have been quite remarkable.  I took the etched board out, wiped it off with a paper towel, dropped it in another container with water, and added a bit of ammonia to neutralize the diluted FeCl, then cleaned and dried it off, removed the vinyl with a dental pick, and wiped the finished board off with acetone to remove the adhesive residue.

Obviously not perfect for a first attempt, but perhaps it's usable.  I will tweak the procedure to see how much improvement I can get out of this.  One problem I see is that there was some slight undercutting. Not a significant amount, but enough to notice with the eyes.  I approximate about 0.3-0.5mm worth.  I don't know how deep or severe this is, and I will have to do some continuity/resistance checks to see how much copper remains between a few of the traces tomorrow.



One interesting thing I noted, especially on the one where the transfer failed.  I scratched a sharpie across it to mark it out, and the sharpie ink had apparently filled the space between the vinyl and the copper.  There was no undercutting whatsoever across those points where the ink intersected the vinyl (circled in red)