First attempt at making my own PCBs

[R.G.]

Out of curiosity, how much slop is in the travel on those dremel drill press attachments?  Slop can really screw up a delicate operation like this.  I've only drilled PCBs with HSS and a dremel by hand or with carbide and a proper drill press.  

Just like dremels, they vary in wobbliness. And in alignment. You can have a dremel press with no shake, but the axis of the dremel it holds may not be strictly in line with the motion of the drill press, so it presses the bit against the work slightly sideways. This produces bad results with carbide too. 

If you have the time, composure, and a willing retailer who'll let you sort through units til you find a good one, that's great! Otherwise - well, I threw my dremel drill press in the trash. 

[Govmnt_Lacky]

Otherwise - well, I threw my dremel drill press in the trash. 

I still have mine if anyone is interested  .................. SERIOUSLY 

I never use it!

[tuckster]

I bought a dremel and I use it for a lot of things now - a lot of things that have to do with pedals This thing is awesome!
If you are giong to drill lots of PCBs I recommend you the drill press attachment too.

[Kearns892]

It's definitely best to use a drill press. I've never used the hand drill method with a carbide bit, but I get lots of cheap bits.

Since Rick's question was about hand drilling just saying it can be done with good results

[Galego]

Glass-epoxy PCB stock is incredibly abrasive. It is, after all, mostly glass fiber. You can drill it with steel drill bits, for a while. An un-coated high speed steel bit lasts about 100 holes before it is dulled so much that it's wearing through, not cutting. Titanium nitride coated will probably last longer, a bit at least.

The standard for drilling PCB stock is solid carbide. Carbide bits will drill thousands of holes before needing sharpening.  They are however incredibly brittle. Any misalignment or wobble makes them break. It is quite difficult, approaching impossible, to drill with carbide bits by hand and not break them. Hence the need for a press, to keep the bit from being wobbled and broken.

All small drill bits need to be run FAST. There is an optimum speed for a cutting edge to cut any material where you get the most cutting with the least wear on the edge. For such tiny bits, the spin rate needs to be in the thousands of RPM. For carbide, it's even faster. The commercial drillers run at 10K to 50K RPM on their carbide spindles.

I use steel bits, .8mm, and they do wear out fast, but i keep using them, even when they look more like a needle than a drill bit . And if they break and still cut, i'll keep using them until they can't really drill anymore.

[Beo]

The black and decker rotary tool works great and is a lot cheaper than a real dremel.


The milescraft flex shaft works great too. I have a harbor freight drill press, which I only use for enclosures as I can drill pcbs by hand without snapping many bits.

[Earthscum]

I drill by hand using carbides in a dremel fake. I use one hand to hold the PCB against the butt of the palm of the other hand. In THAT hand I hold the dremel like a pencil with my finger on the switch. Line it up, full speed, use a finger of the hand that's holding the PCB to keep the dremel from kicking over when the bit pops through. I went through about 5 bits, and the last 5 have only been broken because I set it down and knocked the bit off, or dropped it (caught one on my PJ's and snapped it, too). If you can get a good technique down, it takes no time to zing through 10 boards with 62 holes each. Maybe half an hour if you don't have a short attention span. 

[CodeMonk]

for drilling. I have an $80 (Which was on sale for $40) at Harbor Freight.
For drill bits, I order from drillbitcity.com. #65 for component holes, #54 for 22G stranded wire.
May need to use different sizes for things like PCB mounted pots and switches.
Link:
http://drillcity.stores.yahoo.net/

[deadastronaut]

i use a 'minicraft' drill....great and cheap as f.....got mine for £8.00....ebay...

0.6-7mm, bits...

i use an old bit of soft wood and drill my pcb's with no press etc...just through into the wood...

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.electronelec.co.uk/acatalog/590-058.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.electronelec.co.uk/acatalog/MINICRAFT_MB150_DRILL_____chr_42_____RE____chr_42_____.html&usg=__VKZRxkTQfZHv6l2ILJ8rCWHFPQw=&h=169&w=350&sz=8&hl=en&start=3&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=Q99oz9DriNpyIM:&tbnh=58&tbnw=120&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dminicraft%2Bdrill%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1920%26bih%3D968%26tbm%3Disch&ei=MmM6TqD4DYSFhQfsxeShAg

[Pigyboy]

Don't forget the trick I learned the other day to keep the chips from going everywhere!

[Greenmachine]

I tape the board to a wooden plank.  Put on safety goggles and a face mask (pcb dust can't be kosher).  Elbows rest on table, I sit in a chair with face fairly close to pcb and let the weight of the $10 cheapo dremel make the hole. 

I've done 12-15 boards this way.  No broken bits.

[iccaros]

Anyone know how to stop a 2 layer-board from "breaking out" when drilling. I am attempting a two layer firefly board, with the second done with rub on etch resistance. But when I drill the copper on the second side chips off.. I need to drill to line up the sides. I taped it to a piece of flat wood, but still no joy.. right now I am using a very small bit so chipping is not that big a deal, but could be..

by the way I broke my first but using drilling by hand.. I will stick to the drill press I bought at harbor freight for $30

[Earthscum]

Anyone know how to stop a 2 layer-board from "breaking out" when drilling. I am attempting a two layer firefly board, with the second done with rub on etch resistance. But when I drill the copper on the second side chips off.. I need to drill to line up the sides. I taped it to a piece of flat wood, but still no joy.. right now I am using a very small bit so chipping is not that big a deal, but could be..

by the way I broke my first but using drilling by hand.. I will stick to the drill press I bought at harbor freight for $30

How to keep them from busting out?

I tape the board to a wooden plank.  Put on safety goggles and a face mask (pcb dust can't be kosher).  Elbows rest on table, I sit in a chair with face fairly close to pcb and let the weight of the $10 cheapo dremel make the hole.  

I've done 12-15 boards this way.  No broken bits.

That's how. I find dense plastic (acrylic, plexiglas, etc) to work the best. If the bit has something to create resistance, something for it to drill through, it won't pop through and pop the pad off. Light pressure... let the bit cut it's way through, don't force it.

[iccaros]

will see if I can get a flatter board, and will go easier on the press... Would more speed help?

[R.G.]

Anyone know how to stop a 2 layer-board from "breaking out" when drilling. I am attempting a two layer firefly board, with the second done with rub on etch resistance. But when I drill the copper on the second side chips off.. I need to drill to line up the sides. I taped it to a piece of flat wood, but still no joy.. right now I am using a very small bit so chipping is not that big a deal, but could be..

by the way I broke my first but using drilling by hand.. I will stick to the drill press I bought at harbor freight for $30

Chipping and breakout come from three causes.
1. dull bits
2. no back up pad; the ideal pad is the same material that the bit is cutting.
3. improper and generally too slow rotation.

Small drill bits need to turn FAST. It seems like the edge is moving quickly, but the diameter of rotation is so small that they actually don't move very fast through the material they're cutting. They have to turn fast enough that they cut chips, and are not being forced into the material faster than they can cut. It's very hard to force them into the material slowly enough, so they have to turn FAST to keep from being overloaded by the motion into the material.

A sharp carbide bit spinning over 10kRPM with a moderate density backup pad cuts an entry and exit hole with a razor-sharp edge.

[Earthscum]

will see if I can get a flatter board, and will go easier on the press... Would more speed help?

Yep, speed helps. As R.G. noted earlier in the thread, carbide bits are 10,000RPM+. I'm guessing your press will probably be running fill tilt, or close to it. Nice, flat board with a nice hard surface. Another board option I like is the pressed (smooth) side of Masonite board, or scrap countertop. Even soft brass and aluminum work great, as long as you only dig the tip in, and gently. I like the feel, but it takes a toll on the bits.

EDIT: ...as R.G. just noted... (hehe)

[Pigyboy]

Anyone know how to stop a 2 layer-board from "breaking out" when drilling. I am attempting a two layer firefly board, with the second done with rub on etch resistance. But when I drill the copper on the second side chips off.. I need to drill to line up the sides. I taped it to a piece of flat wood, but still no joy.. right now I am using a very small bit so chipping is not that big a deal, but could be..

by the way I broke my first but using drilling by hand.. I will stick to the drill press I bought at harbor freight for $30

More speed, sharper drill bits and push slower when making the holes.

[newfish]

will see if I can get a flatter board, and will go easier on the press... Would more speed help?

Nah - makes my hands all jittery.  

Oh - *that* kind of speed... ;-)

...seriously though, I use a piece of Pine under my board, rest the side of my 'drilling hand' on the PCB to steady both myself and the board, and apply a gentle pressure until the hole is done.

Am currently using a 1mm, steel bit.  They *do* wear out, but I bought a stash a while back.
It's not like I'll be using them to put shelves up...

[jonasx26]

I use a Proxxon "Precision drill/grinder FBS 240/E" 
http://www.proxxon.com/eng/html/28472.php

With a Proxxon "MICROMOT drill stand MB 140/S"
http://www.proxxon.com/eng/html/28606.php


Check out this review/comparison between a Dremel and a Proxxon.

[Pigyboy]

Anybody else use this stuff for pcbs?

http://es.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Unspecified/TONER-TRANFER-PAPER-50-1101/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMvJBlHRSOGUxJy1qUBMdNmkdiGgUPvZtjU%3d

Been using it for a while now and it works great after you figure it out. I am using the iron by hand method. I found this stuff holds the toner better that the blue, plastic pnp that scratches so easily.

*Hi Rick - What are you using to cut your boards after they are etched?