Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #02790
To: beam@corp.sgi.com
From: Jacob Booth J.Booth@mackillop.acu.edu.au
Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999 21:39:46 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: was PCB, now cheap drills
At 12:11 30/04/99 +1000, you wrote:
>
>
>I hope to be able to put up a page on this on my webpage soon. However, you
>will
>need the means to
>a) get artwork onto a PCB
>b) etch the PCB
>c) drill the PCB
>
>For artwork, you can draw with resist pens (only useful for small circuits
>or
>artwork touch-ups), you can use little resist stickers, or you can design
>your
>artwork on a computer, and print it either to iron-on paper for PCBs or
>transparencies, which you can use an ultraviolent lamp with for special UV
>PCBs.
>
>After you've got the artwork on the PCB, use Ferric Chloride or Ammonium
>Persulvate in crystal (dissolve it) or liquid form. Heat the liquid and put
>the
>board in, then agitate it for 5-25 minutes. Then use an SOS pad or a wire
>brush
>(or dremel) to scratch the resist off the board, leaving the copper traces.
>
>Now you just need to drill the board, unless you're using a predrilled
>board.
>Use a dremel or drill that can accept a small bit, and drill those holes!
>"centerpunching", which makes a small imprint where you plan to drill,
>helps you
>keep your bit from sliding around.
>
Just my seasonally adjusted $0.000023 worth: If you keep snapping those tiny
drill bits (a bad habit of mine) in deseperation I found a nice, quick,
cheap and nasty (but very effective) way to drill those component holes.
Find a cut off component lead (the stiffer the better, eg a LED lead or
capacitor one). Mount it in the dremel etc (this ONLY works in high speed
tools such as the dremel, it won't work in a drill... at least, mine is too
slow for this to work). Cut the end of the lead poking out of the dremel at
45 degrees or so and bingo... a drill. You don't believe me? Try it! Yes, I
know they are usually only copper, and they are soft, but They last a
surprisingly long time. And if it gets blunt, just a little snip and back to
new!
A few hints: keep the lead only poking out of the chuck as little as
possible to avoid bending it. If the lead is too small to hold securely in
the chuck, just thicken it up with some solder. If the lead is bent (it
usually will be when you first try to use it) just spin it up to speed, and
gently apply some pressure to the side of the 'bit' - it will straighten
itself out. I doubt very much that these 'bits' will drill anything other
than plastic, pcb material and cardboard. I use these all the time now, and
save the real bits for other jobs.
I hope at least one other person tries this now, or else a lot of typing was
wasted :) - let me know how you go!
Later
Jacob
-----------------------------
j.booth@mackillop.acu.edu.au
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