Isolation Routing PCBs

[magicniner]

Technical question here -

Is an "Entropy Driven Storage Are" a big pile of stuff? :D

[cropwell]

Technical question here -

Is an "Entropy Driven Storage Are" a big pile of stuff? :D

..... and it is gravity powered.

Sorry Nick, I know that you are not technically minded It is a shitheap, mainly on the floor.

[Kitwn]

"Entropy Driven Storage Area". Sounds like my brain. Though there are occasions when "It is a shitheap, mainly on the floor" fits as well!

I've been successfully using the toner transfer method for PCBs for some years. I prefer surface mount components myself (easier than drilling all those exactly spaced holes) where the spacing between tracks can be only 0.6mm for SOIC chips. Have you any experience of cutting PCBs for SMD components? I'd be interested to see how the two methods compare.

Kit

[cropwell]

I avoid SMD, I am not into that sort of thing.

Now that I am in my 70's my dexterity isn't good enough for placing and soldering SMD's.

In my younger days, before I had a CNC machine, I tried various etch mask methods with variable success. In fact I have probably still got the letraset type PCB transfer symbols in a file somewhere, but I doubt if they will stick now, they hardly did when they were fresh.

[A_Camera]

I've been successfully using the toner transfer method for PCBs for some years. I prefer surface mount components myself (easier than drilling all those exactly spaced holes) where the spacing between tracks can be only 0.6mm for SOIC chips. Have you any experience of cutting PCBs for SMD components? I'd be interested to see how the two methods compare.

Kit

I enjoy NOT having to deal with chemicals any more. In my opinion, it is just as fast to mill than to etch, if you take all the parameters into account. I have done a few surface mount PCB but prefer hole mounted parts. It's simply easier to handle and also to read the values and correct mistakes in design.

Drilling is really a non-issue, that's done accurately by the CNC, so it really doesn't matter. What is important is that the job can be restarted and repeated from the start because it does happen that the dill snaps and some times I don't see that before the job is done. This is especially the case with 0.6mm drills, I find them very easy to snap.

Anyway, SOIC is just fine but you need a good CNC with high enough accuracy and repeatability.

[cropwell]

"Entropy Driven Storage Area". Sounds like my brain. Though there are occasions when "It is a shitheap, mainly on the floor" fits as well!

I've been successfully using the toner transfer method for PCBs for some years. I prefer surface mount components myself (easier than drilling all those exactly spaced holes) where the spacing between tracks can be only 0.6mm for SOIC chips. Have you any experience of cutting PCBs for SMD components? I'd be interested to see how the two methods compare.

Kit

I used to etch boards and find the chemical etching dirty and dangerous and you have the spent chemicals to dispose of. Then you have to accurately drill ! Nah! CNC for me !

[magicniner]

I used to etch boards and find the chemical etching dirty and dangerous and you have the spent chemicals to dispose of.

It was great fun though! I remember building my UVA light box (pre-internet search engines) with a home brewed electronic timer and ink jet printing circuits on transparency. All info had to come from books, magazines and parts and consumable suppliers :D

[cropwell]

It was great fun though! I remember building my UVA light box (pre-internet search engines) with a home brewed electronic timer and ink jet printing circuits on transparency. All info had to come from books, magazines and parts and consumable suppliers :D

The good old days when you could just pop to Maplins for a resistor and couldn't wait for Practical Electronics or Elektor to drop through the letterbox. Before that it was red spot and white spot transistors, just can't remember which was PNP and which NPN.

[Kitwn]

It was great fun though! I remember building my UVA light box (pre-internet search engines) with a home brewed electronic timer and ink jet printing circuits on transparency. All info had to come from books, magazines and parts and consumable suppliers :D

Eeeeee lad, I remember those days! The Maplin catalogue and sending off hand filled in order forms by post, Practical Wireless, The Radio Constructor and Veroboard. In those days I drew brain-designed PCB layouts on 0.1 inch graph paper and then transferred the holes to copper board with a pin and drew in the traces using what Maplin sold as a special PCB resist pen but was actually a bog standard permanent marker, just three times the price. I even had my own personalised call sign, G0KIT. Nostalgia's not what it used to be!

More seriously, I've recently changed from using Eagle, where I never quite mastered the libraries and creating new footprints for the PCB, to DipTrace which is a bit easier to use and does have a free-for-non-commercial-use version if you look carefully enough at the website. I've only made one board with it so far but I like it so far.

As for etching, you can use remarkably little fluid by wiping it over the board with a sponge or cloth. A bit tedious but it doesn't take that long and I don't make enough boards to worry about the time.

I'm not sure my current CNC router is precise enough for milling a decent PCB. There's only one way to find out though and it would be a good test of my design and build skills. Off down another rabbit hole!

Kit

[Clive S]

And how about the XFG1 gas filled triode valve that was used in radio control receivers and mighty midget motors.