I haven't made boards since 70's shop class, and wanted to get into it again and see how they're done today. This was the perfect video! Thank you so much!
I cannot believe I just watched the whole thing!! I was MESMERIZED!!! This was great! It really was so cool to see all the steps you went through and the home making of a board!
Never seen a better seriously helpful, educational video, that is not the showing off type! Greatly appreciated. Makes me get back to the shed and start again from where I left a decade ago. Keep up your good work! Thank you.
I probably watched 4 or 5 of these tonight... One was where a guy printed the PCB paths on magazine print, then used alcohol and acetone to transfer the toner and then etch... The board was "okay". Another was a clearly more advanced, professional application where the guy used similar techniques, but also tinned the board to rebuild a power supply with a MUCH more precise design, but that one lacked some of the finer details... and then there was yours... You did a truly amazing and professional job! This was BY FAR the best of any of these demonstrations that I've ever seen. For one, you didn't cut any corners and didn't settle for "okay". This board is every bit the quality of a production board. Moreover, you went all the way through each step, including surface mounting those TINY IC's. I didn't know about the soldering paste.. I wondered how the heck anyone could hand-solder such tiny components, so thank you for that!
Years ago, as a schoolboy, I made PCBs with an etch-resist pen and ferric chloride solution, and that was it. This takes it to a completely level, and it is explained so clearly. Thanks.
I have been using an electric precision hand drill. My current bit has seen at least several hundred holes. It just takes practice. My hands are very shaky as well, so if I can do it, anyone can. This video really helped me. I have been hand drawing boards for years and this is something I have been wanting to figure out. Thanks!
Are you using tungsten-carbide drill bit or just normal? Because tungsten-carbide bits will brake even if you look at them. Specially small ones like 0.1 and 0.2
@MaxELECTRONICS I have no idea what I am actually using. They are sold as tungsten carbide, but they are also Amazon Specials too. Also, I'm using 0.4 mm bit. I have some 0.1mm and 0.2mm bits. I'm curious if my method would break them instantly 🤔
Used to do that 20 years ago! Used pre-sensitised board and clamped the board & artwork together with glass and bulldog clips. Works for double-sided designs too.
How does this only have 1.7k views? This is some of the best content I've seen on youtube. Definitely deserves a lot more. I don't comment that often but this deserves a lot of praise. Consider me subbed
Dunno if this has been mentioned, but stencils can make applying solder paste so much easier, especially for fine-pitch connectors. Just use polymide stencils. Print on them, cut holes out, and sandwich the PCB between some other scrap PCB's to even it out. Then squeegee the paste on top, then peel it like a book gently. It takes practise, but it is so much better.
I didn’t know exactly how all this was done, but after watching this tutorial I am convinced the first IC board was found on an alien crashed ship 😂 how in the world did humans figure out all this amazing chemistry and small electronics without knowing the possibilities of IC boards as an example to follow lol. Amazing video
I like to use vinyl sheets from my wife's Cricut machine. You could cut it with the Cricut, but I usually stick it in my 40w c02 laser machine and then stick that to a copper-clad PCB. I only use the laser because it's more convenient than the Cricut. That way, you don't have to have special lighting, a laminator, or photoresist film. You stick the vinyl on there (it's sold with one sticky side) and then use a chemical of your choice to etch away the uncovered copper. Peel the vinyl off the remaining copper. and Bob is your mother's brother. It is super easy and quick... of course, that assumes you have either a Cricut machine or a laser or some other way to cut the vinyl. If you are concerned about removing the vinyl from very fine traces, you can apply a little heat from any hot air source (heat gun, hair dryer, hot air station, etc). Alternative cutters to the cricut are siser, btother, silhouette, or any laser machine. Some can be purchased for as little as $100usd.
I've tried milling, paper transfer methods and UV exposure like this. Your video is excellent and UV is the highest quality of all. This is why industry uses it. Wavelength of light is much better resolution than any mechanical method.
@@GodzillaGoesGaga based from i read the highest quality of pcb making is using uv printing flatbed, it give higher precision than uv light, specialized for extremely small pcb circuit. Because of slow process than UV light so industry put decision on Uv light
@@teknosql4740 There are machines that print the “mask” that used to be made by Gerber (hence Gerber files and formats). They use Flash and Draw apertures onto a laminated film (in essence a really high quality laser printer with a very black ink and total coverage). UV light exposure is typically done by exposing the film over the UV sensitive photoresist in exactly the same way this guy is doing but at higher standards. There is also a newer technology called LDI, Laser Direct Imaging, where the laser draws the pattern onto the photosensitive material directly. It’s higher precision but a lot slower since every pattern has to be drawn vs a simple burst exposure of UV. The way this is done professionally is now almost fully automated. The films are fed in and the whole coating, exposure of the copper clad board and developing + etching is done by machine with no user interaction. The etch tanks use hydrochloric acid which is heated. The copper is reclaimed and recycled. The features size on laser can go down to about 1.5mils and the mask exposures down to 3 mils. Lamination and Drilling is actually the most expensive part. I did a 14 layer board with blind and buried vias at 4mil track and gap spacing fairly recently. Impedance control and tolerance is another quality control issue that is taken into account by a professional PCB shop. Typically high end shops cost more because tolerance and quality need cutting edge machines and processes/chemicals. If you get a chance to visit a PCB house, do it, it's fascinating.
For the solder mask, have you tried running the board through your laminate machine on a cold setting to even the liquid out? It might be too much pressure, but it's a thought. Love the video, and I will be doing all of this soon!
Nice work. I love the tip that you spray water on the PCB before putting on the Dry Film to make it easy to get out air bubbles - thank you. With Step 5 - Is Soda Ash (pH Increaser) do the same thing?
Wow, that was great! I etched some boards as a Boy of maybe 14, but this was of course another level... 😉 But it was interesting to see this great way! Cool, thanks a lot! 👍
Nice job! This is similar to the process I've been using for several years. I use Bon Ami to clean the PCB material. It's got a nearly perfect grit, does not damage the copper, and leaves the board free of contaminates. I've been etching with hydrogen peroxide and HCL. For the mask, nothing beats Dynamask 5000. It applies like the resist, and is easy to handle and does a great job.
Great video! This is very similar (And more streamlined) than the process I have used in the past. I do have one concern / question. How does that "Protective circuit board lacquer" handle the thermal heat? Doesn't it insulate the fets and prevent heat dispersion? Also, I think the tab on fets are also used to disperse the heat through a plane on the board. Usually it acts as a sort of heat sink. It has been a while since I have played around with circuit boards, but if pin 2/tab is GND, I think the purpose is to connect the fet to a ground plane to dissipate heat. I think fets generate heat between their gate saturation points. Again, I could be wrong about this it has been a while. Also, feedback would be appreciated from anyone who could shed more light on this, but one thing I learned was to not trace ground. But instead make the ground a "plane". So basically all the whitespace on the board should be ground. You can have separate ground planes on the board for parts of the circuit that need to be isolated. But ground should be a plane, not connected through traces. Even running ground to the back side of the board in the filler copper is really good. The larger ground plane reduces noise in the system and stabilizes it if you have a switching signal. It also acts as a heat sink, which I think most components will dissipate heat through their ground connections, as it is expected that ground is a plane and not traces. I have never been 100% how to implement this so any feedback would be great. Also one last question, can you make a video or post information about disposal of the excess chemicals once they are used? Are the chemicals you use drain safe? Or do you have to dispose of them through special means? I used to use muric acid + hydrogen peroxide to etch, then dispose of it into potassium carbonate which basically turned it into table salt, and could be thrown away in the trash as non toxic. But muric acid was a pain in the ass to deal with. What does your disposal process look like?
The fets used in this configuration are used as switching on or off, so since they are fully on they don’t get hot, they’d start getting hot only if you start using them to fade leds, then just like a resistor they’d start dissipating heat. I haven’t encountered any problems with heat and clear lacquer. I’ve been using same lacquer for a long time for different applications. As for chemicals - the ones I use in my video are reusable and the developers and stripper can be flushed down the sink, etchers however can be disposed in recycling centres, in Australia i recycle them at the main recycling Center where they accept white goods and furniture, they also accept car batteries and chemicals, but that’s in Australia.
@@MaxELECTRONICS Gotcha, so you have a power fet configuration. My understanding is, as the fet transitions from Von to Voff on the gate, its resistance through the drain - source, changes from some very high impedance in the 100MOhm range (Off) to
Yes you absolutely correct, I used 6N15 fets, so the way I usually design boards is with redundancy, so I’d never run fet to its full specs, so I’m switching 500mA 12v with 6A 150v mosfet, but if push comes to shove and I need to use smd mosfet at high current I’d ether add a matching mosfet in parallel or I glue a heatsink on mosfet using a thermal cement.
Neat work. My own process is somewhat different. I fully design a circuit in KiCAD, and convert that into a board layout, usually 2-sided. This can take some trial and error, like swapping some part orders around or flipping ICs to different sides, or changing footprints. Once done I get out my callipers and scribe the locations of all the holes and pads in the copper. I don’t have access to a printer or laminator, and my few attempts with photoexposing didn’t work so well. So I first drill my holes with a carbide bit in a little hand-held rotary tool, 0.6mm for vias, 1.0mm for components. The low weight of the tool makes it very unlikely to break bits, so I highly recommend it. Then I get a very small paint brush and paint on solder mask over where I’ll want traces and pads as my etch-resist. I cure this under my array of UV LEDs for a few minutes, and proceed to scratch away any imperfections and touch it up with more mask if necessary. Then I do the same to the other side. For 2-sided boards it’s a lot easier to do the drilling first, and it also means that misaligned holes can be corrected for. Though taping a piece of perf-board to my blank board to get all my holes in a line for drilling pin headers is also a great technique. I find that hand-painting can get me reasonably small traces if I try hard enough, I did 0.65mm pitch on a micro USB socket the other day, and could probably do 0.5mm pitch too. SOICs are easy. I etch it in ammonium persulfate, but add a drop or two of bunnings HCl to speed it up. Don’t add too much or you’ll make chlorine. The exposed solder mask is a very solid etch resist, basically no risk of it coming off. Then I strip the mask off with supermarket drain cleaner heated in a saucepan, and begin with the vias. To make a via I get some of that jaycar solid-core breadboard wire, strip it, and cut it to barely longer than the thickness of the board. I also give the holes themselves a light tap with a punch to set the copper a little lower. The copper wire fits in the hole and is squeezed by my pliers so each end flattens out into the punched insets. A few more punches on either side will set it into place properly. Then it’s time to hand-paint solder mask onto the desired solder mask pattern, and expose it fully. This exposed mask will also help hold those vias into place. I’ll often leave writing or symbols unpainted atop my ground plane, to tell me things like connector polarity. I copy NurdRage’s video for making a tin plating solution and use that to prevent the aforementioned spaces in my ground plane a corrosion-resistant coating. The via method has some risk of delaminating the trace around the hole, in future I’m wanting to attempt this: turtlesarehere.com/html/through_hole_plating.html It’s also an option to just solder the vias in place, but they’ll need to be somewhat proud, and may reflow and get loose when soldering elsewhere on the board. As for soldering, I’d recommend getting a much narrower tip, like a 1.2mm screwdriver tip, for when you need it for SMDs. I use a knife tip for through-holes. And no-clean flux may not be as active as rosin, but it will bubble a lot less, meaning you can spend less time on each joint.
Thanks for the comment, it seems like a long process doing it by hand, it took me a while to prefect the dry film, when I just started it was a nightmare, but once you figure it out it’s a breeze. As for soldering I bought an oven and solder paste dispenser, this way it’s fast and easy. Especially after you don’t prototyping amd order your pcb in bulk from China, it’s a lot easier to stencil on the solder paste, add components and stick 10 boards in the oven at once. I still recommend you try the dry film method and experiment with it, once you get it right - you’ll love it.
@@MaxELECTRONICS I know the dry film method fan get good results, especially when using a laser printer instead of an inkjet. Considering ink costs they’re probably more economical in the long run, and I think you don’t need to double-up on the transparency. The problem with my dry film was that it was cheap and uneven, causing the exposure time to be very difficult to handle. To remedy this I bought some photosensitive ink that could replace the dry film (or my paint) as an etch resist, though I wasn’t living somewhere with a printer after getting it. Also it isn’t nearly as robust as solder mask. Instead of getting a printer for a transparency based method, I plan on using the laser ablation method. Basically cover your raw copperclad with black spray paint and use a laser to burn away where you want the etchant to touch. I’d just bolt a diode laser onto my 3D printer for this. It also gives me the option of bolting my rotary tool onto the 3D printer for more precise drilling. This should be relatively fast. As for that chemical plated through-hole method, it requires quite a few chemicals I can’t just buy from Bunnings. It’s more of a long-term goal. Soldering-wise I think I’d like to build myself a hot-plate. Takes up less room than a reflow oven, which matters to me. Already use solder paste when soldering ICs and the like.
For vias you can do a trick: take blank double sided board and first thing drill holes for your components, then use conductive ink and cover the holes in the ink, the use low power vacuum or syringe to suck it through, so the ink covers the walls inside the vias, then using home copper electroplating to get copper inside the vias. Once done, apply your design using dry film in reverse, so whatever copper you want to dissolve is covered with dry film amd whatever tracks you have are exposed, then dip the board in liquid tin, so all your tracks get tinned, then strip the dry film, you’ll end up with all your design tinned but everything else is copper. Then etch this board using ammonium persulfade, it will etch all copper but it won’t etch tin. And it’s done.
I am not sure about thus particular photoresist, but even layer can be made using empty screen from "screen printing". I did some PCB's this way, but then I realize that particular photoresist at the photosensitive PCB's is solderable, so for prototyping without critical spacing constrains (like IC's with 0,6 mm or less lead spacing) it is quite OK to just keep the photo layer on the PCB to protect the copper. It greatly speed up the process and its quite OK, especially for THT boards. Just exposition, developing of the photoresist, etching of the copper and then solderign can begin.
Really nice video, your solder mask technique would have benefited from a silkscreen mesh applicator to apply the solder mask paint. Next you should try double sided board video
Very nice!! I do the exact same process, even doubling the transparencies, but stop before the mask. Thinking about doing that as well now I know how! Thanks!
It’s a G4 led cob: here’s eBay link: www.ebay.com.au/itm/196155178469?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-154756-20017-0&ssspo=nzlaifr6qq2&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=D1OZOxU5QAG&var=496003134615&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
GREAT !! Thank You , Sir but HOW do we get the reference designators onto the PCB? That thick white "paint" we see on commercial PCBs is just TOO SMALL for DIY, .....or is there a WAY ? Thank You !
I wonder if a sonic cleaner would be a good way to warm and agitate the etching solution. I guess it'd depend on whether the solution is safe for stainless steel.
Also, for around $500 you can get a MSLA 3D printer. Those work by using UV light to cinter resin. In order to do that they project a UV image onto the resin. It turns out that this works GREAT for simplifying the entire etching process. Especially, if you buy PCB with the UV mask pre-applied. Here is a video on that process: ruclips.net/video/RudStbSApdE/видео.html . I wouldn't spend $500 to buy a device that just prints PCBs buuuut I am very tempted by the fact that this will also allow me to do 3D prints that my current printer (while great for PLA) just cannot.
this is so yesterday... isolation milling is the way to go nowadays. Did all that myself in the past results were okay (but usually limited to the printer). Now with isolation milling it's much less work, and the process is less error prone (no hair on the pcb would impact the result...)
Sure, but then you can’t use solder resist as your have grooves and solder resist wouldn’t set in them, and then I’m sure there would be problems using the oven. Major manufacturers still use my method
@@MaxELECTRONICS because isolation milling is not economically for mass production, it's relatively slow (well doing a single pcb with chemicals at home is also slow) - but for prototyping milling is the better choice since no chemicals are needed. There's absolutely no difference in the result (except milling is easier to reproduce and doesn't depend on a good printer and you won't need a foil for it). Since isolation milling is already using a CNC, you can also drill all the holes that way which actually will be faster. I did "your method" for years, and I absolutely do not recommend it - also due to the chemical waste it creates. You should give it a try and get a cheap milling machine (200$). I'm using flatcam and autoleveller with linuxcnc. Following one costs 3000$+ ruclips.net/video/sHO_rCXzI3M/видео.html Mine is not cheap in particular I actually converted a mill to CNC and use to cut aluminium and steel with it (4000$) and it's way more rigid and heavier than the Wegstr device.
All chemicals are reusable, and it takes max an hour to make board, for drilling I agree, mill is good, but again, if I mill the board I cant use the solder resist or oven. That will make soldering small components a nightmare, especially if the pins are under the component. Plus with smd there’s rarely drilling used.
@@MaxELECTRONICS why should you not be able to use the solder resist? of course you can still use it! The chemicals are only reusable to a certain point. I'm using double sided PCBs all the time, if I'm lazy (and the bottom side is not that complex) I use wires instead of a second layer. I solder QFNs and they need a second layer eg. for the power supply inputs.
It will not set in the grooves, already tried it, UV will not penetrate that deep, in fact even on a flat board if layer is inconsistent and not thin enough it won’t set.
Max, I think this tutorial is fantastic, by far its the best I have found on the tube, your results speak for itself. I am looking at re-do of the boards in my vintage cassette deck as they do not tolerate even careful handling without causing issues with circuit continuity. So am going to follow your lead on that. Need to ask though as I am new to making and copying pcb's, what brand of transfer film are you using?, just i have read some brands reproduce better, Also some of my boards may not fit on A4, is there a work around for that? Again thanks for your time and sharing your work, you are awesome mate!!
I use unbranded film, if you copying, I’d suggest removing all components from board, cleaning all the solder up and scanning the board, then use photoshop to create black and white image, it’ll take a while to prefect it. As for larger boards you just print half on one sheet of film and half on the other and then trim the border edge and sticky tape them together, then use black sharpie to correct all the imperfections on the joint. Then use larger PCB to apply it on
Hi I use printer “Brother DCP-350” And just a A4 inkjet transparency film from eBay, the cheapest I can find. Usually comes in pack of 10 or 20 sheets.
you can use Dynamask 5000 dry film soldermask for even better results, it's much better than the liquid stuff - the process is the same as for the photoresist film , exposed with UV + developed in washing soda, then final cure with UV to max hardness.
Only one question I have... When you printed out the traces, you were talking about printing them twice on transparency film (to give a highly opaque mask for the UV exposure... I get that)... But then you actually did your print on melanin (I guess that's what you called it)... I didn't follow-- Which material is used for which purpose and why? It seems like you used the melanin for your printout, but then stuck two transparency pieces together when you did the actual UV exposure, or did I misunderstand a step?
Yes you print out on transparency film, don’t use vellum paper, it’s bad, just print out twice on transparency film, then stick two prints together, then expense to UV.
12 step program for those with OCD for making circuit boards. A diy board is best used for just testing, bare copper works fine. If I want this level I wait for china to have them delivered.
Hello, What kind of printer are you using? I tried with inkjet and laser, on specific transparent paper, and it never came out dark enough to properly block the UV light correctly, even doubled... All the rest works, just my black (even at max black) are not totally opaque... Is the vellum paper making such a big difference?
Vellum paper is not good, like I mentioned in the video, I’m using brother DCP-330C inkjet printer, in settings I set in to print in Black&White, on super fine quality. And I found it comes out pretty dark. Also transparency film is single sided, you can only print on one side and not the other.
@@MaxELECTRONICS Maybe. The only thing that I've done successfully is build board in KiKad and send to pcb production service in China. That works well but I can't really iterate on it quickly and I don't want to under 10+ boards most of which will go to waste. Have been looking into using my CNC router and FlatCAM but still having problems there. But what you are doing with all those masks and etching does seem to be waaaay more complex that I don't even want to try :(
You can try the projector method tho, I will do this in future, where instead of printing and exposing ect you just project the layout onto pcb and then str8 to etching
@@MaxELECTRONICS I am using photoresistive film ,and I use UV leds ,i exposed 15 mins , thicker wire is turning colour but thine lines is taking time for me. So for UV led how time should I expose
Interesting video. If you are passionate about this process and want to make a circuit at home, yes.. If you make a circuit once a year or if you simply want something functional, I don't think it's worth the investment.. All the substances bought, the equipment , it's simply a useless investment, it's much simpler and cheaper and easier to order a pcb on the internet and if you still want something simple because you're still passionate about electronics there are much cheaper and much easier and faster solutions.. Signed: An electronics enthusiast who spent too much money on this hobby.
You’re right, if it’s a one off then it’s better to order online, but I design stuff all the time, and it’s easier for me to make a home prototype to test and tweak everything before ordering properly manufactured pcbs. I know there are breadboards but so far I had difficulties with them. Especially if I mostly use smd components.
I haven't made boards since 70's shop class, and wanted to get into it again and see how they're done today. This was the perfect video! Thank you so much!
I cannot believe I just watched the whole thing!! I was MESMERIZED!!! This was great! It really was so cool to see all the steps you went through and the home making of a board!
Never seen a better seriously helpful, educational video, that is not the showing off type! Greatly appreciated. Makes me get back to the shed and start again from where I left a decade ago. Keep up your good work! Thank you.
I probably watched 4 or 5 of these tonight... One was where a guy printed the PCB paths on magazine print, then used alcohol and acetone to transfer the toner and then etch... The board was "okay". Another was a clearly more advanced, professional application where the guy used similar techniques, but also tinned the board to rebuild a power supply with a MUCH more precise design, but that one lacked some of the finer details... and then there was yours...
You did a truly amazing and professional job! This was BY FAR the best of any of these demonstrations that I've ever seen. For one, you didn't cut any corners and didn't settle for "okay". This board is every bit the quality of a production board. Moreover, you went all the way through each step, including surface mounting those TINY IC's. I didn't know about the soldering paste.. I wondered how the heck anyone could hand-solder such tiny components, so thank you for that!
This is so satisfying to watch. It's been years I've not tinkered with electronics
Years ago, as a schoolboy, I made PCBs with an etch-resist pen and ferric chloride solution, and that was it. This takes it to a completely level, and it is explained so clearly. Thanks.
I have been using an electric precision hand drill. My current bit has seen at least several hundred holes. It just takes practice. My hands are very shaky as well, so if I can do it, anyone can.
This video really helped me. I have been hand drawing boards for years and this is something I have been wanting to figure out. Thanks!
Are you using tungsten-carbide drill bit or just normal? Because tungsten-carbide bits will brake even if you look at them. Specially small ones like 0.1 and 0.2
@MaxELECTRONICS I have no idea what I am actually using. They are sold as tungsten carbide, but they are also Amazon Specials too. Also, I'm using 0.4 mm bit. I have some 0.1mm and 0.2mm bits. I'm curious if my method would break them instantly 🤔
Used to do that 20 years ago! Used pre-sensitised board and clamped the board & artwork together with glass and bulldog clips. Works for double-sided designs too.
Man, that's so much more practical than what we used to do in school! Very informative, thanks!!
Fantastic video, and really refreshing to see Australian content with recognisable materials featured.
How does this only have 1.7k views? This is some of the best content I've seen on youtube. Definitely deserves a lot more. I don't comment that often but this deserves a lot of praise.
Consider me subbed
Thank you :)
The incredibly popular videos on social media are those that appeal to 4 year olds.
Dunno if this has been mentioned, but stencils can make applying solder paste so much easier, especially for fine-pitch connectors. Just use polymide stencils. Print on them, cut holes out, and sandwich the PCB between some other scrap PCB's to even it out. Then squeegee the paste on top, then peel it like a book gently. It takes practise, but it is so much better.
I didn’t know exactly how all this was done, but after watching this tutorial I am convinced the first IC board was found on an alien crashed ship 😂 how in the world did humans figure out all this amazing chemistry and small electronics without knowing the possibilities of IC boards as an example to follow lol. Amazing video
This is an excellent tutorial on home PC board creation. I appreciate all the cautions mentioned.
This is a great tutorial...but a phenomenally complicated process! So many steps.
Now I have a better understanding how a PCB board is designed. Thanks a lot for posting such a nice video.
I like to use vinyl sheets from my wife's Cricut machine. You could cut it with the Cricut, but I usually stick it in my 40w c02 laser machine and then stick that to a copper-clad PCB. I only use the laser because it's more convenient than the Cricut. That way, you don't have to have special lighting, a laminator, or photoresist film. You stick the vinyl on there (it's sold with one sticky side) and then use a chemical of your choice to etch away the uncovered copper. Peel the vinyl off the remaining copper. and Bob is your mother's brother. It is super easy and quick... of course, that assumes you have either a Cricut machine or a laser or some other way to cut the vinyl. If you are concerned about removing the vinyl from very fine traces, you can apply a little heat from any hot air source (heat gun, hair dryer, hot air station, etc). Alternative cutters to the cricut are siser, btother, silhouette, or any laser machine. Some can be purchased for as little as $100usd.
What about solder resist and tin plating?
Thanks for showing this process and explaining it so comprehensively. It is so well produced and I learnt a lot. Thank-you!
THIS was way over where I'm at at this time, but wow what a complete video. Thanks!
Best instruction video about this topic I've ever watched. Thanks for your time.
I've tried milling, paper transfer methods and UV exposure like this. Your video is excellent and UV is the highest quality of all. This is why industry uses it. Wavelength of light is much better resolution than any mechanical method.
How about screen printing
@@teknosql4740 With screen printing you use a mesh. That would leave fine lines everywhere which is not what you want.
@@GodzillaGoesGaga based from i read the highest quality of pcb making is using uv printing flatbed, it give higher precision than uv light, specialized for extremely small pcb circuit. Because of slow process than UV light so industry put decision on Uv light
@@teknosql4740 There are machines that print the “mask” that used to be made by Gerber (hence Gerber files and formats). They use Flash and Draw apertures onto a laminated film (in essence a really high quality laser printer with a very black ink and total coverage). UV light exposure is typically done by exposing the film over the UV sensitive photoresist in exactly the same way this guy is doing but at higher standards. There is also a newer technology called LDI, Laser Direct Imaging, where the laser draws the pattern onto the photosensitive material directly. It’s higher precision but a lot slower since every pattern has to be drawn vs a simple burst exposure of UV. The way this is done professionally is now almost fully automated. The films are fed in and the whole coating, exposure of the copper clad board and developing + etching is done by machine with no user interaction. The etch tanks use hydrochloric acid which is heated. The copper is reclaimed and recycled. The features size on laser can go down to about 1.5mils and the mask exposures down to 3 mils. Lamination and Drilling is actually the most expensive part. I did a 14 layer board with blind and buried vias at 4mil track and gap spacing fairly recently. Impedance control and tolerance is another quality control issue that is taken into account by a professional PCB shop. Typically high end shops cost more because tolerance and quality need cutting edge machines and processes/chemicals. If you get a chance to visit a PCB house, do it, it's fascinating.
For the solder mask, have you tried running the board through your laminate machine on a cold setting to even the liquid out? It might be too much pressure, but it's a thought. Love the video, and I will be doing all of this soon!
I have, it’s too much pressure, it squeezes most of it out.
Very detailed demo from start to finish. Good job Max. Keep it up.👍
Nice work. I love the tip that you spray water on the PCB before putting on the Dry Film to make it easy to get out air bubbles - thank you.
With Step 5 - Is Soda Ash (pH Increaser) do the same thing?
I’ve never tried but you can always try on little piece of pcb
Wow, that was great! I etched some boards as a Boy of maybe 14, but this was of course another level... 😉 But it was interesting to see this great way! Cool, thanks a lot! 👍
Nice job! This is similar to the process I've been using for several years. I use Bon Ami to clean the PCB material. It's got a nearly perfect grit, does not damage the copper, and leaves the board free of contaminates. I've been etching with hydrogen peroxide and HCL. For the mask, nothing beats Dynamask 5000. It applies like the resist, and is easy to handle and does a great job.
thanks for a Nice and Clear, detailed presentation.
I'm always searching this content. Finally got it ☺️ thanks
Great explanation with every detail ...... APPRECIATION ....!!!!
Can you tin AFTER solder resist? That could use much less tinning. I assume the paint will protect the non-tinned areas.
Yes you can, I prefer to tin first to make sure all copper is protected even tho it’s going to be protected by solder mask
Have you tried changing printer settings to apply more ink on the film instead of using two layers?
Yes, printer is at max settings.
Excellent video. Really helpful for a newbie like me. Thankyou for taking the time to share.
Great video! This is very similar (And more streamlined) than the process I have used in the past. I do have one concern / question. How does that "Protective circuit board lacquer" handle the thermal heat? Doesn't it insulate the fets and prevent heat dispersion?
Also, I think the tab on fets are also used to disperse the heat through a plane on the board. Usually it acts as a sort of heat sink. It has been a while since I have played around with circuit boards, but if pin 2/tab is GND, I think the purpose is to connect the fet to a ground plane to dissipate heat. I think fets generate heat between their gate saturation points. Again, I could be wrong about this it has been a while.
Also, feedback would be appreciated from anyone who could shed more light on this, but one thing I learned was to not trace ground. But instead make the ground a "plane". So basically all the whitespace on the board should be ground. You can have separate ground planes on the board for parts of the circuit that need to be isolated. But ground should be a plane, not connected through traces. Even running ground to the back side of the board in the filler copper is really good. The larger ground plane reduces noise in the system and stabilizes it if you have a switching signal. It also acts as a heat sink, which I think most components will dissipate heat through their ground connections, as it is expected that ground is a plane and not traces.
I have never been 100% how to implement this so any feedback would be great.
Also one last question, can you make a video or post information about disposal of the excess chemicals once they are used? Are the chemicals you use drain safe? Or do you have to dispose of them through special means? I used to use muric acid + hydrogen peroxide to etch, then dispose of it into potassium carbonate which basically turned it into table salt, and could be thrown away in the trash as non toxic. But muric acid was a pain in the ass to deal with. What does your disposal process look like?
Are you talking about green solder resist or clear lacquer ?
@@MaxELECTRONICS The clear lacquer applied at the end.
The fets used in this configuration are used as switching on or off, so since they are fully on they don’t get hot, they’d start getting hot only if you start using them to fade leds, then just like a resistor they’d start dissipating heat.
I haven’t encountered any problems with heat and clear lacquer. I’ve been using same lacquer for a long time for different applications.
As for chemicals - the ones I use in my video are reusable and the developers and stripper can be flushed down the sink, etchers however can be disposed in recycling centres, in Australia i recycle them at the main recycling Center where they accept white goods and furniture, they also accept car batteries and chemicals, but that’s in Australia.
@@MaxELECTRONICS Gotcha, so you have a power fet configuration.
My understanding is, as the fet transitions from Von to Voff on the gate, its resistance through the drain - source, changes from some very high impedance in the 100MOhm range (Off) to
Yes you absolutely correct, I used 6N15 fets, so the way I usually design boards is with redundancy, so I’d never run fet to its full specs, so I’m switching 500mA 12v with 6A 150v mosfet, but if push comes to shove and I need to use smd mosfet at high current I’d ether add a matching mosfet in parallel or I glue a heatsink on mosfet using a thermal cement.
Im wondering when you use the paint could you thin it out and air brush it on?
amazing content really helps the people who want to design on their own.
Very good video and explanation thank you very much
Neat work. My own process is somewhat different. I fully design a circuit in KiCAD, and convert that into a board layout, usually 2-sided. This can take some trial and error, like swapping some part orders around or flipping ICs to different sides, or changing footprints. Once done I get out my callipers and scribe the locations of all the holes and pads in the copper. I don’t have access to a printer or laminator, and my few attempts with photoexposing didn’t work so well. So I first drill my holes with a carbide bit in a little hand-held rotary tool, 0.6mm for vias, 1.0mm for components. The low weight of the tool makes it very unlikely to break bits, so I highly recommend it. Then I get a very small paint brush and paint on solder mask over where I’ll want traces and pads as my etch-resist. I cure this under my array of UV LEDs for a few minutes, and proceed to scratch away any imperfections and touch it up with more mask if necessary. Then I do the same to the other side. For 2-sided boards it’s a lot easier to do the drilling first, and it also means that misaligned holes can be corrected for. Though taping a piece of perf-board to my blank board to get all my holes in a line for drilling pin headers is also a great technique. I find that hand-painting can get me reasonably small traces if I try hard enough, I did 0.65mm pitch on a micro USB socket the other day, and could probably do 0.5mm pitch too. SOICs are easy. I etch it in ammonium persulfate, but add a drop or two of bunnings HCl to speed it up. Don’t add too much or you’ll make chlorine. The exposed solder mask is a very solid etch resist, basically no risk of it coming off. Then I strip the mask off with supermarket drain cleaner heated in a saucepan, and begin with the vias. To make a via I get some of that jaycar solid-core breadboard wire, strip it, and cut it to barely longer than the thickness of the board. I also give the holes themselves a light tap with a punch to set the copper a little lower. The copper wire fits in the hole and is squeezed by my pliers so each end flattens out into the punched insets. A few more punches on either side will set it into place properly. Then it’s time to hand-paint solder mask onto the desired solder mask pattern, and expose it fully. This exposed mask will also help hold those vias into place. I’ll often leave writing or symbols unpainted atop my ground plane, to tell me things like connector polarity. I copy NurdRage’s video for making a tin plating solution and use that to prevent the aforementioned spaces in my ground plane a corrosion-resistant coating.
The via method has some risk of delaminating the trace around the hole, in future I’m wanting to attempt this:
turtlesarehere.com/html/through_hole_plating.html
It’s also an option to just solder the vias in place, but they’ll need to be somewhat proud, and may reflow and get loose when soldering elsewhere on the board.
As for soldering, I’d recommend getting a much narrower tip, like a 1.2mm screwdriver tip, for when you need it for SMDs. I use a knife tip for through-holes. And no-clean flux may not be as active as rosin, but it will bubble a lot less, meaning you can spend less time on each joint.
Thanks for the comment, it seems like a long process doing it by hand, it took me a while to prefect the dry film, when I just started it was a nightmare, but once you figure it out it’s a breeze. As for soldering I bought an oven and solder paste dispenser, this way it’s fast and easy. Especially after you don’t prototyping amd order your pcb in bulk from China, it’s a lot easier to stencil on the solder paste, add components and stick 10 boards in the oven at once.
I still recommend you try the dry film method and experiment with it, once you get it right - you’ll love it.
@@MaxELECTRONICS
I know the dry film method fan get good results, especially when using a laser printer instead of an inkjet. Considering ink costs they’re probably more economical in the long run, and I think you don’t need to double-up on the transparency.
The problem with my dry film was that it was cheap and uneven, causing the exposure time to be very difficult to handle. To remedy this I bought some photosensitive ink that could replace the dry film (or my paint) as an etch resist, though I wasn’t living somewhere with a printer after getting it. Also it isn’t nearly as robust as solder mask.
Instead of getting a printer for a transparency based method, I plan on using the laser ablation method. Basically cover your raw copperclad with black spray paint and use a laser to burn away where you want the etchant to touch. I’d just bolt a diode laser onto my 3D printer for this. It also gives me the option of bolting my rotary tool onto the 3D printer for more precise drilling. This should be relatively fast.
As for that chemical plated through-hole method, it requires quite a few chemicals I can’t just buy from Bunnings. It’s more of a long-term goal.
Soldering-wise I think I’d like to build myself a hot-plate. Takes up less room than a reflow oven, which matters to me. Already use solder paste when soldering ICs and the like.
For vias you can do a trick: take blank double sided board and first thing drill holes for your components, then use conductive ink and cover the holes in the ink, the use low power vacuum or syringe to suck it through, so the ink covers the walls inside the vias, then using home copper electroplating to get copper inside the vias. Once done, apply your design using dry film in reverse, so whatever copper you want to dissolve is covered with dry film amd whatever tracks you have are exposed, then dip the board in liquid tin, so all your tracks get tinned, then strip the dry film, you’ll end up with all your design tinned but everything else is copper. Then etch this board using ammonium persulfade, it will etch all copper but it won’t etch tin. And it’s done.
PS reflow oven is same size as a small microwave
Really great, helpful video Max. Thanks for sharing.
I am not sure about thus particular photoresist, but even layer can be made using empty screen from "screen printing". I did some PCB's this way, but then I realize that particular photoresist at the photosensitive PCB's is solderable, so for prototyping without critical spacing constrains (like IC's with 0,6 mm or less lead spacing) it is quite OK to just keep the photo layer on the PCB to protect the copper. It greatly speed up the process and its quite OK, especially for THT boards. Just exposition, developing of the photoresist, etching of the copper and then solderign can begin.
Where were you 15 years ago.
Really nice video, your solder mask technique would have benefited from a silkscreen mesh applicator to apply the solder mask paint. Next you should try double sided board video
Very nice!! I do the exact same process, even doubling the transparencies, but stop before the mask. Thinking about doing that as well now I know how! Thanks!
What are these leds called at 43:33 called?
It’s a G4 led cob: here’s eBay link:
www.ebay.com.au/itm/196155178469?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-154756-20017-0&ssspo=nzlaifr6qq2&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=D1OZOxU5QAG&var=496003134615&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
Hi. Very good explanation of technique. What do you think the narrowest trace would be using your technique - esp for small footprint SMD?
I think you’ll be able to do 0.400 easily, definitely 0603 smd
So a 0.3mm under a TI TMP117 might be a stretch?
If you take care laminating the board carefully and exposing it correctly you can do 0.300
PCB Boards huh?
Cool video.
An excellent lesson in how to make a simple thing really complicated 😁
GREAT !! Thank You , Sir
but HOW do we get the reference designators onto the PCB?
That thick white "paint" we see on commercial PCBs is just TOO SMALL for DIY, .....or is there a WAY ? Thank You !
Yes you could do simple screen print at home, same way as you would do a t-shirt screen print.
Se podria usar un vidrio para esparcir mejor la mascara uv vdd?? ya que es totalmente plano, Exelente video. Saludos desde Tachira, Venezuela.
I wonder if a sonic cleaner would be a good way to warm and agitate the etching solution. I guess it'd depend on whether the solution is safe for stainless steel.
Also, for around $500 you can get a MSLA 3D printer. Those work by using UV light to cinter resin. In order to do that they project a UV image onto the resin. It turns out that this works GREAT for simplifying the entire etching process. Especially, if you buy PCB with the UV mask pre-applied. Here is a video on that process: ruclips.net/video/RudStbSApdE/видео.html . I wouldn't spend $500 to buy a device that just prints PCBs buuuut I am very tempted by the fact that this will also allow me to do 3D prints that my current printer (while great for PLA) just cannot.
Hi. You've mixed Ammonium persulphate with water @ 70° Celsius or Fahrenheit? Thanks.
Hi, it’s Celsius.
Hm...Is the laminator used for heating? Then you can just take the iron at a minimum temperature until it warms up =)
It’s used to ensure it laminates evenly without bubbles
Verry well explained THX!!!
cum sti tu unde sa lipesti componentele daca nu ai Silk ,srisul unde vin componentele ?
Great work and video ! Thank you
Hydrochloric Acid for etching is more readily available. You can find it at home improvement stores. It's usually in the area of concrete cleaners.
I would not use that for etching.
You are amazing. Thank you so much
this is so yesterday... isolation milling is the way to go nowadays. Did all that myself in the past results were okay (but usually limited to the printer). Now with isolation milling it's much less work, and the process is less error prone (no hair on the pcb would impact the result...)
Sure, but then you can’t use solder resist as your have grooves and solder resist wouldn’t set in them, and then I’m sure there would be problems using the oven. Major manufacturers still use my method
@@MaxELECTRONICS because isolation milling is not economically for mass production, it's relatively slow (well doing a single pcb with chemicals at home is also slow) - but for prototyping milling is the better choice since no chemicals are needed.
There's absolutely no difference in the result (except milling is easier to reproduce and doesn't depend on a good printer and you won't need a foil for it).
Since isolation milling is already using a CNC, you can also drill all the holes that way which actually will be faster.
I did "your method" for years, and I absolutely do not recommend it - also due to the chemical waste it creates.
You should give it a try and get a cheap milling machine (200$).
I'm using flatcam and autoleveller with linuxcnc.
Following one costs 3000$+
ruclips.net/video/sHO_rCXzI3M/видео.html
Mine is not cheap in particular I actually converted a mill to CNC and use to cut aluminium and steel with it (4000$) and it's way more rigid and heavier than the Wegstr device.
All chemicals are reusable, and it takes max an hour to make board, for drilling I agree, mill is good, but again, if I mill the board I cant use the solder resist or oven. That will make soldering small components a nightmare, especially if the pins are under the component. Plus with smd there’s rarely drilling used.
@@MaxELECTRONICS why should you not be able to use the solder resist? of course you can still use it!
The chemicals are only reusable to a certain point.
I'm using double sided PCBs all the time, if I'm lazy (and the bottom side is not that complex) I use wires instead of a second layer.
I solder QFNs and they need a second layer eg. for the power supply inputs.
It will not set in the grooves, already tried it, UV will not penetrate that deep, in fact even on a flat board if layer is inconsistent and not thin enough it won’t set.
can you link us to that cool pcb holder/vice that you are using?
www.ebay.com.au/itm/PCB-Holder-for-Soldering-The-Base-is-Heavy-with-Well-Balanced-Centre-of-Gravity-/322137588454?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m2548.l6249&mkrid=705-154756-20017-0
Max, I think this tutorial is fantastic, by far its the best I have found on the tube, your results speak for itself.
I am looking at re-do of the boards in my vintage cassette deck as they do not tolerate even careful handling without causing issues with circuit continuity. So am going to follow your lead on that.
Need to ask though as I am new to making and copying pcb's, what brand of transfer film are you using?, just i have read some brands reproduce better, Also some of my boards may not fit on A4, is there a work around for that?
Again thanks for your time and sharing your work, you are awesome mate!!
I use unbranded film, if you copying, I’d suggest removing all components from board, cleaning all the solder up and scanning the board, then use photoshop to create black and white image, it’ll take a while to prefect it. As for larger boards you just print half on one sheet of film and half on the other and then trim the border edge and sticky tape them together, then use black sharpie to correct all the imperfections on the joint. Then use larger PCB to apply it on
Thanks for your suggestions Max, appreciate your response. I will de populate the boards and hopefully be successful
Have you tried an ink roller to spread the colder mask?
It doesn’t matter how you apply the paint, it all offsets once you apply flexible film to it.
How long is the exposure time for that film? How much power candelas or lux are falling on the film?
Good looking pcb
Awesome video thank you!
What printer and transparent film do you use?
Thanks!
Hi I use printer “Brother DCP-350”
And just a A4 inkjet transparency film from eBay, the cheapest I can find. Usually comes in pack of 10 or 20 sheets.
@@MaxELECTRONICS Thanks for reply! It will help me in my endeavours to prepare
ruclips.net/video/rS3QSDXh9Ic/видео.html
Make video of smd components soldering paste stencil.
that was awesome, well done!!!!!
This is some series mc Gyver level craftsmanship!
And half way the video I realized. Impressive, but I'm not going to this.
you can use Dynamask 5000 dry film soldermask for even better results, it's much better than the liquid stuff - the process is the same as for the photoresist film , exposed with UV + developed in washing soda, then final cure with UV to max hardness.
Thanks for the tip! I was looking for one but couldn’t find it anywhere, I’ll keep my eye out for this film :)
How to change copper into tin, what do you use...? Thx
Hi, it’s a thing called “Liquid Tin” from MGchemicals, you can order it on eBay
Ok, thx...
Only one question I have... When you printed out the traces, you were talking about printing them twice on transparency film (to give a highly opaque mask for the UV exposure... I get that)... But then you actually did your print on melanin (I guess that's what you called it)... I didn't follow-- Which material is used for which purpose and why? It seems like you used the melanin for your printout, but then stuck two transparency pieces together when you did the actual UV exposure, or did I misunderstand a step?
Yes you print out on transparency film, don’t use vellum paper, it’s bad, just print out twice on transparency film, then stick two prints together, then expense to UV.
Nicely done! Thanks. (just subscribed)
Cool video. Liquid tin is insanely expensive
Bonjour, je n'ai pas tout compris je suis français, où achetez-vous le vernis vert pour protéger le circuit ?
You can get it on eBay: www.ebay.com.au/itm/264866645164
@@MaxELECTRONICS Thanks !
can we use iron instead of laminator. It is handy , you know !
You can try, it should work theoretically, the reason I use laminator is that it pushes all the bubbles out with rollers.
Can someone please suggest an easy to use PCB design program for hobbyist's who want to design single sided boards?
FreePCB is easy to use, it’s free and you can watch tutorials online plus create and save your components
@@MaxELECTRONICS Thanks, I will give it a try.
@@MaxELECTRONICS Thank you. I will give it a try.
Printed Circuit Board Boards?
Good job
12 step program for those with OCD for making circuit boards. A diy board is best used for just testing, bare copper works fine. If I want this level I wait for china to have them delivered.
Very nice video!
Wery integrering.
Can you please share the scematic.
I Will be greatfull for that.
Regards.
/ Peter in Sweden
I’ll have to draw it up. Will probably make video on that in future. :)
@@MaxELECTRONICS I look forward to it !! :)
What printer used?
brother DCP-330C
Very interesting.
Hello, What kind of printer are you using?
I tried with inkjet and laser, on specific transparent paper, and it never came out dark enough to properly block the UV light correctly, even doubled...
All the rest works, just my black (even at max black) are not totally opaque...
Is the vellum paper making such a big difference?
Vellum paper is not good, like I mentioned in the video, I’m using brother DCP-330C inkjet printer, in settings I set in to print in Black&White, on super fine quality. And I found it comes out pretty dark. Also transparency film is single sided, you can only print on one side and not the other.
Also make sure you have all ECO settings and ink saving settings turned off
@@MaxELECTRONICS ok, I'm doing things the same way than you... I need to find a printer good at this job
Also make sure in settings you set as a normal A4 paper, not a transparent one, just as if you would print on a normal paper.
Also try turning up the contrast in advanced settings
Great! Can we use a inkjet printer?
If you using dry film method then yes, use inkjet printer to print on transparency film.
Are you able to write the links in the descriptions to the products you've used?
Hi, unfortunately no, as they always change, but if you just search for those products on eBay you’ll easily find them.
nice 👍
What specific PCB software is he mentioning? ( I heard "free" but what is the name of it?) There are lots of free PCB design software packages.
It’s called “Free PCB”
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/FreePCB
That's a lot of work.
It seems that way but once you have everything set up it fairly quick to produce a PCB
@@MaxELECTRONICS Maybe. The only thing that I've done successfully is build board in KiKad and send to pcb production service in China. That works well but I can't really iterate on it quickly and I don't want to under 10+ boards most of which will go to waste. Have been looking into using my CNC router and FlatCAM but still having problems there. But what you are doing with all those masks and etching does seem to be waaaay more complex that I don't even want to try :(
Honestly I wouldn’t try the cnc, only maybe for drilling holes but even then, drill press is faster then programming drill files
You can try the projector method tho, I will do this in future, where instead of printing and exposing ect you just project the layout onto pcb and then str8 to etching
Name program to drawing the circuit
It’s called “FreePCB
I did hope we would see how you cut the pcb also.
Hey, I just use a standard hack saw. Clamp pcb in the vice and use hack saw with fine blade.
I would like to do it one day.... But it's so much you need to do, am too lazy for all that 🙈😂😂😂
Impressive, but I will keep ordering from jlcpcb, and use prototyping boards before that.
So helpful
it helps, thanx!
Thanks a million
What software?
FreePCB
How much time to expose the UV
On dry film or solder resist?
@@MaxELECTRONICS I am using photoresistive film ,and I use UV leds ,i exposed 15 mins , thicker wire is turning colour but thine lines is taking time for me.
So for UV led how time should I expose
Usually 2 to 3 minutes, have a look at this exposure unit I made, I explain exposure times from 25:38
ruclips.net/video/mNn90SjKsvE/видео.html
👏wow
Interesting video. If you are passionate about this process and want to make a circuit at home, yes.. If you make a circuit once a year or if you simply want something functional, I don't think it's worth the investment.. All the substances bought, the equipment , it's simply a useless investment, it's much simpler and cheaper and easier to order a pcb on the internet and if you still want something simple because you're still passionate about electronics there are much cheaper and much easier and faster solutions.. Signed: An electronics enthusiast who spent too much money on this hobby.
You’re right, if it’s a one off then it’s better to order online, but I design stuff all the time, and it’s easier for me to make a home prototype to test and tweak everything before ordering properly manufactured pcbs. I know there are breadboards but so far I had difficulties with them. Especially if I mostly use smd components.
can you post a link to the software
www.freepcb.com
Thanks for not putting background music