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Re: gEDA-user: postscript board fab artwork



I'm testing an etchant I have not used before and will report more tomorrow on how it goes.

So far making up the recipe it seems easy to work with because it gives visual indication of where the reaction is by being yellow green or dark green.

The etch bath has H2O2 HCl water and copper wire. Used at 110 deg F with boards vertical and bubbler or better a acid proof pump driven spray -- I'm using bubbles.

One advantage is no orange stains and mystery holes eating through clothes so far while mixing up the 1.3 liter batch.

Big advantage is the buffer solution reaction can be driven to precipitate all the metal out by going from acid to neutral pH by just adding lye. All that's left is slightly salty water and Copper hydroxide in the bottom that can be sold to dispose of it non-environmental-hazard-ly.

I'm going to get the cheap/fast benefit by making a lot of experimental
boards which customer will field test, most of which will be 2 cm x 5cm or so...

I'll be able to etch 40 boards in a 1.3 liter mini tank. The design will be kept as low parts count as possible and modular with flex ribbon jumpers and their ZIF connectors on the edges of and interconnecting between boards.

Zero time will be spent on any kind of breadboard.

John G

John Luciani wrote:

As DJ said it depends on features, size and how long you are willing to wait.


To save money (and time) on your prototypes you could buy boards without
silkscreen and solder mask.

If you have a few boards to do you could panelize and cut them
yourself. If you have
some friends that need boards you could combine their boards into the panel too.


(* jcl *)



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