Materials
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
||
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
 |
|
||
Fabrication Supplies
Blank Board – This is the most important component to
consider. Wet etch fabrication requires a photoresist coated board. All
other methods require uncoated boards. Other board considerations are
thickness, size, copper weight, and number of metal sides. Typical designs
require 1/16 inch, 1-oz copper, single sided boards. Boards are available
from electronic supply stores such as:
www.radioshack.com.
www.mcmelectronics.com
www.newark.com
www.digikey.com
Mask Software – Required for thermal transfer and wet
etch fabrication. This is used to design the circuit schematic and print
the masks. The easiest and most user-friendly software is EAGLE layout
editor. A freeware version of EAGLE is available. Limitations include
2 layer designs and 4 x 3.2 inch dimensions, which should be sufficient
for most projects. EAGLE is available from:
www.cadsoftusa.com
Developer – Required for wet etch fabrication. Because
different brands of photoresist coated boards require different developer
solutions, it is not feasible to provide developer in the lab. Developer
solutions are commonly available from suppliers such as:
www.mcmelectronics.com
www.newark.com
www.digikey.com
www.chem.iastate.edu/chemstore/
www.injectorall.com
Transparency Sheets – Required for wet etch fabrication.
The circuit schematic mask needs to be printed on a transparency sheet.
Laser transparency printing is the preferred method because of higher
dimension accuracy and even coverage. Transparency films are available
from office supply stores such as:
www.officemax.com
www.staples.com
www.officedepot.com
www.walmart.com
Thermal paper – Required for thermal transfer fabrication.
There are many possible papers to choose from, some much more expensive
than others. Thermal transfer paper specific to PCB fabrication can be
found through electronic supply stores such as those listed below. The
cheaper and better solution is to use a HP, Canon, or Jetprint heavy weight
gloss photo paper in a laser printer. These papers are available from
stores such as:
www.officemax.com
www.staples.com
www.officedepot.com
www.mcmelectronics.com
www.digikey.com
Sharpie Marker – Required
for Sharpie method fabrication. Sharpie ink markers are available from
office supply stores such as:
www.officemax.com
www.staples.com
www.officedepot.com
www.walmart.com
Conductive Ink Pen – Used after fabrication, this can correct broken
wire traces or other mistakes. Conductive ink pens are available from
electronic supply stores such as:
www.radioshack.com.
www.mcmelectronics.com
www.newark.com
www.digikey.com
Rub-On Decals – Required for the rub-on method. Rub-on decals are
available in simple shapes or pre-drawn schematics. Decals are available
from electronic supply stores such as:
www.radioshack.com.
www.mcmelectronics.com
www.newark.com
www.newark.com
Isopropyl Alcohol – Required for many methods, this is used to
clean and sterilize boards and dirty equipment. Isopropyl alcohol is available
from many stores such as:
www.walmart.com
www.target.com
www.drugtown.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|