Tales of a DIY PCB etch
Yesterday, after the post of the Make DIY etching I went out and got some stuff to try my hand at it again. A few years ago in school I etched a circuit for a solar car using press-n-peel transfers and after a few attempts it came out pretty good.
For those who want to try the laser printer toner transfer a few things you might want to make note of:
1. Put some plain paper between the back of the photo paper and the iron. This will keep the iron from sticking to the transfer if it has a coating. It will also reduce the chance of skewage.
2. I would try a few simple toner transfers with varying heat. The first attempt tonight melted the photo paper to the board.
3. Don't press too hard on the iron. Part of the PCB+paper result was because I really gave it hell.
4. Use a flat surface and try and get the photo paper evenly hot with even pressure. As you can see in the pic, some edges didn't transfer too well, most likely from low heat/pressure.
5. Warm the ferric chloride, it works faster.
6. Ferric chloride gets on EVERYTHING, you've been warned.
Eh, not bad for a first attempt in years
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