Personally I find it faster to do the photoresist method, using transparencies laser printer paper and photoresist copper boards from Fry's. The paper soak and peel is slower than the exposure and developer phases, though that does need developer chemical. Fry's carries all that stuff back in the componenet section.
Though I have recently found an iron-on and peel off paper specifically for this sort of thing, that avoids the soak phase. Press-n-Peel blue.
Aye, I pretty much agree with Revar here. The soak-and-peel method, in addition to being slower, also seems to give somewhat inferior results... the traces don't end up with crisp edges and the like.
Photoresist really seems to be the way to go, all you need is transparency film, a pane of glass (optional, but beneficial -- I used a piece from an old scanner I took apart), and a flourescent light of your choice... and as Revar notes, Frys carries the ready-to-go photoresist boards.
I haven't tried the iron-on paper though. I may have to check that out the next time I need to make a board for something.
p.s. Drilling your own board == TEH SUCK. You either use normal bits that are too big and go dull spectacularly quickly, or you get actual bits designed for drilling PCBs, which shatter at even the slightest hint of lateral stress.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2007-07-11 07:09 pm (UTC)Though I have recently found an iron-on and peel off paper specifically for this sort of thing, that avoids the soak phase. Press-n-Peel blue.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-07-11 08:54 pm (UTC)Photoresist really seems to be the way to go, all you need is transparency film, a pane of glass (optional, but beneficial -- I used a piece from an old scanner I took apart), and a flourescent light of your choice... and as Revar notes, Frys carries the ready-to-go photoresist boards.
I haven't tried the iron-on paper though. I may have to check that out the next time I need to make a board for something.
p.s. Drilling your own board == TEH SUCK. You either use normal bits that are too big and go dull spectacularly quickly, or you get actual bits designed for drilling PCBs, which shatter at even the slightest hint of lateral stress.