Manufacturing of printed circuit boards in the home: the features of the process

Manufacturing of printed circuit boards at home is quite possible. However, this requires a certain place, equipment and time. The advantage of such an element is that the radio devices on it operate quite reliably and efficiently.

Preparation for work: selection of materials

Production of printed circuit boards at home begins with the collection of necessary components. You will need:

• Computer and laser printer (black and white);
• Photo paper;
• An iron and a soldering iron;
• Water, flux, ferric chloride, acetone, tin;
• Two-sided (one-sided) textolite, and its surface should have a copper coating.

When all components are assembled, you can start making PCBs at home. First we need to draw a diagram. To do this, the simplest graphics editor is used, although you can find specially designed for trace programs. At this stage, you need to decide on the function blocks. After the diagram is drawn, it must be printed. Just remember that it should be mirrored.

Procedure for manufacturing the board

At this stage, the picture should be applied to the surface of the treated element. The area on which the pattern is not knocked out, simply etched with chemical reagents. Only the circuit you need will remain on the board.

Manufacture of printed circuit boards at home should be done very carefully. For example, you can not touch the printed image with your hands. Also pay attention to the foil surface: it must be as clean as possible. If you notice signs of oxidation on it, try to eliminate them with a small skin. Naturally, the surface is preferably degreased with acetone or any other solvent. After processing, try not to touch the textolite.

Now the drawing needs to be transferred to the prepared surface. For this, the leaflet is carefully applied to the textolite and ironed, heated to the maximum temperature. The image should not be moved in any way. This procedure lasts a few minutes until the sheet turns yellow.

Now you need to put the future fee in the water, so that excess paper is soaked and you can quickly clean it. If the image on the surface of the textolite is qualitative and accurate, you can proceed to the next stage.

Etching procedure

In order for the drawing to be securely sealed in the foil, the manufacturing process of the printed circuit boards involves the use of a solution of ferric chloride. Instead of the substance presented, copper sulfate can be used (stir 100 grams of powder and 200 grams of salt in a liter of warm water). The procedure of etching lasts about 15 minutes.

After all the done, you can sprinkle the board with clean water and drill all the necessary holes for the parts. It is also desirable to clean the surface with a pattern using sandpaper. In the same way, multi-layer printed circuit boards are manufactured.

In order for the product to be more aesthetic, it is possible to design conductors. For this, a specific solution is used, into which the board is placed. After processing, the conductors acquire a silvery tinge.