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Step 2The circuit board
The circuit board was partly etched, and the rest of the pattern hand carved using a hobby knife. No computer was used in any part of the production of the circuit board.
The only contact the circuit board had with any modern electronics was when it was photographed so that its picture could be displayed in this web site.
A piece of copper clad board was cleaned, and covered with etch resist ( I used a permanent marker pen ) and the integrated circuit clamped over it with alligator clips.
A needle was used to score fine lines where the copper was to be etched away, the ic removed, and the pattern finalised.
Then the board was made the anode in a tank filled with common salt solution with a straightened paper clip anode, and current passed till the pattern was completely etched.
This process, I feel, needs its own instructable and this I might do if wheedled / threatend / cajoled / asked / whatever works.
The only contact the circuit board had with any modern electronics was when it was photographed so that its picture could be displayed in this web site.
A piece of copper clad board was cleaned, and covered with etch resist ( I used a permanent marker pen ) and the integrated circuit clamped over it with alligator clips.
A needle was used to score fine lines where the copper was to be etched away, the ic removed, and the pattern finalised.
Then the board was made the anode in a tank filled with common salt solution with a straightened paper clip anode, and current passed till the pattern was completely etched.
This process, I feel, needs its own instructable and this I might do if wheedled / threatend / cajoled / asked / whatever works.
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9
Nov 21, 2006. 7:43 AM
PeterTheUnGreat
says:
PeterTheUnGreat
says:
Does the etching process have advantages over the usual Feric Chloride method? If so I would be interested in seeing the instructable Pete
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38
Nov 22, 2006. 2:38 AMneelandan (author)
says:
The salt doesn't etch until the current is switched on, while the FeCl is corrosive all by itself. For prototyping, where you can baby it along, I think the electro-etching process is better because of the less corrosive naure of the common salt. It is corrosive, however, and all traces must be removed from the finished board.
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7
Nov 23, 2006. 1:05 AMThe Real Elliot
says:
I messed around with this tonight, and all I got was rusty water! Does the copper board connect to positive (anode) or negative (cathode)? And do you think the salt concentration should matter much beyond conducting electricity? I'll play around some tomorrow, but I've got cooking to do too. -- Elliot.
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38
Nov 23, 2006. 3:53 AMneelandan (author)
says:
The PCB should be positive. If you got rusty water, then you made the iron +ve.
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Nov 22, 2006. 11:56 AMrotor
says:
I'd very much be interested in an instructable on this. I've stayed away from pcbs because I have a tiny house with a small child, and I'm not real keen on keeping strong acids anywhere the kid could get to it.
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