Thursday, July 17, 2014

Nontraditional printed circuit board layout and etching using vinegar, hydrogen peroxide and salt

I started drawing a quick circuit in eagle, and then printed it out using my HP M276nw Laserjet Pro 200 color printer, onto Staples photo supreme high gloss printer paper.  I plugged in my clothes iron and dialed the temperature to a high wool setting (~120 degrees F). I then cut the print out of the circuit, leaving approximately a 1 inch border around the edge.  I aquired 2oz copper plated pc board, cleaned the surface and taped the photopaper circuit to the board.  I carefully applied pressure moving the iron around to all edges of the circuit for approximately 90 seconds.  I filled a sink full of cold water and let it soak for about 5 minutes.  The paper loosened and I slowly and carefully peeled the paper away.  Some of the paper did not come off, so I gently removed it with a scalpel. This is the result:


If the temperature of the iron is too high or too low, it won't transfer to the copper correctly.  There is only a tight band ~5 degrees F, where it will transfer properly.

The next step is to etch the board.  I wanted to try an alternate chemistry to ferric chloride (traditional etchant).  I found that several people have been successful using hydrogen peroxide combined with vinegar and salt.  I mixed a 50/50 solution and added some salt and the mixture started to fizzle.  I dropped the board into the tupperware that held the solution and let it set for approximately 45 minutes.  This is the result:

I left the board in the solution for a total of about 7 hours before it was completely etched, as shown:
Here is the board with the toner removed using acetone: and holes drilled:
Now that I have the technique down, I can move onto a more complicated design.


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