elg@killer.DALLAS.TX.US (Eric Green) (02/06/89)
First of all, thanks to the NEC rep who replied to my brother's query. His company has recieved the materials that they needed, and are quite satisfied. Hopefully the NEC regional rep will get a fire lit under them (that was the level that the problem was at). Now on with the story: I've wire-wrapped a few things in the past. Now I need to make some PC boards for things which are not suited for wire-wrapping due to mechanical considerations (e.g., a "daughterboard" that sits in place of an IC chip & adds various functionality). I have a good idea of what's required for making PC boards, i.e. that you have a photoresist, a mylar transparency, and an ultraviolet light, and you do it all in a darkroom then dip it into etchant. What I don't have is the specifics -- the specific methodology, the chemicals used, where to buy supplies, etc. Is there a "how-to" sort of book for etching PC boards? Have any of the major electronics magazines published articles on how to do it? (I can fetch such articles off of microfilm at the library, though it'll be expensive). (a sad day, eh, when a software guy takes up a slaughtering iron? :-) -- | // Eric Lee Green P.O. Box 92191, Lafayette, LA 70509 | | // ..!{ames,decwrl,mit-eddie,osu-cis}!killer!elg (318)989-9849 | | \X/ >> In Hell you need 4Mb to Multitask << |
ornitz@kodak.UUCP (barry ornitz) (02/07/89)
In article <7054@killer.DALLAS.TX.US> elg@killer.DALLAS.TX.US (Eric Green) writes: >Now I need to make some PC >boards for things which are not suited for wire-wrapping due to >mechanical considerations (e.g., a "daughterboard" that sits in place >of an IC chip & adds various functionality). I have a good idea of >what's required for making PC boards, i.e. that you have a >photoresist, a mylar transparency, and an ultraviolet light, and you >do it all in a darkroom then dip it into etchant. What I don't have is >the specifics -- the specific methodology, the chemicals used, where >to buy supplies, etc. Is there a "how-to" sort of book for etching PC >boards? Have any of the major electronics magazines published articles >on how to do it? (I can fetch such articles off of microfilm at the >library, though it'll be expensive). My suggestion is to buy the book "Electronic Prototype Construction" by Steve Kasten. It is published by Howard W. Sams & Co. (ISBN: 0-672-21895-X) and costs around $18. While some of the newest techniques such as surface mount and CAD systems are not discussed, this is _still_ the best book I can suggest for the beginner. Essentially, this book goes into everything you need. It discusses commercial equipment and how you can make do with improvised techniques. While Steve is a good friend and co-worker in the Process Instrumentation Research Lab, I never tell him how good the book is - it might swell his head. ;-) Any bookstore should be able to order the book for you. BTW, Steve and I found a very quick way to rejuvenate our Cupric Chloride etch bath last week. A bottle of 30% Hydrogen Peroxide added to the spent bath (which also contained Hydrochloric Acid) worked wonders - the bath turned the prettiest blue-green just before the etch room exploded! ;-) [Actually be very careful with any peroxide - they are all hazardous. We normally bubble air through the bath to regenerate it, but I had eight square feet of board to etch and very little time for the bath to recover. I would have preferred a lower concentration of peroxide to work with since the 30% solution can be quite dangerous under certain conditions. By titrating the bath properly and using just the right amount of peroxide, we were able to safely speed up the regeneration process. You could probably use the drug- store 3% peroxide safely at home.] Barry ----------------- | ___ ________ | | | / / | | Dr. Barry L. Ornitz UUCP:..rutgers!rochester!kodak!ornitz | | / / | | Eastman Kodak Company | |< < K O D A K| | Eastman Chemicals Division Research Laboratories | | \ \ | | P. O. Box 1972 | |__\ \________| | Kingsport, TN 37662 615/229-4904 | | -----------------
henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) (02/09/89)
In article <1685@kodak.UUCP> ornitz@kodak.UUCP (barry ornitz) writes: >My suggestion is to buy the book "Electronic Prototype Construction" by Steve >Kasten. It is published by Howard W. Sams & Co. (ISBN: 0-672-21895-X) and >costs around $18... Second the recommendation. The book is not a complete encyclopedia of everything you could ever want to know, but it is the best single source I've found. -- Allegedly heard aboard Mir: "A | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology toast to comrade Van Allen!!" | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu