HOW TO MAKE PCB AT HOME?

Greetings to everyone,

"How to make PCB at home" without any special materials. As an electronics engineering student, I try to make DIY projects that require making simple electronics circuits and PCBs.

What is PCB?

A printed circuit board consists of pre-designed copper tracks on a conducting sheet. Pre-determined tracks reduce wiring thereby reducing faults arising due to loss of connection. One just needs to place the components on the PCB and solder them.

Different methods of making PCB.

There are all three basic methods of making PCBs

1. Iron on Glossy Paper Method

2. Circuit by hand on PCB

3. Laser cutting edge etching.

Since the laser method is the industrial method for making PCBs, we will go through the first two methods of making PCBs at home in detail.

Step 1: Creating the PCB Layout using simple Circuit

This is usually done by converting the schematic diagram of your circuit to a PCB layout using PCB layout software. There are many open-source software packages for PCB layout manufacturing and design.

A few are listed here to give you a head start:

1. Cadsoft Eagle

2. PCB Wizard

I have designed my circuit in Circuit maker software.

Note: In-Circuit maker: File > Export > Image make sure to set DPIG to 1200 for better quality

Step 2: Material Required

You will also need a permanent black marker, blade cutter, sandpaper, kitchen paper, cotton, some old clothes.

To start making PCBs, IC555. Consider a simple project TOUCH SWITCH using.

Step 3: Take Printout of PCB Layout

Print out your PCB layout using a laser printer and A4 photo paper/glossy paper. Keep the following things in mind:
You should take a mirror printout
Select Output in black from both the PCB design software and the printer driver settings
Make sure the printout is on the shiny side of the paper.

Step 4: Cutting the Copper Plate

Cut the copper board according to the size of the layout.

Step 5: Make It Smooth blank copper plate.

Scrub the copper side of the PCB using steeliness steel wool or an abrasive spongy scrub. This removes the top oxide layer of the copper as well as the photo resistive layer.

Step 6: Methods

Method 1:

Iron-On Glossy Paper Method: Transfer the printed image from the photo paper to the board. Be sure to flip the top layer horizontally. Place the copper surface of the board on the printed layout. Make sure the board is correctly aligned with the borders of the printed layout. Tape the non-copper side to both sides of the board. This will help to position the board and printed layout.

Method 2:

Circuit Using Permanent Marker: Using a reference to the printed circuit image on glossy paper, draw a basic sketch first with a pencil on a copper plate and then by a permanent black marker.

Step 7: Iron It!

After printing on glossy paper we iron it from the image side to the copper side. Heat the electric iron to the maximum temperature.

Place the board and photo paper arrangement on a clean wooden table and the fabric with the back of the photo paper facing you.
Hold one end of it with a towel and place the hot iron on the other end for about 10 seconds. Now, iron the photo paper using the tip and apply slight pressure for about 5 to 15 minutes.

Pay attention to the edges of the board - you need to apply pressure, ironing slowly.
The long hard press seems to work better than moving the iron around.
Here the heat of the iron melts the ink printed on the glossy paper and is transferred to the copper plate.

Step 8: Peeling

After ironing, place the printed plate in lukewarm water for about 10 minutes. The paper will dissolve and be gently removed the paper. Remove and mark the paper at a low angle.

In some cases some tracks faint when removing the paper.
see the picture in white box black line track is of light color so we can use a black marker for the dark light track as shown in picture

Step 9: Etching process

You need to be extremely careful and cautious while doing this step

• First put on rubber or plastic gloves.

• Keep some newspaper so that the etching solution doesn't corrode the floor.

1) Take a plastic box and fill some water in it.

2) Dissolve 2-3 teaspoons of Ferric Chloride Shakti in water.

3) Immerse the PCB in the etching solution (Ferric Chloride Solution, Fecl3) for about 30 minutes.

4) Fecl3 reacts with the unmasked copper and removes the unwanted copper from the PCB.

5) This process is called etching. Use pliers to take out the PCB and check if the entire spotless area is engraved. If it is not etched then leave it in the solution for some more time.

Move the plastic box slowly back and forth so that the etching solution reacts with the exposed copper and forms iron and copper chlorides.
Check after every 2-3 minutes to see if all the copper is engraved.

Step 10: Caution

Please do not put a direct finger.

Do not touch the etching solution directly. Use gloves.
In the figure, we can see that the copper is gradually being etched.

Step 11: DisposalThe etching solution is toxic to fish and other water creatures.
Don't put it in the sink when you're done. Doing so is illegal and could damage your pipes.
Dilute the etching solution and then dispose of the solution.

The picture shows the PCB of both circuits made using print outs and markers.
A few drops of thinner (nail polish remover works well) on a pinch of cotton will remove the toner completely, bringing back the surface of the copper. Wash and dry carefully with a clean cloth or kitchen paper. Trim to the final shape and refinish the edges with sandpaper. The acetone helps the glossy paper stick to the rough paper.
Drill holes and solder all components and PCB ready. be happy!!

Step 13: Conclusion1. The Iron on Glossy Paper Method is an efficient way to make PCBs at home. Each track can be printed in its entirety if done carefully.
2. The circuit by hand on the PCB is limited only by our artistic skills. Simple circuits can be made easily with this method but iron on glossy paper is best for complex PCBs.

HOW TO MAKE PCB AT HOME?