How to make a simple 1-sided PCB at home:
At times it becomes difficult to make a circuit on a common bread board. It is more tedious and easy to understand the connections when one sees a circuit. A printed circuit can be more space saving and gives the project a professional touch. Making a PCB is very easy with a little practice.
There are many ways of making a PCB. Here I am describing a simple process to develop a printed circuit board. This method is one of the cheapest and easiest method that I have come across. I have been using this method for developing boards for many of my projects.
Use any drawing program to draw your circuits. I use Electronic CAD software to draw my circuits. I prefer to use the circuit side.[I do not prefer to use the component side diagrams, because one can make mistakes while drawing a mirror image in CAD]. However, it is up to personal choice, to choose the preferred circuit.
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Requirements :
* The circuit diagram of the circuit.
Commonly available :
* A computer connected to an inkjet printer.
* A thin shiny glossy paper. (Eg. Cover page of India Today, Vanita, Sport, Fast Track, Cover Fashion etc.)
* A plastic case/bucket large enough to dip in the board.
* Half a bucket of water.( No hard water)
* An Iron Box.
* A thread of about 25 cm.
* A scrubber/sand paper.
* A plastic / non-metallic spoon.
Stationary/Electronics Shop :
* A reasonable sized copper plate.
* Axo blade to cut copper plate to desired size and shape.
* A hand drill and pins of size 0.7 mm and 0.9 mm.
* A thin permanent marker pen ( 0.65 - 0.9 mm)
* Ferric Chloride powder to make an acid. ( Highly dangerous).
* Solder iron, flux and other necessities for soldering the components.
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Method :
Scrub the copper plate to get a shiny surface. Take the print of the desired circuit on the shiny / glossy paper and then keep it aligned with the shiny copper plate immediately. Press on it hard for a minute or two with a hot iron box. Do not try to pull out the paper. Dip the plate in water and let the plate to cool down. Slowly scrub off the wet paper.
Use the marker pen to draw the broken lines of the print, if any. Use the hand drill and an appropriate pin to make a through hole in any of the corner points. Tie a thread through the hole. Mix the ferrous chloride powder in water.(Add powder to water and not vise-verse). Add about a table spoon of chemical to 250 ml of water.
Note :
> Reaction is highly exothermic and spontaneous.
> Wear gloves while using the chemicals.
> Use only plastic/non metallic vessels and stirrers.
Dip the copper plate holding the thread into the diluted chemical. Move the plate slowly holding the thread to make the reactions faster. Keep the board in the solution for about 15-20 minutes to completely remove the copper from unnecessary parts.
Remove the plate from the chemical solution and wash thoroughly under running water. Scrub off any paper sticking to the plate to regain the shiny circuit tracks. Dry the plate under under hot sun for about 20 minutes. Drill holes in the plate as required. Solder the components and enjoy making the printed boards for your projects and astonish your friends.
All the Best !
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