Mastodawn

Giles Goat

@evolutional

*SOB* .. WHY ? WHY 100x100mm ??

WHY NOT 160x100mm ??!!

</Despair>

( I meant all time I see $5 offers for formats like those and the moment one wants 160x100 the prices skyrocket )

.. if you ask "why 160x100" then "you don't know" ..

@gilesgoat hah, because that's the cheap tier at Pcbway and I'm being a skinflint

@gilesgoat yeah the price jump from 100x100 to even something a tiny bit higher is sorta nuts.

If this works out as a format I'm very likely to bump up the size though, as I'm almost certainly going to need it

@evolutional I used to do PCB at home with all the problems that come out. My problem with stuff like PCBway is that "cheap" well "yes if you plan to sell what you do" ( and recoup some of the costs ). MY problem is that for doing "one or two pieces for myself" that BTW could be "a test" may need further modifications is still "a bit too expensive". Plus I like to work rackmount/Eurocard format so you see the problem.

@gilesgoat yes! Very much this.

I'm down in the rabbit hole of home fabrication too. The current (and probably final) experiments are with photo resist methods. I bought one of those cheap cnc machines thinking it'd help, but I've had nothing but a terrible experience doing anything bigger than tiny boards on it.

@gilesgoat I don't need half a dozen professional grade boards that done work, I want a single board I can make a few mods to when things just don't work. Plus I don't want to wait 3 weeks for them to rock up only to find there's bugs.

Thats the motivation for trying out some of these custom proto boards. They should be good enough to solder a few things together and maybe even wire wrap some of the buses.

@evolutional
Can't do it right now, I am supposed to work 😂 But maybe later I can exchange with you some of my HOME PCB fabrication experiences/suggestions. "I went into that rabbit hole form many years" I can do dual layers PCBs. Single side "no problem" .. but nowadays the problems are the CHIPS, 0.5mm pitch and stuff like that. CNC I am NOT sure is the way to go I am afraid. As I said "let's talk later" :) I can send you some pictures and things and tell you "experiences".

@gilesgoat aye very much interested in this. I get really shit results most of the time 😁

@evolutional I may try to make some document ( maybe with pics ) titled "experiences in home PCB design" .. as what I have to say on the subject is a bit long for "a few posts".

@evolutional It's really like "chemistry" once you found "a recipe/method that works" don't change it, and note it down precisely what you done. 60% of the problems is in the quality of the photo-resist applied to the PCB. 40% in the print quality of the 'master'. I used to buy pre-sensitized PCBs from RS and I think was MEGA UK, doing it with spray/etc. is really difficult, I haven't tried yet with FILM now that it seems affordable.

@gilesgoat the main thing I've noticed with the film approach so far is that it seems to be really easy to get an uneven application. Eg, a tiny bubble or wrinkle can leave gaps.

Interesting thought on the initial master print quality too. My 25 year old laser printer is probably going to be pretty rough

@evolutional .. don't tell me you too have an HP Laserjet P1505 ... and yes I tried even those "special translucents for PCBs" they are a BIT better than tracing paper but NOT that much ( or the printer isn't ) ..

@gilesgoat it's some Brother laser printer I bought in 2002 and it still has the original laser toner cartridge. I don't think it'll ever run out haha