at home. Just convert the article's schematic to a board, buy the parts and put it together. Just a few steps short of a pre-kitted project.
The steps for Making your own
PCB's at Home:
Preliminary Stuff
While
making PCB's at home isn't particularly difficult, it's not a trivial undertaking. You need to acquire some kind of
PCB layout program, and build or buy some specialized equipment. There's also a bit of a learning curve to it, especially the
PCB layout tool. There's nothing stopping you from using resist-pen, or even a simple computer paint program to define the
traces. The downside is that this will limit you on the complexity of the circuit you can lay out, and make it harder to incorporate changes down the line.
PCB Layout Software
There's really no point in using the etch resist pen or paint program because a commercial-quality layout tool can be had for free. It's called
EAGLE PCB, put out by
CadSoft. You can download for free either a Linux or Windoze version of this
layout tool, whose only limitation is a maximum of one schematic page and about a 2.5x4" PCB size. This is more than enough for most hobby/ham projects, and if you need more than that, the registered version cost is very reasonable. I run the Linux version and am very happy with it. Plan on spending a few (or more) evenings getting to understand the interface and component libraries, and you will see this is a much better solution than etch markers or paint programs.
Equipment Procurement
Depending on how resourceful you are, you can spend a little or a lot on
etching equipment. I wimped out and bought most of my equipment but it wasn't hard to justify after seeing the results. I'm using what's known as the "toner transfer method", where you print your
board layout onto a special paper using a laser printer, then "re-fuse" the toner onto a blank copper board using a laminating machine. Then you soak the paper off, leaving the toner behind. The etchant can't eat through the toner, so any copper covered with toner remains behind as
circuit traces or component pads. Seems simple, and it is. But there are a few gotchas that will make or break the success of this process, so save yourself the grief that I went through and follow along below as we go through the process of making a board.
Making your own PCB's at Home,
K5XLP
See more:
Printed Circuit Board Software - WinCircuit 2008
