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PCB etching (prototyping)

by TechnicalKid on November 12, 2016

Table of Contents

PCB etching (prototyping) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro: PCB etching (prototyping) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1: Things you need. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 2: Create and print your layout. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 3: Expose the PCB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 4: Developing the PCB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Step 5: Etching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Step 6: Tinning (optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Step 7: Drilling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Step 8: Photoresist (the next few steps are optional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Step 9: Exopse the laminate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Step 10: Developing the dryfilm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Step 11: Hardening the dryfilm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Step 12: Cut out your PCB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Step 13: Now you have your very own printed - circuit - boards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

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http://www.instructables.com/id/PCB-Etching-prototyping/
 Author:TechnicalKid
I´m 14 jears old and from Austria near Germany, i´m interested in electronics chemistry and physics. I do my best to upload some great Projekts which you
hopefully like.

Intro: PCB etching (prototyping)

Making circuits is great but what if you want to make your ideas a bit more permanent? That´s when it´s great to be able to make your own PCBs at home.

I´ll show you how to make your own single sided Printed Circuit Boards at home. If you want to get one step further you can also learn how to tin and apply a solder-resist
dryfilm to it.

Step 1: Things you need.

Chemicals:
Sodiumpersulfate - Na2S2O8
Sodium Carbonate aka. washing soda - Na2CO3 (Optional only for dry film)
Distilled water
Fotopositive developer

Materials:

Foto coated PCB

Printer film

Tools:
Rotary tool
Jigsaw (only if you plan to cut out something on your pcb)
Nibbler (can be handy)
Plastic tweezers
Something for sanding
Brush
Exposure unit with frame* (UV lamp)
Etching unit (or beaker and heatplate)

Others:
Gloves
Open container for developing
Eye protection
Funnel (for filling liquids back into their bottles)

Optional:

Dry film solder stop laminate

Laminator
Chemical tinning fluid

*I´ll show you later on

http://www.instructables.com/id/PCB-Etching-prototyping/
 Image Notes
1. Positive developer
2. Sodiumpersulfate
3. Sodiumcarbonate (optional, only for dry film)
4. Distilled water

Image Notes
1. Photo coated PCB
2. Photo coated PCB
3. Printer-film
4. Printer-film

Image Notes
1. Gloves
Image Notes 2. Eye protection
1. Rotary tool 3. Funnel
2. File or sandpaper 4. Some kind of open container for developing
3. Nibbling tool
4. Tweezers
5. Brush for developing
6. Jigsaw

http://www.instructables.com/id/PCB-Etching-prototyping/
 Image Notes
1. Solder resist dry film (has to be handled in the dark)
2. Laminator
3. Chemical tinning bath

Step 2: Create and print your layout.

1. Use your favourite Cad Software (mine is Cadsoft eagle) to design a PCB layout.

2. Open the layer settings and only enable the copper (top or bottom, depending on what type of pcb you´re planning to make), the pads, the Vias and the dimension
layers.

3. Put some printable transparency films into your printer.

4. Press the print button in your cad software and print out a black, real-scale version of your layout. Depending on your printer you may have to print the layout twice and
then stick the two printed films on top of each other to get a fully light stopping image.

If you want to add a solder resist later on:

1. Get back to your Cad software and open the layers menu

2. Now only enable the top-stop layer (or the bottom-stop layer, again depending on the type of pcb you´re planning to make)

3. Repeat the point 4.

Image Notes
1. Note: I´ve put a couple of small boards together to form one big board so that
it´s easier to handle

Image Notes
1. The dimension layer activates the borders
2. The dimension layer activates the borders
3. The dimension layer activates the borders
4. the top copper layer activates the copper traces and pads on the top of the
pcb
5. the top copper layer activates the copper traces and pads on the top of the
pcb
6. The top copper layer activates the copper traces and pads on the top of the
pcb
7. The pads layer activates the through hole pads

http://www.instructables.com/id/PCB-Etching-prototyping/
 Image Notes Image Notes
1. I had to stick two layers of film together to get a good result 1. This is the film for the optional solder resist
2. if you have some areas were light an shine throug you can use a sharpy to
make them light-proof
3. If you have some areas where light can shine through you can use a sharpy to
make them light-proof

Step 3: Expose the PCB

1. Peel off the protective layer from your PCB. Make sure you don´t touch the copper side of the PCB after removing the protective layer because if you do you´ll have
problems developing it

2. Align the printed film and the PCB so that all of the traces on the film have copper underneath them.

3. Put the PCB and the already aligned film betwen two glass plates to keep the film flat on the surface of the PCB. Use some magnets to hold the glass plates together
(like shown in the pictures)

4. Now expose the PCB to UV light. I used a 25W party UV light and it took about 5 minutes to finish exposing

Image Notes Image Notes

1. Peel off the protective layer 1. I use HDD magnets to hold the glass plates together
2. Now the spots where you want to have copper are covered with black spots on
the printed film

Image Notes
1. Expose the PCB to UV light

http://www.instructables.com/id/PCB-Etching-prototyping/
Step 4: Developing the PCB
Now it´s time to put on your gloves and eye protection. Don't take them off during the entire etching process

1. Mix the developer following the description on its package. I´ve never tried it myself but 10g of NaOH in 1 litre of water should work as well.

2. Put your PCB into the developer solution immediately after finishing the process of exposing.

3. Use your brush to help the developer remove the photoresist.

4. Do this for about 30 seconds until no photoresist is coming off anymore but don´t take it out yet. Let it develop a little bit longer than it seems to need. That way you can
be sure that all of the unnecessary photoresist is removed. Otherwise your etching results will ruin your day.

5. Rinse the PCB with tap water and move on to the next step

NOTES:
When you have finished developing take your developer and pour it into your sink. It´s basically the same stuff used for drain cleaners.

Image Notes
1. That´s how the pcb looks after developing. If you have a different type of pcb
the colour of the photoresist may be different

Image Notes
1. Use a brush to help the developer remove the photoresist

Step 5: Etching
1. Mix your etchant: Use 250g of sodiumpersulfate (Na2S2O8) per litre of distilled water.

2. Pour the etchant into your etching unit and heat it to 50 °C (don´t overheat it because sodiumpersulfate starts to decompose at over 50°C)

If you don´t have an etching unit just fill the etchant into a heat resistant beaker and put it on top of a heatplate. Also heat it up to about 50°C

3. As soon as the etchant has reached its final temerature take your PCB, put it inside and start the air supply of your etching unit (If you use the beaker method take a
stirring rod and just stir the solution with the PCB in it.)

4. Leave it inside the etchant until all of the copper has "disappeared"

5. Rinse the PCB with tap water.

6. If you use an etching unit make sure you take out the etchant and store it in another not airtight container. Otherwise your air bubbler may get damaged.

NOTES:

The etchant will turn blue and start getting inefficient after a couple of PCBs. When you realise that the etching process starts taking way longer, change your
etchant and take the old one to your local chemical waste center Warning: "The used etching solution contains dissolved copper which isn´t good for your
environment "

http://www.instructables.com/id/PCB-Etching-prototyping/
 Image Notes
1. If you use fresh etchant it takes about 10 - 15 minutes until you can see the
copper "disappear" from the board

Image Notes
1. As soon as you put Your PCB into the etchant you will notice a slight colour
change of the copper.
2. My etching unit has got an air system to mix up the etchant and speed up the
process

Step 6: Tinning (optional)

1. Remove the excess photoresist by cleaning the PCB with acetone

2. Take your tinning fluid and fill it into an open container.

3. Put your PCB into it and leave it in there for about 5 - 10 minutes

4. Take the PCB out of the solution and rinse it with tap water

5. Pour the tinning fluid back into a glass bottle using the funnel. Store it in a place where no pets or kids can reach it.

NOTES:

The tinning fluid is reusable, but after some time the efficiency will decrease. If this is the case bring it to your local chemical waste center.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. you can clearly see the photoresist coming off here 1. Put the PCB into your tinning fluid so that the entire surface is covered

http://www.instructables.com/id/PCB-Etching-prototyping/
 Image Notes
1. When finished you can see that all of the copper traces have turned to a
silverish colour

Step 7: Drilling
1. Take the rotary tool and the right sized drill bit.

2. If you have a drill stand, fix your rotary tool in it.

3. Make sure you´ve got good light so that you can clearly see where the holes need to be.

4. Drill all the holes you need

5. Clean your pcb.

Image Notes
1. I prefer to use a rotary tool in a drill stand to drill the holes for my pcb
2. Use the right sized drill bit to make your holes

Step 8: Photoresist (the next few steps are optional)

Before you start, turn on your laminator so you don´t have to wait for it at point 6.

1. Get some Solder resist dry-film

2. Then dim the lights and take it out of its lightproof packaging

3. Take two pieces of strong tape and stick them to the top and the bottom side of one corner.

4. Then pull the two pieces of tape apart like shown in the pictures. You´ll end up with one transparent and one green layer. Put the transparent layer to the trash and
hold on to the green one.

5. The green layer has got two sides, one side is mat and the other side is shiny. Take your PCB and lay the mat side of the dryfilm onto it. Make sure you don´t get any
bubbles in between them.

6. Once your laminator has reached its final temperature (which should be about 150 °C), put your PCB onto a piece of paper and run it through the laminator 2 - 5 times.
Just make sure that the entire PCB gets hot.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. Remove the first clear layer with the help of two strong pieces of tape 1. I took my laminator apart so that the PCB doesn´t get stuck inside

http://www.instructables.com/id/PCB-Etching-prototyping/
Step 9: Exopse the laminate
1. Take the film for the solder mask you printed in step 2 and align it with your PCB.

2. Again clamp the PCB and film between two glass plates using some strong magnets.

3. Expose the PCB to UV light (It takes about 6 minutes with my 25W UV lamp).

4. Now you have to let the PCB rest in a dark place for about 1 hour.

Note: All the areas that don´t get exposed to the UV light will come off in the development process.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. Align the printed film with the pads and holes on the PCB 1. Expose the dryfilm - with the printed film on it - to UV light.
2. Again clamp the PCB and the film between two glass plates using strong
magnets

Step 10: Developing the dryfilm

1. Mix the developer by dissolving 10 g of sodium carbonate into one litre of water (You won´t need the whole litre. I just used 100 ml of it)

2. Remove the last transparent protective layer with the help of some adhesive tape (like shown in the pictures)

3. Put your PCB into the developer solution and use a brush to help the developer remove the solder resist from all of the pads.

4. When all of the unnecessary dryfilm has been removed take the PCB out of the solution and rinse it with tap water.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. Place a piece of tape in one corner and then peel off the last protective layer 1. Remove the last protective film with the help of a piece of strong adhesive tape

http://www.instructables.com/id/PCB-Etching-prototyping/
 Image Notes Image Notes
1. Develop with sodium carbonate 1. That´s how the PCB looks after developing the dryfilm
2. Use a brush to help the developer remove the dryfilm on the pads
3. You can see the dryfilm dissolving

Step 11: Hardening the dryfilm

1. Take your PCB and harden the dry film by exposing it to UV light. With my 25 W uv lamp it takes about one hour (I expose it for 1/2 hour then I let it cool off and after
that I expose it for another 1/2 hour)

2. You can make sure that it has finished hardening by trying to scratch the dryfilm with your fingernail, you shouldn´t be able to scratch it after hardening.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. Harden the dryfilm with UV light. This time you don´t have to clamp it between 1. The finished board looks like this.
two glass plates.

Step 12: Cut out your PCB

If you´ve done it like me you will now have to cut out your tiny boards, if not you´ll just need to cut the outlines of one board.

1.(optional) Use a nibbling tool to cut out the rough shape of your PCB

2. Use a jigsaw to follow the outline of your PCB(s)

3. Use a sanding block, a file or a discsander to give your board(s) a nice finish.

Image Notes
1. Then I mount my mini-jigsaw upside down to cut out the rest of my PCBs

http://www.instructables.com/id/PCB-Etching-prototyping/
 Image Notes
1. I use my nibbling tool to cut out the rough shape of the PCB

Image Notes Image Notes

1. After cutting, the edges are very rough 1. I use my disc sander to give the edges a nice finish

Step 13: Now you have your very own printed - circuit - boards
You are done!

That´s how simple it is to make custom printed circuit boards at home.

As you can see in the pictures the quality is quite nice. There are some tiny imperfections which are caused by the resolution of my inkjet printer.

Thanks for your attention!

I hope you like this Instructables. If you have any questions share them in the comments and I will answer them as soon as possible.

If you make a PCB with the help of this instructables post a picture in the comments - I´d love to see your results.

Stay safe !

Image Notes
http://www.instructables.com/id/PCB-Etching-prototyping/
 1. The finished PCBs

Image Notes
1. Closeup directly after etching

Image Notes Image Notes

1. Closeup directly after etching 1. Final closeup

Image Notes
http://www.instructables.com/id/PCB-Etching-prototyping/
 1. Final closeup

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