Hi guys I’m new here and I I was kinda having troubles in making my PCB with the laser printer method. I got my design printed out on to photo paper glossy with a laser printer and as soon as I push hard with the iron it does not work and I am pushing for at least a minute. There was a small part that looked really good on the board but that was it. So I just wanted to ask when you print with a laser printer are you suppose to transfer the design right away from the paper and it you screw up like I did can you redo it on the same board or will the heat of the iron wreck the board. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Only some type of glossy photo paper works. You can also try glossy magazine paper. The real heavy stock stuff is what I hear works.
You do not need to iron it on right away, so either your iron isn’t hot enough, or the paper isn’t going to work for you. My iron is cranked up to max when I do it.
I use the old Staples photo paper that I still have. I hear it’s not the same anymore though and doesn’t work. You’d have to google around to see what paper is the best now. You can also try the DIY PCB yahoo mailing list.
You can clean the board and try again if it goes wrong. I tried toner transfer but couldn’t get it to work properly, I get excellent results with the standard photo-etch process with transparencies printed on my inkjet printer.
Also look for a product called ‘Press-N-Peal’. They were blue sheets with some stuff on them that would transfer along with the toner. Back when I did my own PCBs a few years back, I had good success with this method. If there are any minor problems, then an etch-resist pen could clear up spots where the transfer was inconsistent.
As others have said, if your transfer fails just clean off the board. I doubt your iron can hurt it; people bake PCBs in toaster ovens and skillets these days.
Actually guys I tried magazine like someone mentioned and it worked just a few imperfections like the text but other then that it is OK I just have to etch it now. Also can you use the press-n-peel method with ink jet printers?
A bunch of tiny tips have helped smooth the process for me.
Print onto thin magazine paper. I use the New Yorker, for instance. It’s glossy, which the toner sticks well to, but the paper is flimsy enough that it melts away under water, leaving your toner behind with little rubbing and no risk of peeling the toner off as with photo paper. The paper is too flimsy for my printer, though, so I tape the magazine page to a sheet of regular printer paper for backing. Print out 2-3 copies if your printer is far away from your etching station.
2a) Use as much pressure and as little heat as you can during the transfer. Set up the board on a low table so you can put your whole body weight onto the iron. You want to get the toner up to “fusing” temperature, but not to “melting” temperature, and use the pressure to do the work. Practice lowering the temperature on the iron, and you’ll see the traces go from “smooshed out” to nice, crisp edges. Keep lowering the temperature until the toner stops adhering somewhat. Now you know the upper and lower limits for your iron and setup. My thermometer reads 250-300F at the sweet spot for me. (This will vary across brand of toner, printer, board size, your weight, etc. You have to do the experiment yourself. But you only have to do it when you change setup.)
2b) If you mess up the transfer just a little bit, Sharpie can fill in just fine. In fact, sometimes I’ll just freehand a board in sharpie and then etch. (Be aware of the mirror-image problem if you’re freehand drawing a bottom copper layer.) If you mess up the transfer a lot, acetone and a paper towel will clean your board good as new. You printed extras, right?
Etching is the easy part. It goes faster with agitation and physical rubbing on the copper surface. A bunch of people use sponges soaked in etchant, but it can be messy. Another option is to etch in a ziplock bag. Then you can agitate by sloshing it around on a tray with minimal risk of spilling, and even rub the surface of the board through the baggie. If you get impatient and want to heat it up, dunk the whole thing in hot water. It’s a cool trick.
Hey thanks alot guys and Elliot that is a cool right up. I got the board etched and it looks like shit to me, well actually it looks OK but I have some broken traces now is that pretty much dead or can I rescue the board from broken traces?
leon_heller:
TT doesn’t work with inkjet printers.
Yeah, the toner transfer methods depend on the fact that the toner is essentially a plastic powder that has been melted and then adhered to the surface of the paper. When you iron it, you re-melt this plastic and force it to re-adhere to the PCB surface, while still hanging onto the paper. When you wash it, everything paper-wise that is not touching the toner peels/washes away. In theory :mrgreen:
I too have tried many papers and the best so far is shiny magazine paper (which does not want to feed in the printer)
I am using the printer that everyone says wont work “Brother” because its the only one I have.
I have achieved good results with it, When ironing I use the highest heat setting. I hold steady pressure on the board for about 60 to 90 seconds then I take the tip and using side pressure I iron over the whole board. I can see the runs on the board, they are slightly raised. I really give it a good ironing with the tip then steady pressure for 30 seconds.
I immediately pop it into very hot water and start the rubbing process the melt away the magazine paper.
I can not wait to try it on some other laser printer!!!
When I drill my holes for the cpu or any that have to be straight I use a piece of perfboard that matches the spacing.
I drill the first hole and the last hole and stick pins in to hold it then zip down the line.