I´m doing a pcb’s in Protel and I would like to do that at home with the UV light and copper corrosion method.
I have the pcb design and I would like to know if there is some way to print the drawing with the routes and the holes (drills), because I can´t print that in simultaneous. I need that print to know where I have to pierce.
Thanks in advance.
The best way to do this is to have matching holes on both layers. Then line up the layers on the board an drill through them. Now if you stick a pin through these holes (3 or more) they should line up right.
This isn’t easy. I’ve found homemade boards are not good quality and lack features (i.e. plates vias and through holes). I used a Toner Transfer technique that doubled as a silkscreen process… but rather poor quality.
If you get good results, I’d like to see. I might just be doing something wrong.
pre-sensitized boards can be used to make some pretty good PCB. still no PTHs like kirin/kuroi 
mentioned but its pretty easy to make it work.
To print, why don’t you produce gerbers and then use pentalogic viewmate (free) to print it out. that’s what I do. works quite well.
I´m using pre-sensetized boards, but I want to know how I can print the top layer with the apertures (routes in black and apertures in white).
I need that print to remove the copper in the place off the apertures to later drill the holes. I´m using protel.
Thanks a lot.
Unless I’m mis-reading what you’re asking…
You’re just going to have to make marks on the board (with matching drill marks/holes) to line it up. It’s tricky, but I’ve done it and it works. (This is usually called registration… no clue why.)
Because I´m using the UV light method, I need a print with the tracks, pads, holes… I can´t print the apertures in white, in order to apply the UV light in the pre-sensetized board to later remove the copper in the apertures and around the tracks, with the copper corrosion method.
Conclusion-> In protel a need to print the tracks and pads in black, and in the middle of the pads I need the aperture in white. Is this print possible?
Thanks.
I don’t know about protel but it is easy with eagle.
but, why? I use the gerber approach that I mentioned and don’t worry about having etched targets. The center of the pad is pretty obvious and in >50 pcbs, I’ve never missed enough for it to make a difference.
The key to making the toner transfer work is to use a laminator you can get at staples to melt on the toner in one or two passes.
I align and tape the top and bottom toner layers together, then tape them to one side of the board and drill two 1/16" holes through the whole stack. I then push 1/16 dowel rods into the holes and place the two layers back on the pins on each side of the board. Finally tape down both layers, remove pins and run through laminator and etch both sides at once.
I then drill the holes, the hardest part of the process. Next I solder buss wire through the .7mm vias and get a working board, although not the most attractive, the turnaround time is unbeatable.
Jamie