Monday, August 17, 2009

Press-n-Peel PCB making

Last time I did this (about 4 years ago) it all went swimmingly smooth, and I had no problems at all. This time, was a disaster.

The main change (I believe) is that I have different Laser printers now. A different brand (and, obviously, different toner).

It seems the temperature required for the PCB transfer is much higher. So the instructions for a "Brother MFC" laser printer are:
  1. Print the PCB in "Mirror" (it goes upside down, on bottom of the board).
  2. Thoroughly scratch the surface of the PCB with 600 wet & dry paper (NOT steel wool).
  3. Then wet ... but don't touch with fingers (NO OIL !)
  4. Then put a chopping board (wooden) on ironing table, with board on top of that.
  5. Then iron on nearly full heat (2/3rds the way up the "steam" setting).
  6. Press down hard. Edges need special attention.
  7. Do this for 3 or 4 minutes.
  8. Leave the board alone while it cools down by itself.