Make Your Own Printed Circuit Boards Part 3 - Drill!

This is the third of my 3-part vlog mini-series on high quality PCB manufacturing. In these vlogs I will show the specialized tools and equipment that you will need to make your own high quality PCB's from scratch, with step by step demonstrations of each stage - from rendering and checking the artwork, to applying the resist to copper clap boards, to etching, to drilling the PCB's.

[MSIk]

Nothing more beautiful than a beautiful lady who is immensely knowledgeable and most of all, enjoys her technical side. Keep up the great work!

[monkeyxx]

Fran, you are so amazingly technical! It's mind melting! These are the videos I had always hoped you would make. Frantone siempre!

[InsurgentX]

You blew it: should been called "Drill, baby, drill"! Missed opportunity ;)
Thanks for the video. Keep up the great work!

[barryg]

Good idea on the aquarium pump! Fran your PCB series is great!

[FranLab]

Rosin core lead solder all the way - I prefer to hand solder with an iron. No need to tin the board traces necessarily, but if you don't want them to patina at all you can coat them with acrylic spray.

[rmhutchins]

I appreciate the effort you made to make these videos (the 3-part series). I enjoyed them very much, and they were very educational. I learned a lot about making PCBs. Thank you!

[automaticprojects]

This three part series was terrific Fran. Thanks for sharing. I just started etching PCBs a few months ago, first doing a few with the Datak positive-sensitived boards and a 100W light and then trying the Press N Peel blue and finally the PulsarFX toner transfer sheets. I don't have a t-shirt press and never got the PnP artwork to transfer well enough with an iron, but I did buy an $80 laminator which seems to work great with Pulsar's toner system. I haven't tried a double-sided board yet.

[AffordBindEquipment]

this is just one amazing series, and probably one of the most concise informative project series on youtube. total props to you for what you have done here!

[davidduffy]

Fran, every time I watch one of your clips I check the numbers watch expecting millions. You are just crazy talented!

[MrPsychodeejay]

Greetings from the UK and WOW!!! Girlpower!! :) Just found your your vids and youve certainly impressed me!! :) you are a true inspiration to every female and what they can acheive!! :) PS I love the 'Dies' youve made for drilling multiple PCBs!! I hate the drilling process! Lol will be using your method in the future! :) Thanks Fran!! :)

[Gringo_In_Chile]

This video, your knowledge and experience in one word... Awesome.
Ken

[Starphot]

I've been designing and making my own circuits and boards since 1972. My designs are of the RF/analog/digital genre. I've made a model rocket radio beacon while still in the Navy, to a function generator/ prototype test board after retiring from doing consumer electronic repair. I've made boards using an etch resist pens to the photo method using an inkjet transparency via a CAD program as a mask. Good videos! See my model rocket video from a 1973 super-8 movie with a radio beacon in it.

[NoMercy]

Hi Fran, your drill press looks like a rebadged Proxxon TBM 220 drill press.

I made little light in the hole where the drill goes on my Proxxon, so you get light through your PCB it makes easy to locate where to drill.

[jdcorless]

That was really interesting. Thanks for taking the time to create this series and share. I have learned a lot.

[frac]

I never thought of the carbide issue. Like you said, I uses HSS, and they kind of "seek" the hole - but the bit would bend ever so slightly bit rather than the board moving. Also, I rigged up a foot pedal (piano wire on the handle to a foot loop.

[evahle]

Excellent video. Very thorough and professional. Thank you! 

[FranLab]

Others have said that a laminator works well - the heat press not only provides the heat but also pressure, and I suppose a laminator would do the same job. But the steam transfer method is pretty baddass. :-)

[SandyWalsh]

Excellent 3-part series Fran! Keep up the great work!

Certainly a simple low-costed CNC machine would help with the drilling process. I'm sure it would pay for itself in no time (given the time to create a jig/template/etc)

[SuperHaunts]

That's a wonderful tip for the use of the aquarium pump! Thank you!

[abqden]

Very good! Thank you for passing this information on to the rest of us.