After all our discussions recently about plotting directly on a PCB blank,
the November 1997 issue of Electronics Now has details of a new method for
making PCB's that promises to be the easiest yet.

In a nutshell, this method involves printing the copper pattern directly on
a special flexible foil, which is then etched in a relatively benign
etchant solution, all before actually affixing the pattern to the PCB.  The
author recommends designing your patterns to use 0.1 inch centers so you
can use a prepunched perfboard and not have to do any drilling, but you can
also use a standard epoxy blank and drill as normal.

When your pattern is etched, it is glued to the perfboard or blank and then
used like a normally created PCB.  Although the author doesn't mention it,
using this technique with a perfboard looks like it would make creating
double sided boards a snap (of course sans the plated through holes).

If you are copying someone else's pattern (such as from a magazine), it is
 unlikely it will be on exactly 0.1 inch centers, so you will have to use
a normal blank and drill it.

Before anyone asks, since this is one of the highest profile electronics
magazines on the market, and since it has just hit the newsstands, I will
NOT be scanning this article for PICLIST members.  Sorry, but it just takes
up too much of my time.


CIAO - Martin R. Green
elimar@bigfoot.com