>
> Exactly, but has anyone deposited solder or solder paste to form traces and
> larger pads on such a board?
>
> And what about reducing the pad/space size to 5 mils or even smaller (to
> whatever minimum size is practical) in order to allow for larger pads and
> traces to be made by combining the tiny pads with solder?

The problem I always had was that solder wanted to pool up on individual pads.  The trick was to flood enough solder (and flux) and drag it along.  But you still had to go back and touch things up.  Or you could use a bit of wire-wrap wire, stripped bare and use that  to lay out the trace before flooding the area.  I don't use this method any more.  I either mill the board directly or have it fab'd (AP Circuits, etc)

I'd bet that if you did it with solder paste, it would just pool up and you would have a hard time keeping a continuous line going.  Surface tension of a liquid and all that physics.  It won't flow when you want it to and it will flow when you don't want it to!

Rob

>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: piclist-bounces@mit.edu [mailto:piclist-bounces@mit.edu] On Behalf Of
> Robert Young
> Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2007 12:33
> To: Microcontroller discussion list - Public.
> Subject: RE: [EE] Idea: Printing SMT Circuit Boards with solder bleed
> tracesbetween tiny copper islands.
>
>
>
>> From: jamesnewton@massmind.org
>> To: piclist@mit.edu
>> Subject: [EE] Idea: Printing SMT Circuit Boards with solder bleed traces
> between tiny copper islands.
>> Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2007 11:53:33 -0800
>>
>> Idea: Printing SMT Circuit Boards with solder bleed traces between tiny
>> copper islands.
>
> http://www.philmore-datak.com/np/Page%2014.pdf
>
> Other versions exist. I've made my own with 30mil and 10mil squares on 50
> or 25 mil centers on one side and solid plane on the other side. Both as
> small etched areas on other boards, to be sheared off as needed or milled
> them on an LPKF.
>
> Rob
>
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