-------------------------------------------------- From: "Michael Watterson" Sent: Sunday, July 25, 2010 2:26 PM To: "Microcontroller discussion list - Public." Subject: Re: [OT] Cheap place to get copper clad/circuit board material > On 25/07/2010 13:42, Oli Glaser wrote: >> >> -------------------------------------------------- >> From: "Olin Lathrop" >> >>> V G wrote: >>> >>>> ... I am going to etch my own circuit boards, ... >>> That makes no sense. That's for penny pinching hobbyists that value=20 >>> their >>> time at next to nothing. You are doing this for a real job where your >>> hours ... >>> cost your employer real money. ... >>> There is also the initial cost in materials and time to set everything= =20 >>> up, >>> the chemical disposal issues, space to store and maintain the equipment= , >>> etc. It doesn't add up. > Agreed 100% >> All reasonable points. However, one big plus for etching your own boards= =20 >> can >> be time whilst prototyping - it takes an hour to etch a board as opposed= =20 >> to >> waiting a few days for one from a PCB house. IMHO occasionally this can= =20 >> make >> sense to do, hobbyist or not. >> >> > That's what a PCB mill is for. > Even then, mostly it makes sense to wait the week for a professional=20 > board. Horses for courses - etching can produce finer pitch more easily/cheaply=20 than CNC. Indeed mostly it does make sense to wait, that's why I said "occasionally",= =20 like when trying a few different ideas out in a short space of time. I agree 99% with what was said, just pointing out that *sometimes* etching= =20 can have it's uses, though given the lower and lower prices and faster=20 deliveries of quality multilayer boards, it's almost never worth it anymore= .. =20 --=20 http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .