Oli Glaser wrote:
> This does seem to be a recurring subject. My experiences are much the
> same as above. We use the photo method (tried other ways but found this
> the best/most repeatable) to make the odd prototype board when needed
> quickly. Have used it for most SMD footprints (apart from BGA) with
> pitch down to 0.4mm and traces down to 10mil with no problems. We use
> through hole rivets (available down to 0.4mm dia) from Mega for double
> sided stuff.

Can anyone recommend a US source for the through hole rivets?


> Works well to quickly try ideas out (but does not save money)

Do you use UV or regular light? For hobby use (=3Dtime is cheap) the photo=
=20
method is about half the price of any board house.


> Hot
> etching fluid (40 - 45 deg C) and proper agitation make a big difference
> to results/etching time (~5 min for hot/agitated compared with up to 1
> hour for cold)

Absolutely, I wouldn't even try it cold. Do you use Ammonium Sulfate for th=
e=20
etchant?

We recently improved the process by buying a more powerful fishtank pump an=
d=20
replaced the dremel with a Proxxon drill press:

http://hackaday.com/2009/02/27/tools-proxxon-drill-press-tbm115tbm220/

No more broken drill bits.

Vitaliy=20

--=20
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