Re: Homemade PCBs!

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Original poster: "Jim Lux" <jimlux-at-earthlink-dot-net> 


----- Original Message -----
From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Sent: Sunday, April 25, 2004 9:31 PM
Subject: Re: Homemade PCBs!


 > Original poster: "Hydrogen18" <hydrogen18-at-hydrogen18-dot-com>
 >
 > I'm going to try something soon...any tips on making a PCB insulated to
 > 15000 volts?
 >
 > Also on the subject of CNC routers...they can be made cheap. Search the
web.
 > For prototyping purposes btw, you could use a drill press and a routing
bit.

The operative phrase is "made cheap"... time is money, and most of the adhoc
schemes on the web involve a significant amount of fabrication and fiddling
with software.   I have, over the years, scanned the web for good solutions;
by which I mean a combination of hardware and software that lets me use some
decent layout program and turn out decent boards, without 17 conversion
steps or too many manual operations.  Life is too short to do Linux kernel
rebuilds to make the router work.

After you've had to drill 200 holes by hand in each of 5 pc boards, the idea
of automation seems very attractive.

As far as prototyping (at least for precision work) goes, a drillpress,
routing bit, and xy table approach is fine for rough work, but you can't
hold tolerances to the levels you need for small SMT parts (i'd say you need
better than 0.001" off hand.... the parts are small, and 0.001 inch makes a
difference in transmission line characteristics).