PCB Making At Home

I loved playing with old torchlight cells and bulbs since my childhood. I used to decorate my tricycle with it and ride it in the courtyard of our house during evenings. There used to be frequent power cuts at our locality and my old battery – bulb combination used to serve the purpose of emergency lantern. Gradually, when I started learning about junction diodes, transistors, transformers etc, my interest slowly drifted towards electronics and it became my HOBBY subsequently.

Thereafter, I made several models like Emergency light, Overhead tank water level indicator, Simple timer, Darkness detector, IR remote control, FM transmitter, Audio amplifier etc. Most of my projects were made on Vero boards or Bread board. The bread board circuits were temporary and it had portability issue. On the contrary, my Veroboard circuits were time consuming, required accuracy; a little mistake in joining the components could mess up the entire project. I was then in search of some kind of ideas to make my own homemade PCB s. After Googling a while and referring to some electronics magazines, I was finally able to make my own PCB at home. Today, I will be narrating the steps here for the benefit of those who has the same objective which I had some time back. There are certainly infinite numbers of articles/videos present on the internet today which explains about homemade PCB making techniques. However, the following steps are the ones which I found most suitable for my purpose.

I am assuming that you already have the PCB layout ready with you which is produced from a suitable software like Cadsoft Eagle, Pad to Pad etc.

Items Required

1.Glossy photo paper (Kodak, 175-200 gsm, A4 size)
2.Copper clad board
3.Scotch brite
4.Nail polish remover
5.Electric iron
6.Wooden table
7.Sharpie pen
8.Towel and some cloth
9.Laser printer
10.Ruler
11.Pencil
12.Small hacksaw
13.Hand drill
14.One millimeter drill bit
15.Plastic containers (two)
16.Muriatic acid
17.Hydrogen peroxide
18.Plain water
19.Scissors
20.Some Tissue paper
21.Some Cello tape
22.Old Tooth brush
23.Rubber gloves
24.Plastic spoon

Step: 1

Take a print out of your PCB layout using the laser printer and the A4 photo paper. Keep in mind the following points:
•You should take the mirror print out
•Turn off all the advanced, optimal printer settings
•Select the output in black both from the PCB design software and printer driver settings
•Make sure that the printout is made on the glossy side of the paper

Step: 2

Cut the PCB layout carefully along the boarders and put it on the copper clad board. Draw the boarders on the board by using the ruler and pencil and cut it using the hacksaw. We need to be certain that the newly cut board which is going to be our intended PCB is free from oil or grease. So, we have to rub the copper side of the board with the Scotch brite until it is shiny and while it is done, please do not let your fingers touch the copper surface of the board. After this, tear a small piece of the Tissue paper and put some Nail polish remover on it. Gently rub it on the copper side of the board. It may require you to use another moist piece of Tissue paper to clean the board surface from oil or grease. After this is over, ensure that you do not touch the surface of the board with your fingers.

Step: 3

Now, that your board is ready for use, let us transfer the printed image from the photo paper to the board. Put the copper surface of the board on the printed layout. Ensure that the board is aligned correctly along the borders of the printed layout. Cut one or two small pieces of the Cello tape and put them along the two sides of the board (non-copper side). This will help to hold the board and the printed layout in position.

Step: 4

Heat up the Electric iron to the maximum temperature. Do not use the steam part if you are using a steam iron. Put the board and photo paper arrangement on a clean Wooden table with the back of the photo paper facing you. Hold one end of it by the Towel and put the hot iron on the other end for about 10 seconds. Now, iron the photo paper all along using the tip and applying little pressure for about 5 mins. Pay attention towards the edges of the board – you need to apply pressure, do the ironing slowly.

Step: 5

Put some plain Water in to the plastic container and immerse the board in to it. This will cool down the board. Use the old Tooth brush to rub off the paper from the PCB which you will find stuck on it after you complete Step: 4 above.

Step: 6

NOTE:You need to be EXTREMELY careful & cautious while performing this step.

Put on the Rubber gloves first. Then pour some Muriatic acid very slowly in to the other plastic container (keep a safe distance while doing this job). Next, add some Hydrogen peroxide – about two spoons. Ensure that the container with the acid solution is kept in a well-ventilated space because the gas which will come out due to the chemical reaction between the muriatic acid, hydrogen peroxide and copper should not be inhaled. Now slowly immerse the PCB that you are about to make within the acid solution. You will find some chemical reaction to happen and the colorless solution will slowly turn to a pale yellow color and finally to a greenish solution and it will release a little pungent gas while the reaction happens. You may increase the speed of the reaction by increasing the volume of hydrogen peroxide. However, I have got good results on a 2x2 inch PCB with 2 spoons of hydrogen peroxide and about 25-30 ml of muriatic acid.

Step: 7

Slowly lift the PCB by a stick or something from the acid tub and put it into the water tub. Take it out after about a minute or two, clean it with some Cloth. Moist some tissue paper with nail polish and rub it on your PCB. This will remove the toner from the tracks of your PCB.
OPTIONAL: You may also use Liquid Tin to prevent the copper tracks from oxidation.

Step: 8

Use the Hand drill to drill the holes on the PCB to mount and solder the components.

Finally, your homemade PCB is now ready for use. CHEERS!! :)

I would love feedbacks, comments from my readers

"Mirror" & "Black" options should be selected from the PCB design software

Printed layout from a Laser printer on a Photo paper

Printed layout from a Laser printer on a Photo paper for multiple PCBs

Copper clad board

Measurement before cutting the board

Cutting the board according to the size of the printed layout size

After rubbing with Scotch brite

After cleaning with Nail polish remover. Note the texture.