2 sided PCB - How to make / use vias for GND Plain

[made2hack]

Hi All,

So, I am wondering how everyone goes about connecting SIDE A to SIDE B of a 2 sided PCB? How do you make connections from your top to your bottom components? Or, if you are using side 2 for GDN plain, how do you make the connection?

I've found these Copper Rivets but at 21 Euros / 100, they seem rather expensive. I mean, 21 euro cents per connection?

Am I missing something? Can't I for example simply melt some solder in the hole connecting A to B? Or maybe just a metal pin? Like a jumper pin? Or a piece of copper wire?

Also, what about using "Side B" as a large GND plain to dissipate heat?

I want for example, SIDE A to have LEDs soldered on it, and the GND trace from SIDE A to connect to SIDE B so that the entire SIDE B can be used as a heat sink and where I could then attach another heat sink to it (seeing as the PCB board is nice and flat). How would I achieve this? Should I just solder some thin strips of copper or aluminium between SIDE A & B?

Thanks,

[Araho]

I'm assuming you are talking about boards you make yourself now, because every board I've had made professionally plates the vias without any fuzz.

What I do on my home-etched (/school-etched) boards is simply strip a small piece of wire, and solder it in there. This provides good contact, and is fairly quick to do.

[made2hack]

Yeah, this is for DIY PCB, like the plain copper pcb you subsequently etch.

[Neverther]

Remembered this:
http://hackaday.com/2012/10/03/through-hole-electroplating-in-your-home-lab/

[SeanB]

DIY board simply place a copper wire into the hole and bend over top and bottom and solder. For heatsinking then you just use a thick thermal pad to handle the uneven surface and place a heatsink on the back, with enough screws such that the board does not warp, or with a front brace to apply even pressure.

If the entire back is a ground plane with no traces you can even use some thermal epoxy and stick the board down to the heatsink with it, after filing or sanding the back to remove the bigger solder bumps, but not cut the wires off, just expose the copper slightly.

Edit WRT electroplating method. If the board is simple and you need only a few through holes and a few traces there isa a way where you make the board and etch it first then through plat the holes. The trick is to make all traces a single unit during layout, with a set of stub traces that run together into star points that are later, after you plate the board, simply drilled out to separate the traces. Done on larger SRBP boards with conductive ink traces so that they can electroplate the silver interface material onto the copper to improve reliability. You see this in a pattern of holes with 3 or more short thin traces running to them across the board. Works on low frequency boards only of course.

[Dago]

Just put a strand from a multistrand wire to a hole and solder it.

But IMO no sense in making PCBs yourself anymore (unless you're in a super hurry). 50x50mm two layer PCBs cost literally ten dollars from China.

[free_electron]

Or, if you are using side 2 for GDN plain,

you can't really make plane's on a double sided board... the plane effect requires tight coupling. unless you are doing flex boards or boards thinner than 16 mils it is not going to be a plane...

second , to work really right a ground plane's need a power plane as well. this mandates that you use 4 layer boards.

Am I missing something? Can't I for example simply melt some solder in the hole connecting A to B? Or maybe just a metal pin? Like a jumper pin? Or a piece of copper wire?

simply use the snipped off legs of passives like resistors. to go top to bottom. Do your layout such a way that you use component pins as via. then you simply solder them top and bottom. works great on IC's and resistors and ceramic caps. elco's are difficult as you can't reach under the body (radial elco's)

Also, what about using "Side B" as a large GND plain to dissipate heat?

that requires thermall mass or thermal conducts. only possible if you can fill the hole with solder. requires electroplating the hole walls. not doable at home.

I want for example, SIDE A to have LEDs soldered on it, and the GND trace from SIDE A to connect to SIDE B so that the entire SIDE B can be used as a heat sink and where I could then attach another heat sink to it (seeing as the PCB board is nice and flat). How would I achieve this?

that is not doable. the thermal resistance is too high. even if you shotblasted the board with via's this is not doable. if you want to get rig of the heat you need to look into metalcore boards. you can have those made in china for cheap. bascially an aluminum core with a single layer pcb on top. the pcb is kapton based and very thing. openings are made in the kapton tape so the led body can make thermal contact directly with the metalcore without having the thermal resistance of the kapton inbetween

[Jeroen3]

Put the board in vertical position using a vice.
Grab the bin of normal 1/4w resistors you've used on breadboard, but were unwilling to put back in the sorted cabinets.
Solder these in your via's, then cut the lead with a proper sidecutter.

While designing the board, keep in mind that your via capabilities are limited. Try not to put via's under other component bodies.

[M4trix]

Speaking of which, someone tried Bungard's Favorit press? The question is, does it make sense to have this tool for small turnarounds since it's quite expensive. The press is $300 bucks, tools are $127 and pack of 1000 rivets, $30 bucks.

http://www.tme.eu/en/details/bun-favorit/soldering-devices-others/bungard/

http://www.tme.eu/en/details/bun-favtools-08/soldering-devices-others/bungard/#

http://www.tme.eu/en/details/bun-rivetes-08/soldering-devices-others/bungard/#


http://www.bungard.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=48&Itemid=65&lang=english