Electronics > Beginners
Inexpensive & abunduntly available thermal transfer sheet for making PC boards
tkamiya:
I'm really NOT sure where to put this question. It's sort of elementary question, so I'm putting it here.
I bought a pack of yellow sheet supposedly for PC board making. No instructions or specs. But I know newer way of making PC board is to design it on PC and print on these using laser printer. Then use hot iron to transfer it to a PC board.
Well.... Laser printers have roller heater to fuse toners. So I'm afraid it may damage my printer.
Can anyone comment on this? I saw few videos and I know the process. But having no technical info on these scares me.
KL27x:
That stuff is basically laser printer label backing paper. Lots of people use this stuff with good results. About the worst problem you will find, IMO, is that it's thin and curly, so it can jam in your printer. And some of the toner might not fuse, causing "ghosting" when the unfused toner clings and fuses to the paper on the next go around. If your board is larger than the rollers/fusers in your printer, the ghosting can end up on your pcb print. If it's smaller, then the ghosting can end up on the next thing you print.
In the US, you can buy this stuff called Pulsar from Digikey or Mouser. It's also available at Amazon and places like that, but I think it's usually cheaper from the component distributors. The Pulsar paper is thicker than normal printer paper so it is easy to handle without curling or jamming, the toner fuses completely. It was a water soluble dextrin coating that handles very high temperatures without melting/burning/sticking, and the paper releases in about 10 seconds after wetting it. It costs way more than the yellow paper, but it's still basically nil compared to the time and labor you spend to make a board.
Just keep that in the back of your mind. I wouldn't spend on the the Pulsar until after you prove your method and printer is viable with the yellow paper. I bought that stuff on eBay, myself, just to see what it was. I binned the whole package, but I have already tried laser backing papers and photo papers and magazine papers. There's good reason I use Pulsar, but it boils down mostly to convenience... and maybe the last 1% of results and consistency, but if your process isn't there, then that doesn't matter.
Zero999:
Many people swear by special papers, my favourite was always magazine paper, but I've found plain old copier paper works quite well.
Why bother etching your own boards? Decent quality boards can be made fairly cheaply nowadays.
tkamiya:
I only need a very simple board. My circuit is subject to a lot of changes. I also don't know how to use K-cad or other CAD software and don't want to learn it at this time for my so simple needs. I was going to make artwork by hand, scan it, and print it out.
Yes, I know it's not hard. But learning CAD is not in my motivation.
Zero999:
--- Quote from: tkamiya on April 16, 2019, 06:20:21 pm ---I only need a very simple board. My circuit is subject to a lot of changes. I also don't know how to use K-cad or other CAD software and don't want to learn it at this time for my so simple needs. I was going to make artwork by hand, scan it, and print it out.
Yes, I know it's not hard. But learning CAD is not in my motivation.
--- End quote ---
How about using strip board? That's what I normally do when I want to make a quick prototype and have no time for a PCB.
I've also cut tracks into copper clad board, rather than strip board or etching it, because it was for a high current design, which needed thick traces. The low power part was done on strip board and connected to it with links.
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