For me A4 sticky paper worked best and cheapest, remove sticker and print on the non sticky smooth side.
The web has many tutorials on making PCBs, so I decided to try making some for my projects. However I failed.
What paper should I use for making PCBs and what am I doing wrong? Please provide the links for the products.
There is yellow starch paper on ebay that's very cheap and works absolutely great, this paper doesn't stick to the pcb, only the toner does. Then maybe you need to tell us exactly what your expectations and results are. The outcome will never be perfect with this method. People always spend time correcting the traces where the toner didn't stick. It will never be 100% repeatable. The more you will perfect this method, the more you will realize that it's fundamentally bullshit and that it only has a lot hype because of the new hacker/maker trend.
If you're doing this to learn how to etch or because you like to do everything yourself; fine.
It has been my experience that using a board house is a cheaper AND better option. Most of them offer free layout software. You design, upload, pay, and a week later very professional boards come in the mail. You can put down graphics in the mask and other fine detail that you would never do in a kitchen etch job.
Plus, your future projects will churn faster and faster as you learn to plunk down a design with a layout tool.
I know I'm not a lot of help on your posted question, but I'm trying to aid your overall development. Good luck with your projects.
yellow starch paper
Quoteyellow starch paper
Thats a new one on me, but interested in giving it a try, if it gives more consistent results.
On Ebay UK I can only find 'Edible Rice Paper' is that one and the same ?
thanks
Huh, I am using this method for almost 15 years and I've got much better results than from ANYTHING else, even photo process...
2dm^2 Double-sided boards with QFPs are not problem. However it all depends on stuff that has to be perfected over time (like the right paper, I use one branch of magazine or special foil), toner (I have best results with one certain brand) and your iron adjustment and technique... I wouldn't say it's fundamentally bullshit, not at all, my friend even uses this in his manufacture for all proto-boards...
I personally have had good luck with Pulsar's Toner Transfer Paper. You can get it from digikey.
It's basically craftsmanship. It's all about scrubbing the copper with the right kind of green sponge, for the right amount of time and your tongue at the right angle.
Huh, I am using this method for almost 15 years and I've got much better results than from ANYTHING else, even photo process...
2dm^2 Double-sided boards with QFPs are not problem. However it all depends on stuff that has to be perfected over time (like the right paper, I use one branch of magazine or special foil), toner (I have best results with one certain brand) and your iron adjustment and technique... I wouldn't say it's fundamentally bullshit, not at all, my friend even uses this in his manufacture for all proto-boards...
I'm not arguing that fine pitched boards can be made with this method, I managed to get reasonable quality 8 mil tracks too when I was doing toner transfer.
What I don't like about toner transfer is that it's not reproducible. It's basically craftsmanship. It's all about scrubbing the copper with the right kind of green sponge, for the right amount of time and your tongue at the right angle. Then it works with glossy paper from this month magazine, but not the next month. Some brands of printers work while others don't. That is why you have thousands of tutorials, people spend huge amounts of time trying to find exactly what works for them and often they do. And even with your personal perfect method there is not that much control. One day the humidity in your room is higher, or your printer started heating the toner with 5°C more and you have to start the experimentation all over again.
On the other hand, the photo method is a real industrial process. You can order a set of tools and chemicals from a vendor like Farnell for less than 100 dollars and having perfectly nice boards the next day.
I should have mentioned that I use pre-sensitized boards and the revealing chemical that goes with them. It costs around 4 euros for eurocard sized pcbs. The boards are covered with vinyl so they can be cut in day light and the unused parts can keep their protection.
The only thing that needs calibration is exposure time, but the light source is not that important as long as it is spatially even.
I totally agree that if you take the challenge of sensitizing the boards yourself, it becomes the same craftsmanship as toner transfer with a lot of variables and tricks.