Author Topic: Clear soldermask and black core PCB  (Read 13725 times)

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Offline BoogamiTopic starter

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Clear soldermask and black core PCB
« on: July 15, 2018, 10:15:27 pm »
Hello,
does anyone know a chinese PCB fab that can do a PCB like this

with transparent soldermask and black core FR4 I presume? I am looking for a pcb manufacturer that can do cheap pcb prototypes but with this awesome combo.
 

Offline tsman

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Re: Clear soldermask and black core PCB
« Reply #1 on: July 15, 2018, 10:37:57 pm »
I doubt any of the quick & cheap prototyping places will do that combination. Coloured soldermask and plain FR4 is pretty much the limit of those cheap deals so if you need black PCB but clear soldermask then be prepared to pay for a custom run.
 

Offline IconicPCB

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Re: Clear soldermask and black core PCB
« Reply #2 on: July 15, 2018, 10:38:23 pm »
It must come at an awesome cost.
It would be awesome if you could afford it.

Awesome
 
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Offline rea5245

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Re: Clear soldermask and black core PCB
« Reply #3 on: July 15, 2018, 10:49:17 pm »
Would it be cool enough to use regular FR-4 with black soldermask, but don't have the soldermask cover any of the traces?

Speaking of the traces, what's the finish on that board? It doesn't look like HASL or ENIG.

I googled for that image and it's the Analogue Nt, a Nintendo NES emulator. According to an article about it, the board is a "custom black PCB with exposed and raised copper traces, finished with a transparent solder mask."

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Offline sleemanj

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Re: Clear soldermask and black core PCB
« Reply #4 on: July 15, 2018, 10:54:57 pm »
Speaking of the traces, what's the finish on that board? It doesn't look like HASL or ENIG.

HASL / ENIG is done after solder mask, so only on the pads.  The trace colour is just what the bare copper looks like after it's coated in the clear soldermask.
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Offline Gary.M

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Re: Clear soldermask and black core PCB
« Reply #5 on: July 16, 2018, 08:49:44 pm »
I don't know where you'd get that done, but it certainly does look nice!

Hello,
does anyone know a chinese PCB fab that can do a PCB like this

with transparent soldermask and black core FR4 I presume? I am looking for a pcb manufacturer that can do cheap pcb prototypes but with this awesome combo.
 

Offline mikeselectricstuff

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Re: Clear soldermask and black core PCB
« Reply #6 on: July 16, 2018, 09:20:55 pm »
Clear soldermask can be found, but not from cheap proto services.
 Coloured FR4 will have significant MOQ and leadtime - forget cheap protos.
A 4 layer board with inner planes and clear soldermask might get you close-ish to that appearance though.
Or you could fake it with a black resist and silkscreen layer duplicating the trace pattern.
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Offline IconicPCB

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Re: Clear soldermask and black core PCB
« Reply #7 on: July 16, 2018, 10:53:16 pm »
Awesome cost.
 

Offline Gary.M

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Re: Clear soldermask and black core PCB
« Reply #8 on: July 16, 2018, 11:39:57 pm »
Awesome cost.
Sometimes aesthetics count.
 

Offline IconicPCB

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Re: Clear soldermask and black core PCB
« Reply #9 on: July 16, 2018, 11:56:00 pm »
No doubt.

But our OP is  " ...looking for a pcb manufacturer that can do cheap pcb prototypes but with this awesome combo..."
 

Offline Gary.M

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Re: Clear soldermask and black core PCB
« Reply #10 on: July 16, 2018, 11:59:18 pm »
No doubt.

But our OP is  " ...looking for a pcb manufacturer that can do cheap pcb prototypes but with this awesome combo..."
Yeah he was hopeful, no problem with that. And awesome is a figure of speech widely used amongst younger people. No need to scorch him over that.
 

Offline T3sl4co1l

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Re: Clear soldermask and black core PCB
« Reply #11 on: July 17, 2018, 02:26:42 am »
That's probably CG.  Looks good enough that it could be real, but it's also very unusual as you've noticed.

Incidentally, clear soldermask seems to have been more common back in the day; Tektronix used this back in the 70s.  Don't know if that's because it was a film process (with attendant poor registration tolerance -- not very suitable for SMT), or that that's how they preferred to do it.  But at the same time, a lot of places went with bare copper (probably HASL board, followed by wave soldering?), which was probably a bit of a mess for various characteristics, but was probably cheap and fast...

I don't know offhand of anywhere that has clear soldermask.

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Offline mikeselectricstuff

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Re: Clear soldermask and black core PCB
« Reply #12 on: July 17, 2018, 08:15:40 am »
That's probably CG.  Looks good enough that it could be real, but it's also very unusual as you've noticed.

Incidentally, clear soldermask seems to have been more common back in the day; Tektronix used this back in the 70s.  Don't know if that's because it was a film process (with attendant poor registration tolerance -- not very suitable for SMT), or that that's how they preferred to do it.  But at the same time, a lot of places went with bare copper (probably HASL board, followed by wave soldering?), which was probably a bit of a mess for various characteristics, but was probably cheap and fast...

I don't know offhand of anywhere that has clear soldermask.

Tim
I've had clear mask from my UK supplier - attached pic is clear resist over ENIG.
Eurocircuits also offer it.
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Online TERRA Operative

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Re: Clear soldermask and black core PCB
« Reply #13 on: July 17, 2018, 09:04:00 am »
If you could get the black PCB but get them to do the ENIG process on all copper before the clear solder mask, that would look really nice....
Where does all this test equipment keep coming from?!?

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Offline mikeselectricstuff

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Re: Clear soldermask and black core PCB
« Reply #14 on: July 17, 2018, 09:56:16 am »
If you could get the black PCB but get them to do the ENIG process on all copper before the clear solder mask, that would look really nice....
That's what we did for the boards above.
Another option may be to get a black resist layer as a negative of the copper layer - probably easier and cheaper than getting black FR4.
Of course you need a sensible, preferably  local PCB place that you can talk to for doing special builds like this.
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Online reboots

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Re: Clear soldermask and black core PCB
« Reply #15 on: July 17, 2018, 07:53:24 pm »
I don't know about black prepreg. But I do know that Rogers RO4000/RO4350 laminates, typically used for high-performance RF applications, are pure white. Rogers material is available from most better fabs--for a significant price premium.

https://www.rogerscorp.com/acs/producttypes/9/RO4000-Laminates.aspx
 

Offline Hydron

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Re: Clear soldermask and black core PCB
« Reply #16 on: July 18, 2018, 08:20:29 pm »
Looks like that pic isn't CG:
https://www.theverge.com/2015/6/26/8850397/analogue-nt-premium-nes-nintendo-console

Certainly looks striking (other than that green 3-pin reg replacement module they've stuck in there!). Shame it's almost certainly out of hobbyist reach.
 
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Online reboots

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Re: Clear soldermask and black core PCB
« Reply #17 on: July 23, 2018, 09:40:53 pm »
This doesn't address OP's question in the slightest, but someone is selling black FR4 laminate on eBay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/162430211254

Could add a little something to DIY projects.
 

Offline In Vacuo Veritas

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Re: Clear soldermask and black core PCB
« Reply #18 on: July 24, 2018, 02:24:25 pm »
It is also possible to have two layers of soldermask. The customer is king.
One black layer that covers the substrate but leaves all copper exposed, then a clear layer over the copper except pads.
 
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Online reboots

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Re: Clear soldermask and black core PCB
« Reply #19 on: January 08, 2020, 08:04:04 pm »
Resurrecting this thread to mention that (US-based) OSH Park does now offer clear solder mask on black prepreg with their After Dark service:
 
https://docs.oshpark.com/services/afterdark/

Same price as standard prototype boards, somewhat longer lead time.
 
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Online Alex Eisenhut

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Re: Clear soldermask and black core PCB
« Reply #20 on: March 01, 2020, 04:29:00 pm »
Anyone know how to order this service from OSH Park? I uploaded a design and it keeps showing me the purple color scheme. I can't find anywhere to select "After Dark".
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Offline jfiresto

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Re: Clear soldermask and black core PCB
« Reply #21 on: March 01, 2020, 07:27:03 pm »
After you upload your design and click Order, a list of options will appear, including a check box:

[ ]  After Dark (Black Substrate + Clear Mask)

Just click on it.
-John
 

Online Alex Eisenhut

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Re: Clear soldermask and black core PCB
« Reply #22 on: March 01, 2020, 07:51:24 pm »
Duh, don't know how I missed that ...  ::)
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Offline nardev

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Re: Clear soldermask and black core PCB
« Reply #23 on: March 01, 2020, 08:02:18 pm »
In some other topics i already mentioned a company from my country, they told me that if required, they can even mix up color which is not standard and make panels for you. Though i have no idea how much would that cost but they say they can do it.

Feel free to contact them if you want.

https://pcb.ba/

p.s. i have been asking about the turqise blue, sth like that and they said, possible.
 

Offline jfiresto

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Re: Clear soldermask and black core PCB
« Reply #24 on: March 01, 2020, 08:04:22 pm »
Duh, don't know how I missed that ...  ::)

Don't feel too bad – that suggests the GUI could be more "discoverable".
-John
 


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