Hey guys and gals,
So, where do those of you that etch boards buy your copper clad. I've just been using the double sided stuff that you can buy at Radio Shack. I really am not a fan of Radio Shack and their prices to begin with, so I would like to start getting it from somewhere else.
Also, I'm thinking about starting to by single sided copper clad to help save some etchant/money.
What do you guys use and where do you get it from?
Good question.
And the boards madbean sells here, are they 1/16 thickness? My calipers kind of suck and it's hard for me to tell.
This is the guy: http://stores.ebay.com/PCB-Laminates-Copper-Clad?_rdc=1
Brian. You are awesome!! Thanks!!! 10 sheets 4.75x9" for $4!!! I pay $4 to $5 for one 4x6 at RipOff Shack!!!! Thank you so much!!
Make sure you know what you are getting. He has both FR-4 and CEM. Personally, I only use CEM because he offers different colored backing. And, fr-4 is ugly stuff (although it is very consistent).
Also, you will want anything between .047-.064" thick. He also typically offers 1/2oz, 1oz and 2oz. 1oz is standard, 1/2oz will etch more quickly and 2oz is super thick. You would think 2oz would take twice as long to etch as 1oz, but in practice it takes 3-4 times longer. The newest stuff I have is 1/2 oz it it is lightening fast to etch, ie less pollutant. FYI.
good call. i'll look around and make sure i get the right stuff! thanks again!!
I ordered from the source Brian gave the link to. Awesome place to buy from! I placed an order on a Saturday, they shipped 1st thing Monday and were in my mailbox on Wednesday.
With shipping, I got 12 boards for the price that would have gotten me about 3 of the same size from Radio Shack. Thanks again for the link!
About to start etching with this new batch.
Ian
Yep, Bill's service is outstanding!
Quote from: madbean on June 12, 2010, 09:37:06 PM
Make sure you know what you are getting. He has both FR-4 and CEM. Personally, I only use CEM because he offers different colored backing. And, fr-4 is ugly stuff (although it is very consistent).
Also, you will want anything between .047-.064" thick. He also typically offers 1/2oz, 1oz and 2oz. 1oz is standard, 1/2oz will etch more quickly and 2oz is super thick. You would think 2oz would take twice as long to etch as 1oz, but in practice it takes 3-4 times longer. The newest stuff I have is 1/2 oz it it is lightening fast to etch, ie less pollutant. FYI.
Brian, I was thinking about getting some .031" CEM with 1 oz copper from Bill. Is that just too thin? Would I be asking for trouble?
thanks
It will be thin, but usable. Probably better suited for small to medium boards. And, it will score and snap very easily!
The black stuff I'm using now is .052, so yours will be about 2/3 of that thickness...very serviceable.
One note: I've found the red boards he sells to be a little less reliable. The cladding on the red is sometimes a little weak.
Thanks for the advice Brian.
Where are you finding colored cem? There is some blue available, but all the other colors I see are FR-4.
Actually, the black I use is FR4.
i just learned that the thinner substrates can be cut quite easily with shears! no more band saw messyness!
Yeah, tin snips will do the trick :)
Well, I received the .031" boards. I think I'll feel quite comfortable working with it.
And yes, this stuff seems like it could be cut with a sturdy pair of scissors as long as they have smooth blades. The grooves in kitchen shears leave nasty markings on the copper IIRC. Using straight blade snips is probably the way to go.
i used shears made for sheet metal that i have here in my lab and they worked beautifully, but I think you could get a reasonably priced pair at a hardware store that would work.
Quote from: Haberdasher on February 03, 2011, 04:29:13 PM
Well, I received the .031" boards. I think I'll feel quite comfortable working with it.
And yes, this stuff seems like it could be cut with a sturdy pair of scissors as long as they have smooth blades. The grooves in kitchen shears leave nasty markings on the copper IIRC. Using straight blade snips is probably the way to go.
Haberdasher;
Have you tried that .031 yet? I just received a stack from Bill and boy is that stuff thin. It feels pretty stiff, but it is notably thinner the the boards I have bought in the past. I was just wondering if it gave you any problems.
Planning to use it with a laminator and it "says" .039 max thickness. I've read that Brian pushes his [similar] laminator with up to .060 boards. I just don't want to break it, but still want good boards.
Thanks,
George
I got some of that .031 stuff. I received some green and some black. The black is FR4 and is slightly stiffer, and I've used that stuff on a bunch of orders. I had no problems building on it. The green CEM is not as robust. It's better suited for small boards, less than 2" square. There's nothing wrong with it, though. One thing to watch out for if you are using the green stuff: careful with your soldering. If the board gets too hot, it will start to warp a little. Not break, but curl. Anyway, I only did a couple of boards with that stuff, and I'm going to use the rest for faceplates (or sell it off).
Hi George, I just saw this.
I've used the thin stuff a few times now to etch boards and I've even soldered on one of them. It seems to be fine, but I will say I'm using it for small to mid size board only. I wouldn't try it with a darkside or pork barrel, say.
I don't know what kind of laminator you have, but I've put 0.051" board through my GBC. What I've found you have to do is- if you're going to feed the thicker boards through the machine, have them cut down to the width of the actual circuit, maybe two back to back circuits still connected, so it's long enough to easily retrieve on the other side of the laminator. I think you want to avoid feeding thicker boards through there if it is wide enough to extend even close to the width of the entire slot: that's how you get something jammed in there. But yeah, if it is going through just the center, it comes through fine. I hope that makes sense. And like I said, that's how it works for the GBC laminator....I have no idea if it would be the same for your machine.
Good luck!
Yes, that makes perfect sense. Keeping it in the middle minimizes the stress at the ends.
I'll try the .031 to see if I warm up to it, but I just bought some .047 to see how that works too.
The laminator is the GBC H220. Very similar to Brian's, and he pushes the .060. I should be OK with the .047 then. I just hope its a little stiffer than the .031.
Thanks again for the info.
George