PCB-making question

[famous beagle]

Hey y'all,

I made an etching tank with some directions I've found online, but haven't tried to make a PCB yet.

The tank is built from a fairly large, plastic cylinder: about 5-7 inches in diamter and about, oh ... a foot high maybe. I put a hole in the bottom and ran a tube with holes in it along the bottom. I attached it to the bottom with hot glue and sealed the spot where the tube enters with hot glue as well. I ran a test with water in the tank, using a fish pump to create bubbles, and it works great.

My question is this:

Can the etching fluid be used more than once? And if so, what should I store it in during the meantime?

Thanks

[kubeek]

I have cca 5liter canister for it, it is from water used in car sprinklers (?). I use FeCL (ferric chloride or what is the actual name) for etching. I always return the most of the used etchant back to the canister, and flush the tank with water. Etching will get slower through time, but it can be used long.

BTW what do you use to get the traces onto the copper? I was playing a few times with toner transferring, but that didn´t work too well beacuse of the paper used mainly.

[famous beagle]

Originally Posted by kubeek

I have cca 5liter canister for it, it is from water used in car sprinklers (?). I use FeCL (ferric chloride or what is the actual name) for etching. I always return the most of the used etchant back to the canister, and flush the tank with water. Etching will get slower through time, but it can be used long.

BTW what do you use to get the traces onto the copper? I was playing a few times with toner transferring, but that didn´t work too well beacuse of the paper used mainly.

Thanks for the info. Permanent marker has seemed to work so far, and I know it's worked for several people I know. Just plot out the dots and use a straight-edge to keep the lines neat.

[kubeek]

That is the way I do it too, I was just hoping for some easy way to do it easier

[Minion]

I use a muriotic acid and Hydrogen peroxide mixture for etching....it is super cheap and works super fast, definately better than Feric chloride and even better than sodium persulfate....

I use Ziplock freezer baggies to etch in...i just put my PCB in the bag with a bit of etchant and seal the top and agitate...I get a etched board in less than 5 minutes....


Cheers

[famous beagle]

Originally Posted by Minion

I use a muriotic acid and Hydrogen peroxide mixture for etching....it is super cheap and works super fast, definately better than Feric chloride and even better than sodium persulfate....

I use Ziplock freezer baggies to etch in...i just put my PCB in the bag with a bit of etchant and seal the top and agitate...I get a etched board in less than 5 minutes....


Cheers

I've heard about this before too.

What do you do when you're done with the solution? And if you dispose of it, where do you dispose it? And is it harmful to the environment? I kind of like to be as environmentally friendly as I can be.

[PhilGood]

Originally Posted by Minion

I use a muriotic acid and Hydrogen peroxide mixture for etching....it is super cheap and works super fast, definately better than Feric chloride and even better than sodium persulfate....

I use Ziplock freezer baggies to etch in...i just put my PCB in the bag with a bit of etchant and seal the top and agitate...I get a etched board in less than 5 minutes....


Cheers

What's the mixture ratio? I get tired of waiting 20 minutes for the other stuff to work.

[Minion]

I use 1 part acid with 2 parts Peroxide...but you can go as high as 1:1....

to dispose of the acid i just pour in some bakeing soda which neutralizes the acid, I then water it way down and flush down the Drain.....


Cheers


PS: muriotic acid isn"t really that toxic ,I use it in my Pool to adjust the PH and I also use it to adjust the PH for watering my hydroponic Garden...Once the acid is well diluted and neutralized it is pretty benign....


Cheers

[famous beagle]

Originally Posted by Minion

I use 1 part acid with 2 parts Peroxide...but you can go as high as 1:1....

to dispose of the acid i just pour in some bakeing soda which neutralizes the acid, I then water it way down and flush down the Drain.....


Cheers


PS: muriotic acid isn"t really that toxic ,I use it in my Pool to adjust the PH and I also use it to adjust the PH for watering my hydroponic Garden...Once the acid is well diluted and neutralized it is pretty benign....


Cheers

What about the copper particles though?

[mshilarious]

Originally Posted by famous beagle

What about the copper particles though?

Spray it on your roses!

[SEDstar]

what about the copper?

*it wont hurt a dang thing int eh environment*

good god, people act like *ooh, lead*, your bullet that missed the animal will put lead in teh soil... its a hazard...


hee hee


do you all KNOW where lead for lead balls (lotsd of them...) in the civil war came from down south?

"lead bearing soil areas"

honestly. you just take a few shovelfulls of dirt, sprinkle it over a good campfire slowly... in the morning, you dig thru the cooling ashes to find the lump of lead, LMAO

*if it were dangerous, there wouldn't be any trees or grass or deer around those areas, right?*

looks as healthy as any other area, to be truthful.

as long as you dont drink or eat it, the used etching solution will harm nothing simply tossed out hte window into the grass. Its not like your emptying a 55 gallon tank daily in an industrial setting.

a little bit of copper will hurt nothing.

a lot of chemical names sound worse then they are.

I wanna say acetic acid is vinegar, but dont quote my memory, lol

would you drink DiHydrogen-Monoxide? sound dangerous? (water...lol)