Dear Paul, You are the absolute BEST teacher, so calm, methodical, thorough and detailed, always slow and careful but NEVER condescending, nor do you make assumptions of us. God bless you, I hope (and I am SURE) you will prosper and get many, MANY more subscribers and views. You work SO hard, and your videos are worth every second - *time very well invested indeed, on both your part and ours.* God bless you my friend, Happy Christmas from Matthew, England :)
Well... he does make assumptions of us, lets not play games here. But he is instructive in all intensive purposes. He knows his shit, the dude payed attention in school, unlike most of you out there. :p
This is absolutely the best channel on the internet! Mr. Carlson's calm and thorough narration just keeps pulling me back to watch everything he's ever uploaded!
I've done hundreds of boards and have never heard of the Liquid Tin product. That alone, was worth watching the video. It's always nice to see how other people do things to pick up little tips and tricks. Thanks!
you are totally qualified actually i think 8 year old do it nowadays :D just replace the uv light ,the multiple sheets of paper and the pc program with an iron and and a photocopy or on the other hand a ruler and a sharpie marker covert with liquid paper
This brought a smile to my face. This was before the days when UV etching was available to us hobbyists! Over 35-years ago, I used to design my own circuit boards by hand - using etch resistant transfers. A complex single sided board could take me a few weeks to construct. After etching, the drilling was hand-held with a 1mm drill bit! I always drilled the holes before cleaning the board. My cleaning was soapy water and very fine wet & dry paper. Software wasn't available in those days - thinking about it, PC's were in their infancy! Those were very enjoyable days.
That was really informative! Way back when I was in high school we painted the traces by hand using straightened paperclips. I could have only dreamed of getting results that nice :)
Once again; excellent demonstration of the steps required to make a circuit board and finally giving that professional look after tinning, "nicely done".
I've recently gotten into electronics and have watched MANY videos on dIy pcb construction. Your procedure by far makes the most sense givin the excellent results you achieve. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience on the subject, I'm looking forward to trying it on my first curcuits.
Great video as usual! 50 years ago when I was etching boards, i used a rotisserie motor from a BBQ and affixed a rod into it that had a U shape close to the end, I then affixes a bolt that had a circle on the end like those used to hang a porch swing, to the ferric oxide bath. Placing the circle end of the bolt into the U shape of the shaft, the slow rotation of the rotisserie would rotate the shaft, translating circular motion into an up/down motion slowly sloshing the FC across the circuit board, this was single sided circuit boards back in the day! We also used a Sharpee like pen to fix any issues with our layout!
Mr. Carlson, This video is easily the most thorough, most informative, and most importantly *most correct* video I've seen on making PCBs on RU-vid! Thank you so much for passing on your knowledge to us much less-experienced! I particularly found your advice on avoiding acetone as well as the liquid tinning solution extremely useful. This video makes me much more comfortable in giving this a shot. Thanks again!
Wonderful, wonderful video. You know you have become the cat's meow when BlueGlow Electric mentions you in a video !!! At age 57, I am finally learning about this and building Tube Amp kits. I find that I as very good at melting all the insulation off the wire before I actually get a solder connection. Love to sell my work, but Uncle Fester from the Adam's Family is out of the country :-) Keep up the great video's, they are life savers (literally)
Mr. Carlson Very impressive. Your videos are very detailed and straight to the point. This is one of my favorite RU-vid channels by far. I appreciate the time you put into it keep up the good work.
This is the video a lot of us have been waiting for. Thanks for a great addition to your series! Now I have to get my shopping list for my wife to pick up supplies :). I will watch this one several times, as I have a number of projects that would benefit from a little circuit board. Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge. I see that your vids are being recommended on other channels. Great stuff!
Stephen Moore Thanks for the kind words Stephen! There are lots of great people here on youtube! I'm just happy to see people benefiting from these video's.
Great video Paul! The last time I made a circuit board (30 years ago!) I used the photo transfer method. The board was laid out by hand on a transparency sheet, and then the image transferred by shining a light through the transparency onto a circuit board pretreated with a photo-sensitive solution. It looks much, much easier to do this way.
+Rob Clift ..back in the 70'sI bought a few Heathkits that involved making double sided boards using the photoresist...worked out OK...I even bought a heath kit light timer to use for the exposure
I have only recently discovered your channel, and I am really, REALLY enjoying it. My father ran an electrical repair shop, and also repaired electronic organs and speakers, but I never acquired any of his knowledge; but your videos (among many other things) rekindle early memories of my father deep in the innards of some wonky Wurlitzer, or broken radio. Which is all to say . . . . THANK YOU for creating such watchable and fascinating programs.
"..here's the laminator I built.." Oh, if course! How could I have thought otherwise? (He said with nothing but abject admiration and wonder of Mr Carlson's incredible talents!)
I first started trying to do PCBs when I made a "Light Organ" in oh, 2012 or so. I ended up going a much harder route. I used glossy paper out of magazines to print the mask and a clothes iron to transfer. Tip #1 You have to be REALLY careful with an iron, or you will put too much heat in and cause the copper plate to separate from the silicon. Tip #2, if your transfer has a few weak spots you want to touch up, permanent marker will work, especially if it is a non-critical or small spot. Tip #2 Keep close tabs on your PCB when in the etching solution, once it eats the copper way from your masking, it can start to undercut the copper under the mask from the side. Thin traces are really susceptible.... Awesome video(s). I love every one of them.
Back in the 80's, A friend and I figured out that we could make hi contrast positives to make light-printed circuit boards. We had trouble with the density of the positives, but by carefully registering two of them, we got rid of that issue. We were eventually able to use this process with positives made from a Kinko's copy shop, and eliminate the darkroom altogether. Good results. I enjoy your videos a lot. Very informative. Thanks, and peace :)
I watch this vid some years ago and then the entire vid again today. Outstanding instruction and presentation. I'm not in the position to 'Gear-Up' with all the equipment Paul uses. Regardless, Paul's vid is inspirational and much of his process is applicable to alternate methodes of fusing the trace images. Paul, this is an outstanding presentation. Thank you Muchly....
I've been trying for years to get the toner transfer process to work without success. Paul finally gave me a clue as to what I was doing wrong. Finally this morning I tried passing the "sandwich" through the laminator a number of times and I finally have managed to get a clean transfer of toner onto a board.
It's probably the best video about etching boards I've seen so far! Your simple idea for aligning double sided boards is great. I would love to see how you converted your laminator into this beast.
There is a video on his Patreon where he takes us inside this laminator. It is not a build video (the machine is old and discontinued and the parts were what he had laying around).
WOW! What a tutorial. Very nice. I have to think about this and decide if I want to try it. I do have a laser printer and a laminator that's good for up to 15 mil plastic sleeves, and it gets H-O-T-T, hot! Thanks, Paul. You're the best.
I have to make sure the laminator is warmed up for at LEAST a half hour or the toner wont transfer, AND soak the paper for at least 5 mins. Thanks again! eh!
Thanks for taking the time to present really decent and informative information to us all. I picked a tile cutter at a garage sale, the diamond blade type. Fast and accurate cuts, I don't use water during the process so I wear a good quality dust mask.
Very enjoyable to watch, perfect reference material, I saw how to do this many years ago as a set of pictures with text similar to what has become instructables nowadays but a few crucial steps were not properly explained but THIS is the real deal. Start to finish I'd have no trouble trying this for myself. The custom laminator would be the bottleneck but trial and error is half the fun! Superb tutorial!
I am getting into electronics and am learning a LOT. This video was great. I know some of the more seasoned veterans of electronics might find some of what you covered as boring or elementary; but to the ones that are just starting out, your videos are full of useful information and ideas! Keep up the good work!
your video really takes me back to the 80's when I made my last PCB's by hand--they were really crappy looking next to yours. I use KiCAD and JLCPCB now and wow was there a lot of learning to use KiCAD but there seems to be some good features and the wait for delivery is ok for me. You are great at what you do!!!
Great video, and a small working PC attached to the net is one of the most useful tools on my workbench. It's also a source of audio entertainment (old time radio) while working.
A very interesting video, you are a great teacher. I'm watching more than 20 of your videos and it's awesome to me. I didn't finished study in college about electronic long before because of the financial problem but i love electronics.. every time I watching your video, my incouragement is back and i love to learn deeply and much more in troubleshooting. Thanks for your kind.
Very informative video, just never heard of liquid TIN . That's new thing . I was watching for double side PCB. As I am going to make for first time . I got new things to learn. Thanks 😊
This looks like an excellent technique, I haven't made any PCBs for years. This looks a very viable and accurate method. Thank you for making this excellent tutorial.
I love your videos, here and on Patreon. I’ve learned so much from them... this video though, I’ve got to say, your hot rodded laminator made me LOL, with its big Ole transformer etc. good stuff! Thanks for everything you do, Paul.
Hey Paul nice video, Years ago I worked in auto body repair and used a lot of solvents. The problems you've seen with acetone and laser printer ink are due to the chemical reaction between acetone and the plastic in the ink. Empirically speaking lacquer thinner is much stronger than acetone. There are many times that a paint surface can be cleaned with Acetone without issue but lacquer thinner will cause major chemical reactions. Also the jobber I used to buy paint supplies from used to tell me that it's important to check if lacquer thinner is sold as virgin. I don't recall the specific reason but I was told that some paint stripping chemicals are known to make it into recycled lacquer thinner. He told me this after I got some of the cheap stuff on my hands and started to get the same kinds of chemical burns I've gotten from aircraft paint strippers (seriously nasty stuff). Acetone is generally more mild, but it can leach the oils out of your skin. This can lead to immune system issues. I think of solvents in order of strength for urethane/epoxy painting and surface prep in order from weakest to strongest: Water, Car Wash Soaps, Simple Green, Palmolive dish soap, Alcohol/Ammonia, Wax and Grease Remover, Urethane Solvent, Acetone, Lacquer Thinner, Aircraft Quality Paint Stripper, Sand Paper. All the best, -Jake.
Excellent!!! Thank you so much for considering our request in making your own PCB tutorial. It helps a lot for a beginner in electronics like me. I know it's not easy to prepare this kind of video and I really appreciate so much sharing your precious time and effort to make this possible. God bless you. :)
Personally, you provide more information for the guy like me, a perpetual novice, than all the other video blogs combined. That is no reflection on others, I it is just how well you present and share the knowledge you own. I dare say, "you have forgotten more than I will ever know". Thanks,
After Alan at W2AEW, you are the second person whose videos I love to watch. Though your videos are bit lengthy but I always enjoy and learn from your soft, calm and detailed explanations. Moreover, English is my second language; I learn a lot of spoken English from you.
I taught a hands on college-electronics course where we disingenuous and fabricated double sided printed circuit boards , then built and tested the circuits. My favorite project in my class was a Theremin. It was a six week period of two hours a day every day each week.
@Cosimo Kramarawicz....can I ask you the name of the college you took your training at? I'm looking for a decent college-electronics venu. Cheers, Brian
Thanks for very informative video. Now I just can't wait for a video about that laminator from hell. Looks like a beast! I have a teared down laminator in a drawer and was planing to modify it, but for reasons unknown it has been gathering dust for a long time now. I was thinking of changing thermal switches to rise the temperature and maybe slowing down the motor and that's it. However I wouldn't have thought that high temperature could melt gears so I just can't wait for your video to get more ideas about modifying that thing. Again, excellent video. Keep up the good work!
Another great class in Mr C's lab. Re. working around the tripod, buy or make a T-head. Its just a bar that mounts centered in the tripod's 1/4-20 mount screw. Mount your camera on one end and a counterweight on the other end. This basically offsets the camers from the mass of the tripod and gives yous working room when filming.
I really do !!! I saw a few were poking fun of you over the capaticer video , I watched that one because I restore ancient radios when I can afford to and I was putting in caps wrong and I now understand why , so please don't stop making these videos !!! Never !! I enjoy the restoration of vintage equipment you do as well it's awesome !!
Paul I agree with the subscriber unlokia you are a very patient and very good teacher which this world needs badly. I enjoy your videos to get very good tips and most importantly safety tips
Excellent video Mr Carlson on designing and making double sided printed circuit boards. I have always wanted to get into making printed circuit boards. You did a very good job in your explanation from start to finish. I have a subwoofer amplifier board that I am currently working on which uses two IC type amplifier chips (7379 four channel ) from a five speaker surround sound system. During the removal process the foil copper paths and eyelets was lifted up from excessive heat during the desoldering process. I would love to be able to reproduce the printed circuit board and after watching your video I feel confident in during so. I do have most of the tools such as Dremel, printed circuit board drill bits, laminator, inkjet Hp printer. I Don’t have the press and stand for my Dremel but will get it and the host of other items enumerated. I use to work in aerospace as an technician maintaining CNC and NC mills, plotters, motor controllers and C programming. I recall one vender in a seminar that brought in a small 3 axis drill and mill set up similar to a plotter that could do the same job under the control of software designed for the particular job. That would be ideal for a job such as this which is what is actually used in the manufacturing process in large companies that manufacture printed circuit boards. The chemicals such as the etching solution and silver plating is where I need to research and do my homework for the purpose of safety such as the material data safety sheets. Really enjoy your videos and since we share in our technical background some similarities such as vacuum tube technology we are probably around the same age. Keep up the good work.
You thought of everything! That liquid tin is pretty awesome. Using the overhead projector as a light box is a great idea. Thanks for sharing and looking forward to the next. You are the master!
Hi Paul, Very useful and clear video. Wondered if/when you'd post a video showing the mod to the laminator allowing pcb's to go through at right temp ?
I regret I cannot help you deal with those three (at the present time) unfortunate souls who put thumbs down on this, or any of your videos as I am too busy building/fixing things except when its too cold, then I am in here watching and learning from you!
A very good presentation, that I would recommend all that are new to PCB making to watch,. However I have been using, a small portion of, Muriatic Acid, mixed with Hydrogen Peroxide, I aerate the mixture with a small Aquarium aerator, to keep it green. I made a gallon of it in a covered glass container, from Wall Mart, Six years ago, and have made hundreds of boards, single, and double sided, with the same solution, and in fact still using it.
Your boards are so professional I often wondered if you farmed them out to be made. You make some of the best looking boards I have seen. Nice Job Mr Carlson's Lab
I watching again your video and it's so much interesting, I hope I can make it so soon. And I alsi like your laminating machine, I hope you can make it a video of how you did that. Thanks again mr Paul, God bless you more...
Thank you. Great video. We really need either details of your laminator (a link if you already made a video) or information about a commercial version.
holy bejebus... i've been pulling my hair out trying to find an affordable (damn expensive in UK) place i can have 1-off double sided boards made, but your method is so simple i actually facepalmed myself.... great vid :D i'll be trying this method soon as...
Hi Paul, learned a lot from your videos, and want to return a small idea: every video I watch about the toner transfer for PCB's shows that you have to sand the copper surface to clean, but I really don't like that. It damages the already thin copper layer, often only 35µm. What I do is clean it with whatever is needed to get visible dirt off, like acetone, or thinner. Then polish the surface with copper- or silver polish, even kitchen stuff like Vim is sometimes usable. You will be left with a clean shining surface. After that, clean it with acetone and you are done. Only difference compared with sanding is that it takes one minute more hard labour, but I found the result really better. Once tried, I bet you will stick to it.
Very good demonstration of making ckt boards at home. I didn't realize that you can get liquid tin to tin the copper traces. I usually farmed out my ckt boards and had the pc board place tin them for me as the plated through holes required a special process in any case to deposit copper inside the drilled out hole and then tin plate it, another step that was best left to the more experienced.
SuperCarver2011 That's the only downside to this, "no plated thru-holes" But.... I don't mind, I just solder it on both sides. For the via's, I use a small diameter wire ".020" and do the same. Thanks for your comment.
Hendrik, that's why tinning is imperative. It eliminates copper oxidation, eases solderability and provides better electron traction around tight right-angle turns. Don't know its effectiveness around tight left-angle turns tho...
Great video. I've been using the lightbox/photoresist technique for years, but definitely will give this method a try. Just an observation, but I find Dremel gear has diminished in quality over the years I would recommend looking at the Proxxon drill & stand (press), they are much more precise and robust, especially for PCB drilling, similar price too. Plenty comparison videos on here worth watching. Thanks for the in-depth tutorial.
Very complete instructions, many questions were answer by all the details. Ever tried making smd PCB the same maner for SOIC and SM8 IC's. pretty soon I'll try laser paint/ink removal on PCB and also your method. great work.
Hi Paul I finally did it - toner transfer sucess on the third try. Its all down to the paper in the end - at least for me. found a glossy photo paper for inkjets. Its dirt cheap - 12 sheets for one UK pound. Sorry dont know what that is in dollars. I dont have a laminator - used the trusty clothes iron. Man had to press real hard and rub like crazy. First i placed the iron flat on all over the board to let it stick down. Then i rubbed all over with the edge. Then i wet a paper towel and steamed it three times to soften the backing paper. Then i dried it by placing iron on flat. Finally i rubbed it all over with just the tip. I kept peeling back a small section to see if it had fully transfered. I cooled it very fast by dumping into cold water then peeled the paper off. Had to scrub in hot water to remove all the residue. Im very happy that i watched your vid. It helped a lot. Will never do photo resist ever again. I dont know how to attach pics to this so i cant let you see the results. Many Thanks. Keep up the good work. Now wheres that smd circuit i was trying - ha ha
i picked up dip trace . learning curve takes a bit to get use too !! but im getting there i need to pick up the dremel press and a laminater and ill be ready i have 4 boards to make .. thanks for giving me some direction
