Serial To Jaguar PCB

[linuxboy]

Awesome tips Don!! I'll work on a variation like that, I imagine it will reduce the board size as well (which in turn reduces cost). Ooh boy, I think this means designing my own foot print, that should be... educational .

Thanks again,
Oliver

[EricVanWyk]

Tip: Its really easy to go back and forth between excel and Altium. This is really helpful when making weird footprints. Otherwise, just set your snap grid to whatever weird value you need for the moment.

[techhelpbb]

I have 2 LPKF ProtoMat 92S:
http://www.surpluseq.com/lpkf-protom...board-plotter/

(Don't be fooled by the price at the link the software for the machine is proprietary and a few thousand dollars...these were usually $11,000-$12,000 new...without the accessories I have)

My units are complete with the solder paste deposition units.

I've been working with LinuxBoy in private to fund his effort. I thought that we wanted to do this by sending it out, but if we want to get handy with this:

I can directly import his Gerbers into the software and palletize them. Then isolate traces into the copper with the mill.

If he sticks to double sided and no through hole plating this way no chemicals are required. I can run both machines at the same time. The work decks are 15" x 22" with a 22" long section dead center that I have to have unpopulated 1/2" wide down the length of the machine (PCB hold down).

The traces would be isolated in plane of copper which could double as a ground plane.

I can handle traces down to 1 mil (0.001") according to machine specifications but i can get closer if I mess around. So we can effectively engrave text into the PCBs. I've even done whole images.

I can tin plate the boards with LiquidTin and I have access to green coat (or whatever color you like).
http://www.mgchemicals.com/products/421.html

I just don't silk screen here.

This being said, I encourage everyone to tinker with the chemical/photochemical production of PCBs but I've got the yellow hand prints from ferric chloride on my shop walls to prove that it's not the thing to do when you're tired. I've actually built a fume hood, photographic exposure unit and ammonium persulfate etching bath but it's not something you want to mess with if you don't want to give up a corner of a room.

I can plate through holes but I dislike doing it because of the sulfiric acid involved. Usually if I really need that I can either use the solder paste deposition unit to put paste in the PCB holes after drilling or I have a copper grommet kit.

I have a modified toaster oven I use as an SMT oven (better thermostatic controls and timer). I have a large ultrasonic cleaner and if not that dishwashers work great!

In relation to not just this but for anyone else interested in using these let me know (I own them personally and I have all the tooling on hand). I also have my own pick/place hardware but the only problem I have right now is it's occupied with other work.