PCB etching using a Copper Solution SAVE YOUR MONEY

Preface: Anytime you play with chemicals, there are dangerous situations which can arise; burns of exposed skin, vapours which can cause blindness, or lung damage. I personally know someone with visible scarring from an incident with concentrated acids (it wasn’t even their fault, someone else tripped and it got on them; SO unfair). I am not going to be able to make predictions about what is going to happen if you try to generate the solutions listed in this article. The ingredients are wholly unhealthy, and only someone with deep respect for safety should even THINK about etching their own PCB’s with their own solution. I had reservations about it and I have a degree which included years of study on the subject of chemistry. I am able to do the math, and I did the math initially while developing a non mathematical method of solution generation and maintenance.

My basic point: I won’t be held responsible, Do your homework, understand exactly what you are making!

PCB etching is an invaluable capability for the home electronics DIY person. You will reach a point where you want to make 10 of the same item, and doing it with wires and breadboards is not only frustrating, but a waste of time. PCB’s give you many advantages. Stability, easy refinement of design on a computer, and best of all you can avoid have to use wires which criss-cross all over the place (and act as antennae) are just a few of the advantages. The best feature is the ability to perform semi-mass production.

I use computer software and the toner transfer method to prepare my boards for etching (more on the toner transfer method in another post eventually). The software I use is the free 250 pin version of diptrace. I love it! I have looked at Eagle, but I find the diptrace interface to be way more intuitive, and it has also been easy for me to make new parts using my digital calipers for measurement and their part editor to create the new one. If I ever start to get into the commercially profitable end of electronics, I will be buying the 500 pin version of diptrace without a second thought.