PROJECT REPORT

PCB PRINTING

Naman Arora UE145053

Manpreet Singh UE145050

ECE SECTION 1 - 4TH SEMESTER

Contents

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 2
Tools/Components Required ..................................................................................................... 2

Software used: ............................................................................................................................ 3

Using EAGLE to create the PCB design ................................................................................... 3

Precautions ............................................................................................................................... 10
Conclusion and future scope .................................................................................................... 10
References ................................................................................................................................ 11

Introduction

Engineers around the world use general purpose circuit boards for making everyday projects
and small circuits. Although general purpose boards are very easy to use and also extremely
cheap, they can get very cumbersome when the complexity of the circuit increases. The wires
can get tangled, and even a slight jerk can cause the connections to break off.
Troubleshooting on such a complicated circuit is very time consuming, and kills productivity.
As in the figure alongside, general purpose
circuit boards can cause a lot of trouble
when the complexity of the circuit
increases.
To solve this problem, the designer can
make his own PCB at home, following a
simple DIY project.

A Printed Circuit Board (PCB)

mechanically supports and electrically
connects electronic components using
conductive tracks, pads and other features
etched from copper sheets laminated onto a
non-conductive substrate. Various components such as capacitors, resistors and ICs can be
soldered onto the PCB whereas some more advanced PCBs have components imprinted
inside them.
A PCB can be single sided, double sided or even multi-layer (which has inner and outer
layers). Multi-layer PCBs allow for much higher component density, using all the available
space.

The PCB printing machinery used in large scale industries cost several thousand dollars. But
we can still print our own PCBs at home as a simple DIY project.

Tools/Components Required

Item
Price
Hand drill
150
Drill bit 1 mm
30
Copper Clad 6x4 Single
36
Soldering iron
100
Solder wire
60
Sand paper
10
Hydrogen Peroxide 100 ml
20
Hydrogen Chloride household 50 ml
30
PCB design print
30
Other household items used will be fabric iron, plastic box, acetone based cleaner

Software used:

Eagle (Easily Applicable Graphics Layout Editor) is a software developed by Cadsoft and
can be installed as a freeware directly from their website www.cadsoftusa.com. The free
version has some limited functionality, but fulfils our purpose pretty well.

Using EAGLE to create the PCB design

1. Create a new project and schematic
Click File>New>Project. Give the project a suitable name. Right click on the project,
click New>Schematic. Name the schematic.

2. Add the Parts to the Schematic

Click on the Add button (or type Add), then type in the component name youd like to
place and add it to the schematic. If a component is missing, you may have to
download the library for that component.
3. Connect the Parts
Connect all parts using the net command. Dont use the wire command as it
doesnt add connections on the board.
Some quick notes on the behaviour of the 'net' command
- It is started with a single-click. Don't click-and-drag or double-click to start.
- It can be started anywhere
- After starting, the net will continue being drawn until you single-click on pin or
another net, or double-click anywhere.
- Single-clicking after starting will anchor the net in the current spot
- Right-clicking will change the way that the net will go from point A to point B. I
personally recommend only using the 90-degree-angle forms of this for schematic
layout

4. Label and Name all of the Nets

Labelling the nets is important for two reasons:
- It allows anyone who looks at your schematic to at least have an educated guess as
to what each portion of it does
- When you switch to routing your board, it will be easier for you to tell what each
net does and plan accordingly.
5. Give the parts some values
Using the 'Value' (right next to the 'Name' command), label all of the resistors and the
capacitor with the appropriate value
6. Electrical Rule Check
Running the ERC will let you see areas where Eagle thinks you may have misplaces a
component or connection.
7. Board Layout

Go to File>Switch to board, and when it warns you that the board doesn't
exist, click Yes to create the board from the schematic.
Move all of the parts into a configuration similar to the one shown in the last
picture.

Typically, when you lay out a board, you first place the parts that have set
locations that they need to go, like connectors. Then, group up all parts that
logically make sense together, and move these clusters so that they create the
smallest amount of crossed unrouted lines. From that point, expand those
clusters, moving all of the parts far enough apart that they don't break any
design rules and have a minimum of unrouted traces crossing.

8. The Ground Plane

Essentially, what a ground plane does is take up all unused space on a board, and
connects it to the ground net.
To make a ground plane in Eagle, run the Polygon command. Set the Layer to
Bottom (blue), and trace the box around the outside.
Using the Name command, click on the blue dashed line to change the plane's
name to 'GND'.
Right-click on the blue dashed line and click Properties. Edit the properties as per
requirement.

9. Route the Parts

Using the Route command, click on any airwire. A blue trace should appear at the
node of the airwire that was closest to where you clicked
if it is a red trace, that is not what we want. Up top, change the layer from Top (red)
to Bottom (blue). Click again somewhere else to anchor the wire at that point.

10. The Design Rule Check

The Design Rule Check (DRC) checks the board you designed against a set of rules to
determine if you made any errors.
Once you have finished routing and have no DRC errors, you can save your board to a PDF
file and its ready for printing.

Getting the Design on the copper clad

1. Getting the print
Get the EAGLE board design printed in black on a glossy paper (photo paper or butter
paper work well). Use a Laser printer ONLY.

2. Prepare the board

Cut the single sided copper clad board to the required size and rub the copper plated
side with sand paper. This will help in better toner transfer.
3. Toner transfer
Since laser printing technology uses heat to make the toner stick to the paper,
applying heat again makes the toner come off. So, place the design facing downwards
on the copper coating, and make sure it doesnt move. Fold the borders of the page
inwards to provide stability. Turn the iron to maximum heat and iron the paper with
force several times for 10-15 minutes. Lift the corner to check if the transfer is
complete.

4. Removing the paper

Put the circuit under running water to soften the paper and carefully rub it off to
reveal the toner design.
5. Etching
Mix HCl and H2O2 in a 1:2 ratio in a plastic box. Place the circuit floating in the
solution and keep checking for remaining copper. Once all the copper has
disappeared, the solution will turn dark green. Remove the circuit, wash it and dry it.
6. Revealing the design

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The toner can be removed using acetone based cleaning solution or by simply
scrubbing it off using sand paper. Acetone gives a neat finish.
7. Drilling Holes
Holes can be drilled before or after cleaning the toner, as felt comfortable. Use the
hand drill fitted with a 1 mm bit. The circuit on a rubber pad, or any soft but sturdy
surface. Place the drill on the hole point and start drilling slowly till the drill passes
through. Remove the drill by rotating it and drill other holes using the similar
procedure.
8. Finalizing
Brush off the dust from the drilling, attach the components and solder them carefully
according to the designed schematic.

Your PCB is now ready.

Precautions

Make sure that the correct type of paper is used and printed only using Laser Printer.
Inkjet printers cannot be used for this purpose.
Handle the chemicals very carefully. Use latex gloves and wear eye protection to
guard yourself from fumes.
Do not use a lot of pressure during drilling. This may break the drill bit, or crack the
board.
Scrubbing should not be too hard as the copper may come off.
Soldering should be done with high precision and all points should be checked for
continuity with a multimeter.
The schematic should be strictly followed while soldering the components. Use
proper labels for better accuracy.
Do not touch the iron or the copper clad when its hot.
The plastic container should be strong enough to withstand the heat of the reaction.
Food containers work well for the purpose.

Conclusion and future scope

This method of making homemade circuits is much more dependable and flexible than the
traditional method using jumper wires. It reduces the clutter and make the circuit look neat
and compact. It also reduces the possibility of error, and if there are any discontinuities, they
can be checked by just looking at the circuit.
More and more people are moving towards PCBs and it should be encouraged for use by
students all around the world.

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www.instructables.com
www.sparkfun.com
www.cadsoftusa.com
www.egr.msu.edu

References