Home made circuit boards?
Thread Starter
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 20,910
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From: I tend to be leery of any guy who doesn't own a chainsaw or a handgun.
Home made circuit boards?
I'm trying to build a short adapter harness to plug in a later ECM into my '84 and need to make a custom edge connector board. The local RS doesn't carry stuff like that anymore. Anybody here still do that ancient art, and can recommend a source for supplies?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,484
Likes: 27
From: Torrance Calif
try here:
http://www.ezprototypes.com/ProtoandCircuitBoards.php
I have some edge connector stuff, what do ya need?
http://www.ezprototypes.com/ProtoandCircuitBoards.php
I have some edge connector stuff, what do ya need?
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 3,269
Likes: 25
From: Simi Valley Ca
Here's a good read for you. Plenty of pictures of the process too.
Another good link with instructions, photos, supply list etc.
The process is known as "Laser Iron PCB" and I don't see why it couldn't be used to create an edgecard. The just of it is getting yourself some blank PC Boards, desiging your circuit in a circuit board program or even photoshop. Printing out on semi gloss or gloss paper, soaking the paper and placing it over the board. Iron it, remove the paper, rinse the board it in etching solution...
A source that I deal with for various PCI based riser boardsand extensions is Adex Electronics. If you can use a PCI-e, PCI-X or 32 bit PCI based edge card, they might be able to help. They build custom risers and some of them involve flexible connections with edge cards at the end of a cable.
Good luck and be sure to take some pictures and post them if you go for it. I have never done it myself but I am familiar with the process and its really pretty easy. Especially with the instructions available on the net.
Another good link with instructions, photos, supply list etc.
The process is known as "Laser Iron PCB" and I don't see why it couldn't be used to create an edgecard. The just of it is getting yourself some blank PC Boards, desiging your circuit in a circuit board program or even photoshop. Printing out on semi gloss or gloss paper, soaking the paper and placing it over the board. Iron it, remove the paper, rinse the board it in etching solution...
A source that I deal with for various PCI based riser boardsand extensions is Adex Electronics. If you can use a PCI-e, PCI-X or 32 bit PCI based edge card, they might be able to help. They build custom risers and some of them involve flexible connections with edge cards at the end of a cable.
Good luck and be sure to take some pictures and post them if you go for it. I have never done it myself but I am familiar with the process and its really pretty easy. Especially with the instructions available on the net.
Last edited by slief; Feb 27, 2011 at 11:29 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,923
Likes: 5
From: San Antonio TX
have done a lot of these the process is
1. develope a line negative of the circuit.
2. take blank copper plated board and apply mask solution.
3. exposed the board with masking solution dried on it to UV light thru the negative.
4. use acid bath to remove the unexposed mask and the copper under it.
5. clean your new board.
doing an edge connect adds several issues.
1. the thickness of the board and copper plating is critical.
2. since you will not be tinning the circuits you will need to gold plate them. www.caswellplating.com
for your project is there some way to get an existing edge connector for it and mod it to work?
1. develope a line negative of the circuit.
2. take blank copper plated board and apply mask solution.
3. exposed the board with masking solution dried on it to UV light thru the negative.
4. use acid bath to remove the unexposed mask and the copper under it.
5. clean your new board.
doing an edge connect adds several issues.
1. the thickness of the board and copper plating is critical.
2. since you will not be tinning the circuits you will need to gold plate them. www.caswellplating.com
for your project is there some way to get an existing edge connector for it and mod it to work?
Last edited by M_T_0; Feb 28, 2011 at 02:29 PM.
Thread Starter
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 20,910
Likes: 962
From: I tend to be leery of any guy who doesn't own a chainsaw or a handgun.
Thanks for the info and suggestions, guys. I appreciate it. I need to make a double sided pcb/edge card that matches the connector edge of my '84 ECM (1226430). The ECM board runners have some special spacings and notching to be position specific to the harness connectors. I'm just trying to duplicate the connector end, and then solder this to a harness remnant off a later model vehicle/ECM. This way I don't have to cut up the '84 harness and put new connectors on it. The adapter harness will let me try an ECM without much impact on the vehicle wiring.
