How to make PCB using Photoresist Dry Film

[@nickhill9445]

I have experimented quite a few times with dry film and managed to eventually get good results. Observations: 1) You may think that the 99% coverage of toner on a film would be enough. Generally, it isn't, and two transparency layers are good for two reasons: a) If you want to FULLY expose the film (which you do), the unexposed areas will still get enough light to make cleaning the film layer away significantly more difficult if you use only one layer of toner. 2 layers are definitely worth doing for this reason alone. b) 2 layers will partially columnate the light near the edges helping improve sharpness, and help reduce the effects of diffraction. 2) You may think wire wool is the way to go when cleaning PCBs. It isn't! Wire wool has a certain amount of oil on to stop rusting. This plays absolute havoc with the dry film. Before applying dry film, check the PCB is wettable and clean by briefly dipping it in the etching solution for maybe 10 seconds. If the copper starts to change colour evenly, you know you are oil and contaminant-free and good to apply the film after distilled water then dry wipe. Green scourers as shown in the video are definitely the way to go as they are oil-free. 3) Dupont dry film data sheets suggest 1g/100ml Sodium Carbonate for developer. That works well. 4) The fully exposed and dried film is resistant even to acetone, so you will need hydroxide to clean the dry film off after etching unless you are prepared to be very patient with the carbonate solution.. 5) I will be building a columnated UV light source using LEDs. This should give more repeatable results and sharper results since a) The shorter wavelength is less prone to diffraction (although this effect will be fairly minor for normal feature sizes). b) Columnated light will tend to diverge less when passing through the transparency. c) The light delivered per unit time will be repeatable and constant, giving repeatable results.

[@jwuethrich8385]

i do CC cleaning in roughly 5% hcl with a green scrubber...i say roughly because i usually pour about 500ml of water and just a splash of muriatic acid. i once calculated what i would need for 5% then realized the smallest graduated beaker i had didnt measure that low so a splash was decided on and works great lol. where are you sourcing the dupont film from?

[@jwuethrich8385]

how do you intend to coluimate the led? i looked into it and its complicated...ie you need to mount lenses at the right distance which makes a multi led system hard to do. im using a single 4.1w 365nm led and have found i get pretty reliable results with 2min of exposure. the china shit dry film is my biggest issue

[@jamiehanrahan4705]

"Collimate", just FYI.

[@TheMariepi3]

maybe also work with caustic soda (it's more dangerous but also easier to get than sodium hydroxide)

[@trollobite1629]

@@jobaptist "....we are not interested..." Yes we are, honestly WTF is wrong with you? What we're not interested in is your poisonous views. Now, run along because your grandmother and her sister are calling you.

[@sonnyobrien]

Not sure why there are dislikes. this is the best video for achieving this. There just isn't sound.

[@wadebrewer7212]

And 3 years later....lol....dislikes are no longer available. And 3 years later....still looking for am easy to do non-chemical (other than etchant) way of making pcbs

[@sonnyobrien]

@@wadebrewer7212 excuse me?

[@wadebrewer7212]

@sonnyobrien the dislike counter has been removed. And I'm still looking for a good way to make pcb boards. That's it. You made a comment on how there are dislikes to the video. I agree....this video ad a how to is great, how would someone not like the video.....but that isn't available to see anymore.

[@wadebrewer7212]

@sonnyobrien just saying that 3 years later the dislikes counter is gone (I agree, this is a great tutorial, not sure why people wouldn't like it). And in the same time frame of 3 years, I'm still looking for a viable way to make pcbs at home. That's it. Read a comment the other day that toner formulas have changed so the toner transfer using acetone doesn't work anymore. Wonder if that is true or not.

[@wa8eem]

0. Use a transparent film to print the negative of the design (print two of them) 1. Peel off the top layer to paste the film on the board 2. Use heat (lamination machine, around 100°C) to strengthen the adhesion 3. Place the board with the film on it, in sunlight for 4 - 7 minutes, to start the degradation process. 4. Remove the second layer of the film & use Sodium Carbonate as a developer (with ratio 1gram:1 cup (100ml) of water) to clear off the exposed area of the film. Keep it in the solution until etching is done. 5. Then place it in the Sodium Hydroxide solution to etch the copper PCB is ready!

[@GodzillaGoesGaga]

5. Put in ferric chloride to etch copper 6. Rinse in water 7. Put in Sodium hydroxide solution to remove etch resist 8. Rinse in water 9. Use solder resist film (if required) and basically use the same photo process as photoresist.

[@truitesauvage4138]

@@GodzillaGoesGaga acetone to remove photoresist

[@GodzillaGoesGaga]

@@truitesauvage4138 Sodium hydroxide or acetone. The issue is that he states etching soln is sodium hydroxide. That’s not correct from my experience as it’s a strong base and will remove the photo/etch resist (same thing). You need an acid like ferric chloride or sulphuric acid for etching.

[@dermotupton4341]

well done, i've watched a few of these but was left confused. This is the best rundown so far.

[@hurjaukko]

this video is nice, but it is missing the audio , also another video uses a warm water bath to adhere the film to the copper clad board , and he needs only to laminate the board once. whom is correct , this video here or the warm water method ?

[@sagarprince2012]

will taking printout of circuit on normal paper using Inkjet printer work ?

[@bharatsingh5786]

Bhai kis sheet pe degsin Kiya h glass,finolic, ya HPC pe

[@ef7480]

Anyone notice different pcb at 7:35?

[@أيزىتيم]

when add hydrocsoduim in Photosensitive Dry Film all go on nothing stay in board curict or line what the reason , it in wihte led not uv led

[@tabrez420in]

Why do we need laser printer for photo resist....can it be done with inkjet..as it only need to block exposing from uv rays ?

[@elyesmehri3067]

And of course.Don't forget to mention that this film is negative.And.It should of course go with sodium carbonate.You can use sodium hydroxide.But mixed it with water.To lower the pH.Ethanol works too.

[@covenantemmanuel2159]

Pls what is the name of the app you use to make your PCB design

[@Berghiker]

Do you have to remove the plastic layer before putting it into the Sodium Carbonate solution?

[@Berghiker]

@David Wanklyn Ok

[@tulius01]

Thank you for making this instructional video, it got me started on using dry film.

[@manuelpena3151]

Oh Meh Gosh... I don't know if I would use this process at today's cost of ink AS the ink must cover non-conductive areas twice. I'm still looking for a way to directly print etch resist to copper-clad surface directly.

[@jewellerymagic]

Brilliant thank you. Dry is so much easier than wetting

[@zk_6312]

Will any laminator work for this? Did you have to modify it in any manner as I have seen some people do?

[@jwuethrich8385]

i saw someone suggest using the tagboard fold over/pouch insert that comes with full sized lamination packs to sheild resist or it will gum up your laminator. if anyone is having this issue, go to your office supply store/print center and they probably will give you one of those pouches. when i worked at office max we tossed them all the time

[@Ujjwalis]

Johnathan , you NEED to set your Lamitator to around 100 degree Centigrade / 220 Degree Fahrenheit, else the photo resist emulsion would become damaged. This will happen much before the the outer protective Film melts and gums up your lamitanor. I got a cheap laminator without a Thermostat to select temperature. I had open it and change the Fixed Thermostats to 80 Degree ones.

[@millanarleyllanosgualtero6234]

te felicito te quería pregunta con que revelas la placa osea con que quitas la parte no espuesta de la película, lo e intentado con bicarbonato pero no e tenido exito

[@Berghiker]

Is it best to use acetone or 70% alcohol to clean the PCB before applying the film? Is Sodium Hydroxide better to use than Sodium Carbonate for the developer? I tried with NaCO3 for 2 mins and did not get great results. I need to rub the board gently with my finger afterwards.

[@gambangtekop9910]

Excuse me sir, what is the printer, ink, and paper did you use for make the transparancy film like that?

[@electricalandelectronics5937]

I have same doubt

[@WwarGun]

Absolutely necessary to use powdered ink in a laser technology printer and the "paper" is called retro projector film if I remember correctly.

[@talwarjatin]

Hello , Great job and a descriptive video Thanks a lot . My questions , From where did u procure the photosensitive film ? also the chemicals required . Any online dealers in India ? I am based in Delhi NCR . Thanks

[@RespawnRestricted]

I heard adding some citric acid to the resist development helps what do you think?

[@bluebeast440]

This may or may not be what you read.... Something called "Edinburgh Etch"... adding citric acid to Ferric Chloride which makes it stronger, but also 'better' in some ways that escape my memory. Do a search about it for more info.

[@skufcaj1]

Awesome! Thanks so much! My very first try came out pro! Never going back to any other circuit construction...

[@dermotupton4341]

@ 5.49 the caption reads " remove the second layer of film". i'm clearly misunderstanding this process or did I miss the second layer being applied? O.K now I get it. The photo resist has a protective layer on both sides?

[@QlueDuPlessis]

Looks like it to me.

[@jort93z]

It has protective layers on both sides, otherwise that scotch tape method would be horrible(since the tape would be on the actual photosensitive film).

[@darkshadowsx5949]

well i fudged my first attempted because i didn't remember the steps fully. i didn't get a laminator or use any heat, my mask is covering the wrong parts and needs to be inverted and reprinted. thats what i get for no thinking about it for a month.

[@magicshon]

Why do you need to print it mirrored? cant you just turn the transparent paper over?

[@elendilion]

No mate. You need the negative because all that is clear in the acetate is what's going to remain in your board. By using a negative, you ensure that traces and power planes are the only thing left in it.

[@rdkater]

wat software you have to draw the copper lines?

[@pedrorestrepo1455]

I use Eagle Cad, now from Autodesk. It's free for personal use: www.autodesk.com/products/eagle/overview

[@mouseas]

Can the developing and removal solutions be stored and reused over a few months?

[@kotations]

Yes you can. Keep it in safe place with proper label.

[@kevfla]

My photoresist film keeps getting bubbles in it when I run it through my laminator. Any tips to avoid the bubbles??

[@jemyjeff4956]

Hi, .The recommended temperature range is between 90 and 120 °C.

[@DominoSixO]

kevfla don't breath while laminating

[@kevfla]

Domino SixO I tried holding my breath just didn't do much. LOL. I gave up on the project...

[@DominoSixO]

kevfla While laminatin the PCB with the film you need to hold one end/edge with your hands so the film will have the only point touching with the pcb in the point where the laminator is pressing them together. You can try to put the film as you put a film on your phone screan, it's the same thing. I don't have laminator but im gonna try with iron.

[@DominoSixO]

While laminatin the PCB with the film you need to hold one end/edge with your hands so the film will have the only point touching with the pcb in the point where the laminator is pressing them together. You can try to put the film as you put a film on your phone screan, it's the same thing. I don't have laminator but im gonna try with iron.kevfla

[@jagjordi]

What's the machine you use in 3:11?

[@shayneoneill1506]

laminator

[@jagjordi]

Shayne O'Neill would an iron work as well?

[@shayneoneill1506]

I guess in theory, but I'm not an expert on it. Maybe look around the net and see if other people have had luck doing that?

[@oguretsagressive]

Looks more complicated and costly than a toner transfer method. What pros does it have?

[@1pcfred]

higher resolution. Less smudging, and smearing. In my case the toner transfer paper kept ruining laser toner cartridges on me too. At over $100 a pop that gets expensive.

[@laser31415]

Once the transparencies are printed they can be used over and over.

[@snaprollinpitts]

thanks, interesting that you need to make a negative of you circuit layout.

[@vintagetshirtsonline]

I guess he was using laser transparency's and not ink jet ones.

[@WwarGun]

You don't actually, there's also positive photoresist film.

[@BalaKrishna-xr7jy]

can anyone help me .Whenever i try to develop it after exposing i have zero percent success film starts to peel off I tried increasing exposure time ,laminating it and also exact proportion of NaCo3(10g) with water(1l) when it starts to peel off some areas are not yet developed also.

[@chrisguo5698]

same thing happened to me here.

[@sureshlingabathina]

What is the laminator model, how much maximum thickness it can take, and what is the temperature setting. Can we use acetone as resist remover instead of sodium hydroxide

[@shareitez9179]

you can use a sheet of Ultraviolet papadum chapati

[@cronosu2]

CAN i USE Fcl3 to remove the copper?

[@DutchPhlogiston]

+cronosu2 Fluorine trichloride?! You should be able to remove anything with that. If you meant FeCl3 then yes, you can.

[@prchat]

Congratulations, Great job Bro !!! I Encourage You to keep going !!! This is great resource and very educational !!!

[@psanf2]

What software did you use to lay out your transparency? I've been look at a few option, but haven't found one that will print for the negative photoresist processes without turning the whole transparency black. What a waste of ink!

[@kornbred1653]

You don't print directly to the photoresist film. You place the film on the board and then print on an overhead projector film sheet.

[@OleKristianEkHornnes]

I used Eagle, Go to File->export->image - check negative, set to 600 dpi, and check clip-board. Then paste into any photo editor ( I used Pixelmator ) - new document and paste. Crop the document to a bit bigger than the board, and do a resize image. Uncheck resample image, and set resolution to 600 dpi. Then you can print 100% - Worked for me. If you extend the canvas size in one direction you could copy the design to a second position so you print two on the same foil.

[@PatrykDarasz]

What setting did you set your laminator to?

[@kevfla]

Did you use negative or positive photoresist film?

[@kotations]

Hi, I used negative resist dry film.

[@kevfla]

Thanks, I've been having a tough time finding resist in the size I need which is 7" x 10".

[@yangcamille2424]

hello ,do you purchase PCB for your company

[@sboonthae]

Good job , Please go on

[@conductiveinkalternative918]

Wonderful tutorial. Thanks for sharing.

[@hiddnheiziger]

Ordered dry film and try it to do it according to your really good tutorial

[@VishwambharKulkarni]

hi, could you provide the make and parameters of the chemicals used.

[@WwarGun]

Are you the kind of man that also asks for oven temperatures in Kelvin while cooking?

[@mvssarma3387]

First one is edible soda, second one is caustic soda we use for washing Sarma vu3zmv

[@walidkhier5640]

What are actually the advantages of dry film over photo resist, ready coated boards? It seems more work here to fix the film on the board.

[@andredejager3637]

Cost no doubt

[@sunilgeorgethomas9071]

Which laser printer model are you using and with what setting. Even if with extra printing cost how to get best print output ?

[@kotations]

PCB makers normally using photoplots ie, photoplotted films. Please try to find out any photoplotting service in your area. Here I used luxmark with max dpi resolution.

[@pro-eq9oy]

Good information..

[@hristotopov]

Very nice and clear video. Thank you.

[@magicshon]

my film always peels off during developement or etching, what am i doing wrong? if i get the developing times right it doesnt peel off but after a while of etching it does

[@notyourpersonsperson1380]

Keep us Posted if you get any success!

[@defnotdeepakr]

It has to do with lamination time and temperature! try changing them

[@magicshon]

@@notyourpersonsperson1380 Its been a while. I found this thing called something like etching ink on aliexpress. Its the same photosensitive material but as a paste like substrate. You put it on like paint and let it dry and then you use it. It holds much much firmer and can do a much better and finer detail because of that. No fiddling with temperatures or an iron

[@emmanuelcoleman6348]

Can I do this without a laminating machine?

[@WwarGun]

Yes, by buying pre-made copper clad photoresistive boards.

[@ivan868]

Where is the holes??

[@MarkSchuster-ym3iy]

What's the total time in real time?

[@ryancl03]

great video, please do more!

[@PauloSilva-ll4vs]

thanks for your time and sharing with us, and better silent than with these horrible songs that have in many videos on youtube, my only question: No question, the video is a complete tutorial.

[@mkniskanen]

What is 1gm? I think you mean 1g? What kind of cup is 100 ml? Not the US or the Imperial one... which are both much more than 100 ml. So did you use 100 ml, 240 ml or 280 ml?

[@QlueDuPlessis]

Hmmm. Good question. Since the uploader appears to be my neighbour, I'm going to go with a standard cup. (aka 250ml) I doubt the exact amount is critical. You would best experiment a little first anyway.

[@luksia2171]

moi Markku...oletko onnistunut käyttämään tota menetelmää mistä vois saada suomessa sodium carbonate vai toimisko natriumhydroksidi yhtä hyvin ?

[@Ujjwalis]

Only US uses Shitty Imperial system , thinking that others won'r know their secret recipe of Apple Pie.

[@d.l.corporation2659]

Hi which brand of photoresit film we use ?

[@kotations]

I bought this from china.

[@KiranTBrahaspathy]

kotations Can you share the link where you have bought this?

[@kevfla]

Kiran T Brahaspathy I got mine on eBay here goo.gl/pvYT5M don't be in a hurry. It took a month to arrive in the US from China.

[@samy1742]

Hola que programa usas ..

[@Vaclav_Kostka]

what is your set temperature?

[@electriclocha]

nice job bro keep it up

[@robvei45]

what's the hand lotion for?

[@kotations]

I used that for cleaning copper clad board.

[@mvssarma3387]

even with this process at times marker pen is needed. Dry film registration is suspect unless we pass more rounds thro the laminator. unless we resot to electric iron, extra burden buying a laminator , moding the heating temp . etc Thanks sarma vu3zmv

[@mvssarma3387]

Thanks for your feedback, Wanklyn Regards Sarma vu3zmv

[@jugnu361]

has anybody tried LQFP package with it , so much manual allignment , doubt it would work with 10 mil track and clearance. Have been using Presantisized boards but their availability and cost always a concern. Great work otherwise...

[@WwarGun]

It worked with 0.1mm traces for me, lol

[@rafaleguy6265]

Hello, Kotation Can you tell me from where you have buyed the photo-resist or share the name of the company, I am from India.

[@kotations]

Hi, here is the link ( indian seller) www.ebay.in/usr/innercoder

[@tinfore]

Rafale Guy www.banggood.com/30cm-Photosensitive-Dry-Film-Replace-Thermal-Transfer-PCB-Board-Longth-1M-p-947764.html

[@Zajc3wpl]

don't use laser printers for film printing...they are not printing square. On 100x160mm pcb it's about 1-2mm out from being true.

[@draliabdeldaiem1959]

Very good method. Thanks alot

[@brianlink391]

Does anyone talk on videos these days?

[@dougcollinge6424]

Not everyone speaks English well.

[@azzym8794]

*Indian English is the worst of all the variants of accent. Mute is best*

[@sureshlingabathina]

Where are you from, English itself not proper language can be of any accent

[@prasanna29111967]

:D :D

[@maxigladi]

Suresh Lingabathina Babu well said Sanskrit or Indian languages arefar more better

[@mohammadmubin785]

can i just use a iron?

[@iconca]

Nice video.

[@serhioromano]

I literally felt pain in the heart watching your brush. That one looks like stain remover brush.

[@abduljalil9101]

Thank you for sharing

[@mikedavies4237]

Useless video, the end circuit is clearly different from the starting circuit making this whole video compromised.

[@rayfelch3554]

Totally agree!

[@freedomisfood6966]

thanks

[@sidhitejomoyotjahyadi797]

Mantab gan :)

[@qhriathousz734]

English dude

[@republicoftutorials6068]

very clear thank you

[@marciooppido206]

Thanks man

[@EslamEldeknawy]

awesome my friend thank you...!

[@RixtronixLAB]

Cool :)

[@dawidbrzeski6096]

very unprofessional. all the time you touch the pcb with your fingers leaving greasy prints. after exposure, the tile must be set aside from 15 minutes to 2 days as well as after lamination until the board reaches room temperature. the plate can be soaked in distilled water at 90 C after exposure to improve the contrast between exposed and non-exposed areas. sodium carbonate solution must be 3%

[@WwarGun]

Tell that to the chinese guys that make my PCBs in 2-3 days(process+shipping, lol).

[@jobaptist]

it looks like you're removing a packet condom sachet