Still waiting for things to arrive, some may not get here until next month.
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I have watched a lot of videos and read a lot on the various details of this making of a current printed circuit board for SMT devices.
An old habit of mine, to read the directions before anything goes wrong.
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After the board layout is completed, on a computer (no more tape on paper layouts) -
Then that layout has to become something outside of the printer.
Commercial manufacturers can do direct printing using special (very expensive) equipment.
For a low budget operation, the choice is to use whatever printer is attached to the computer and whatever sort of media you can get it to swallow without choking.
Is there any chance this might work?
Both my Ink-Jet and my Laser printers have a basic resolution of 600dpi (the bigger numbers mentioned are all marketing hype and firmware enhancement).
600dpi == 1/600 inch per dot == 1.667 mil == 42.3418 microns
I intend to use the 'classic' photoresist, Dupont Riston (it has been in use for about 40 years).
Its literature claims it can be used to successfully reproduce art work with 50 micron lines and spacings.
(The printer is more exact than the resist's resolution - so that should work - I should be able to print anything it can reproduce.)
50 micron == 1.96850394 mil
Call that a 2 mil (0.002 inch) line or space.
Smaller than any detail that will show up on this board.
Is that small?
About 1/2 the thickness of (cheap) paper, just try drawing two dots, side-by-side, across the edge of a piece of paper.
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Hmm...
Do I have a clean enough place to do this work?
Nope - will have to make one (a desktop box thingy).
The 'rocks' in the air -
Those larger than 54 microns usually settle out.
It is keeping those smaller bits of 'gravel' out of the process that is the problem.
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Dupont publishes the documentation in two parts -
A 'general' reference for the Riston product line ;
And a 'specific' reference for the Riston MM-540 product (as one of the MM-5xx products).
Both are attached for your reading pleasure.