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PCB Making Equipment — Parallax Forums

PCB Making Equipment

VelocitVelocit Posts: 119
edited 2014-04-14 04:17 in General Discussion
Hi everyone,

I used to make dev boards and one-off PCB's for SX microcontrollers at home, so I have a bit of PCB making equipment for which I'm looking to find a new home. Though I used this stuff for etching copper-clad boards, it could conceivably be used in any photoexposure process (e.g. making silkscreens for PCB's, making silkscreens for enclosures, etc.). I'm not really looking to make any money here, I just want to see the equipment go to someone who would appreciate it. Here's what I have:

* A vertical etching tank. Built from polycarbonate, it has an airstone at the bottom for agitation, as well as an air pump and check valve.
* Almost working reflow toaster oven. Built from a brand new toaster oven and a TechFX controller. I used the thermocouple for another project, but the SSR, controller, and power supply are all intact. I believe either the SSR or controller is faulty, but those are easy/cheap enough to replace these days.
* Dark room light/switch. Basically a red light on a switch. If you plug your photoexposure box into the switch, it will ensure that the box and red light aren't on at the same time.
* Photo exposure box. It has 3-4 fluorescent tubes in it, with wavelengths selected to expose MG Chemicals pre-sensitized boards. I built this after dealing with all sorts of other inferior exposure methods. The light is strong and very evenly distributed.
* PCB "table saw." I made this out of aluminum back when I had access to a machine shop. It uses any standard Dremel/rotary tool to spin the diamond blade and cuts through just about any 1/16" FR4.
* Miscellaneous chemicals. A used/"seasoned" jug of CuCl2 etchant, an unopened bottle of lye/NaOH for developing boards, and an unopened bottle of MG Chemicals developer.

I think I have a number of pre-sensitized copper clad boards as well. If I do, I'd be happy to throw them in as well.


I'd like to get rid of everything as a lot, and for obvious reasons, this all has to be shipped by ground. I'll work with you to get the cheapest shipping rate possible. If there's any interest, I'll post pictures ASAP. Thanks!

Comments

  • bomberbomber Posts: 297
    edited 2013-12-09 16:43
    I don't know if my parents would allow me to have the equipment, but I would love to see pictures! Who knows, I may even be able to convince them to let me have them (my dad's a chemist so this may be an easy sell)!
  • VelocitVelocit Posts: 119
    edited 2013-12-14 12:07
    Here's a link to the pictures of all of the equipment. Let me know if you're interested.

    http://imgur.com/a/fdZFR
  • xanatosxanatos Posts: 1,120
    edited 2013-12-15 15:51
    I've got most of the stuff there, but I'd love to see a schematic of your reflow toaster oven controller system! :-)
  • VelocitVelocit Posts: 119
    edited 2013-12-15 20:04
    Oh, it's nothing special. There used to be a company/guy named "TechFX"/"The Silicon Horizon" that made little reflow toaster oven controller modules. It was hard for me to justify buying one, but at $50, I decided to give them a try--so I didn't design the board or anything. The rest is pretty straightforward: the heater elements are connected to an SSR and the controller module is connected to a 9V switching power supply.
  • Don MDon M Posts: 1,652
    edited 2013-12-19 23:53
    [QUOTE=Velocit
  • VelocitVelocit Posts: 119
    edited 2013-12-23 02:24
    It did work fine for a while... I think the issue with the oven may just be the SSR. Either way, SSR's are cheap and there are a ton of reflow oven controller choices now, so repair won't be difficult.
  • VelocitVelocit Posts: 119
    edited 2014-03-13 22:54
    If anyone is interested, I still have everything available.
  • VelocitVelocit Posts: 119
    edited 2014-04-02 19:12
    Hi everyone,

    I edited the first post because I suppose it wasn't really clear that this is all free to a good home. I checked, and I have a number of pre-sensitized MG Chemicals boards that'll be included. I also have a Black and Decker InfraWave toaster oven that'll be included too. This toaster oven is known for being one of the best to convert to a reflow oven. It's disassembled, but all of the relevant parts are there.

    Thanks!
  • PublisonPublison Posts: 12,366
    edited 2014-04-03 09:54
    [QUOTE=Velocit
  • VelocitVelocit Posts: 119
    edited 2014-04-14 04:17
    It's shipping from South Florida, 33301.
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