Agitating selfmade PCBs with ease

If you wish to make PCBs at dwelling and also you don’t occur to personal a CNC mill, then you definitely’ll most likely want to show to chemical etching. Use one among a number of completely different strategies to masks the clean PCB’s copper that you simply need to preserve, then toss the entire thing into a shower to dissolve away the unmasked copper. Sadly, the final step could be gradual, which is why Chris Borge constructed this PCB agitator.

Alton Brown’s philosophy on “unitaskers” is smart in terms of the kitchen, however issues are completely different within the workshop. Generally a device or machine is so helpful that it’s price holding round — even when it solely does one job. That’s the case right here, as a result of Borge’s machine solely does one factor: tilts forwards and backwards. If a container with a PCB in an etchant bathtub is sitting on prime of the machine, that motion will slosh the chemical compounds round and the agitation will dramatically velocity up the method.

On a mechanical degree, that is very simple. It solely requires a handful of 3D-printed elements, some fasteners, and a few bearings. The bearings present a rotational interface between the stationary base (weighed down with poured concrete) and the pivoting platform. The electronics are even easier and include an Arduino Nano board and a small pastime servo motor. The Arduino simply tells the servo motor to maneuver forwards and backwards endlessly, tilting the platform and offering fixed agitation.