Step-by-step instructions for making your own PCBs at home.
Making your own printed circuit board (PCB) might seem a daunting task, but once you master the steps, it's easy to attain professional-looking results.
Printed circuit boards, which connect chips and other components, are what make almost all modern electronic devices possible. PCBs are made from sheets of fiberglass clad with copper, usually in multiplelayers. Cut a computer motherboard in two, for instance, and you'll often see five or more differently patterned layers. Making boards at home is relatively easy, but limited to one- or two-layer designs. Here's how to create a one-layer board for a blinking LED circuit. For PCBs, this exercise is the equivalent of a beginner's "Hello World" program in software.
This primer first appeared in Make: Technology on Your Time Volume 02.
Andrew Argyle describes himself as "an intelligent biped" who enjoys taking things apart as much as putting them back together. He's working on making a USB-to-serial/parallel converter, a Geiger counter, and a bead loom for one of his sisters, as well as playing ball hockey, growing exotic cacti from seed, and playing acoustic blues guitar. He did support for the Unix and Linux versions of WordPerfect, was part of the development team for Corel Linux, and has worked for internet startups. He lives in deep suburbia with his wife and stepdaughter.
