Hi John, You Dremel carve some pcb test boards. I did my first last night, I got it done, but not the best. Do you have any hints on how you do it? Do you have a regular Dremel? Is it all freehand? I have dental bits, but many don't fit the collets I have, specifically 1/16" bits. Do you have a source of collets. Thanks, Mikek
Dremel makes a Jacobs chuck (p/n 4486) that works down to very small diameters. That's the only one I ever use.
Cheers
Phil Hobbs
They're on deal for eleven bucks at that jungle website.
Cheers
Phil Hobbs
Yes, I went looking for collets and found several mutli packs and then also the keyless chucks. I have both in my "jungle" cart, I'll have to decide which I want. I'd like the chuck, but, I don't want one that is off center! I've been funding the jungle a lot lately. Mikek
The Dremel Jacobs chuck is nearly always used by me too. Because it saves so much effort.
On the other hand, both copper and paper plated universal PCB works best for my own prototypes. It's possible to stack double sided copper with single sided PCB to make multi-layered prototypes. Strip board even retains a place in the process. Yes, and even dead- bug, if need be. LOL. Danke,
Lamont Cranston snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:
Use the little concrete cut-off saw. it is abrasive. I would not use any steel type cutter or mill... ever.
"Don" snipped-for-privacy@crcomp.net wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@crcomp.net:
That seems wussified. You guys are worried about the littel time it takes to change a bit in a collet over a Jacobs chuck? Wow, you must save a whole half second and two calories.
Post a picture and we can discuss it.
I work freehand. I use a variable-speed Dremel about half-speed and a carbide dental burr, which are cheap on ebay. Chuck, not collet, as Phil says. The rounded-tip burrs work best.
It's important to use 1 oz or even 1/2 oz copperclad. 2 Oz is hard to work with.
I like to work on double-side ENIG gold plated FR4, which I have one of my PCB houses make for me, a couple of square feet every few years.
Lots of parts are poorly specified, especially RF stuff. Once I measure real numbers, I can decide how hard to push them to get performance. Abs Max is for wimps.
I've done hundreds of these so have had a lot of practice. You need a steady hand, which is mostly genetic. I was talking to my retina surgeon about that and showed him some proto boards. He peeled two layers of cells off my retina freehand with tweezers. He says that not many MD's can do that.
Amazon won't sell dental burrs unless you somehow certify that you are a dentist. ebay doesn't care.
Do you mean an abrasive disc? It will load up with copper, and it can't cut sharp corners.
Well, I'm not proud to put this out, but...
Maybe some pantograph arrangement would be handy. Make a scale 2 sketch and follow the lines using a ruler.
Jeroen Belleman
I was going to ask if that was directed at me, then I saw the previous post. Anyway here's what I used, it's 0.35" diameter.
That's not bad. If the traces are a little ragged I'll pretty them up with an x-acto knife. I do work mostly surface-mount. Surface mount,
63/37 solder, gold FR4, wash off the flux, practically jewelry.I use a Sharpie and sometimes a ruler to make nice straight lines before I cut. Visually, little wobbles don't look bad but long slopes do.
Alcohol has an optimum point, about 1 oz for me, dremeling or skiing.
No, that was a response to Always Wrong, who is an authority on everything but designs nothing.
The small round-end burrs are harder to find but cut traces much better.
My daughter has been a Dentist for about 6 months now, I got some used bits when she was in dental school. I'll specifically ask her for round end burrs. I should get something for my $260k in tuition payments! Mikek
My kid went to Cornell at full price. She dual-majored in softball and beer pong.
Well, it can certainly cut sharp metal corners; it's the CUT path that isn't sharp cornered, not t he result when you intersect a N/S with an E/W cut. The loading can be treated by using the little abrasive stone (that used to come with Dremel tools) to dress the disc. Don't try that on a metal burr, of course.
Biggest problem with abrasive disk: the pesky powder/grit residues.
Mine had a degree in horticulture and agri-business, worked 3 years doing very well and the then the company merged with another and new management changed all the good things. She decided to go back to school to become a dentist. Two years of premed, a masters and then dental school. As I have said, she has some bad ass sticktoitness! Mikek
The Brat worked for us doing assembly and stuff. Then she went to Berkeley and got an MBA and now I work for her.
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