Andy, with the safety at what it is today, I'd be surprised if I could find anything more acidic than vinegar, but I'll look around. I've heard you can print them with a laser printer?
freeflyer, I'd be surprised if that guy knew what a resistor is.

You can laser print onto parchment paper (greaseproof paper), water soluble paper, or press-n-peel type paper. There's also other methods out there using all kinds of paper.

The etchants are easily available everywhere. You can also use HCl (drain/concrete cleaner).

I have had good luck using a laser printer and magazine pages (of all things) to print on with. I use old QST magazines (Amateur radio publication) as I have found they work best for me..I tried several others (old airplane mags and other amateur radio mags) and the QST's worked best with my particular laser printer.

Ferric chloride is still available from Radio Shack:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...ductId=2102868

If you're good, you can use a Sharpie marker. I've also used paint for a resist.

Andy

How do you use magazine paper if there's text on it?

Originally Posted by boaterguy

We have the source up in Canada, the most advanced circuitry you can buy there is a 555, and it's nearly 10$. They sell capacitor kits, but they never restock, they're just selling off the old stuff.
My local electronics shop (still nearly 45 minutes away) just went out of business, now I'm stuck ordering online, and shipping is a real killer.
Being 16, it's hard to get around places or buy stuff, I order from a place in Quebec but they have a 50$ minimum, I usually end up ordering 100's of parts at a time to make the limit.
Even then, it's hard to find PDIP cases so that they're solderable, I'm usually stuck soldering SOIC or even SSOP packages.

I remember Tandy sold leather products before electronics. Then a little corner of magical electronic bits appeared, then full rebranded Radio shack . Now its back to the same little space.

Originally Posted by boaterguy

How do you use magazine paper if there's text on it?

Send it thru the printer, print it as dark as possible, and when you iron it on the copperclad, the toner transfers, but the page doesn't..usually. Thats why you have to try a few magazines and see which one works best for you, with your laser printer. The laser toner is heat fused to the print medium, so it is also released by heat...

Originally Posted by AndyKunz

If you're good, you can use a Sharpie marker. I've also used paint for a resist.

Andy

I never had great luck with a Sharpie, but I can't draw worth a darn either... I have seen some guys in my radio club do it that way, though, and they get great results.

Originally Posted by IFLYOS

I never had great luck with a Sharpie, but I can't draw worth a darn either... I have seen some guys in my radio club do it that way, though, and they get great results.

I'm sure if you used a square that you could set at 45 or 135 degrees as well you would have more than enough possibilities, you rarely need to draw outside of all of those possible angles.

> I never had great luck with a Sharpie,

It worked pretty well for me on the last board I did. Not perfect, but pretty darn well.

You're using it on the PCB before etching, and not on the paper right? The sharpie won't transfer over from the paper.

Originally Posted by jakestew

> I never had great luck with a Sharpie,

It worked pretty well for me on the last board I did. Not perfect, but pretty darn well.

You're using it on the PCB before etching, and not on the paper right? The sharpie won't transfer over from the paper.

Yes, on the board. Maybe I will give it a go with a fresh out of the package Sharpie and some "new" copperclad, scrubbed, of course...

Went to a Radio Shack yesterday and picked up the only size aluminum box that they carry now. It is perfect for my "single channel" tx that I'm building. I don't know how much longer that we can get some parts but maybe they will wake up.
Frank