PCBs in Two Hours? Zack Sucks at CNC
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 15. 03. 2022
- Can Zack stop smashing his bits long enough to make a circuit board?
Get your own Snapmaker CNC + Printer + Laser: shop.snapmaker.com/?rfsn=6333...
I called this the A350, but it's actually the AT model! Either way, it's also available on Amazon now! www.amazon.com/dp/B09G36C1Y2?...
3D printing is fast. Fabricating circuit boards is not. If we can rapidly prototype circuit boards right here in the Lab, I might be able to escape the bottomless 3D-printing pit of my own creation. The only problem: Milling circuit boards turns out to be way harder than I expected...
PSA: Using FR-4 was a bad choice. I should have used FR-1 (phenolic or bakelite) boards instead - they're safer for long-term exposure.
My free printable models from this episode:
𧩠Slopboard drilling jig: bit.ly/3u90OH8
đš Snapmaker Vacuum Port + Clips: bit.ly/3thsbza
đ§ CNC Bit Tray UwU: bit.ly/3thsbza
Supplies and tools:
đ© Tiny end mills: amzn.to/3MGiKRA
đ Alignment pins: amzn.to/3I64TAy
đ€ 0.8mm drills: amzn.to/3t1INep
đȘ Sketchy SainSmart 0.1mm V-bits: amzn.to/3ML7h3w
đč Decent Huhao Dual-Flute V-bits: amzn.to/3I2XHoP
đ Collets for tiny mills: amzn.to/3J3UxCJ
đ Diamond pattern mills + more: amzn.to/3sZqJl5
đš Hose for chip extractor: amzn.to/3t3Em2Q
đč Double-sided copper-clad FR4: amzn.to/3MGj8j0
đŒ Carpet tape (very sticky): amzn.to/36cYoil
đ© Tiny rivets: www.ebay.com/itm/273600722201
How to Mill Circuit Boards with the Snapmaker:
0) If possible, print a dust extractor and hook it up to a powerful vacuum with a true HEPA filter. Open windows.
1) Print a slopboard jig. Use it to mark holes on a one-foot square of 3/4" MDF.
2) Drill 13/64" holes on the marks and countersink.
3) Remove your Snapmaker's slopboard and install the new one.
4) Use a 1/8" flat end mill to hog a big ol' square into it. 0.5mm depth, 200mm/min feed, one pass should be enough.
5) Slap some carpet tape on you copper clad and stick it to the bed.
6) Export Gerbers with 14 mil trace and space, 0.8mm minimum drill.
7) Import top copper, bottom copper, and drills into FlatCam. Note that you may need to scale the drills down to 0.1.
8) Use FlatCam's double-sided tool to mirror the bottom copper and generate alignment holes. Position the holes at least 5/8" from the board edge.
9) Create a drilling or milling job from the alignment holes, to fit your alignment pins. Make the holes as tight as you can fit the dowels into.
10) Generate a CNC job from the alignment drill/mill job. Make sure to put G21 in the End G-Code. I recommend 0.5" depth, 0.1" stepdown, 10in/min feed. Save the resulting G-code file with a .cnc extension.
11) Open the G-code in a text editor and change the line F10 to G1 F10.
12) Install your selected drill or end mill, zero, and execute the job. DO NOT change the home position or remove the board.
13) Create drill and mill jobs from the Excellon file. I recommend drilling all holes 0.04" and smaller with your 0.8mm bit, and milling the rest with a 1mm diamond-pattern mill. Depth is the thiccness of your board plus 0.05", stepdown all the way for drills and 0.1" for mills, 5in/min feed.
14) Generate CNC jobs for the drills and mills, generate G-code, change the F[number] line to G1 F[number], mount and home the appropriate drills or mills, and run the jobs.
15) Install a V-bit or micro end mill and home Z very, very carefully. DO NOT change the X or Y origins. Check the Z in multiple places with a slip of paper to make sure the board is flat. Your Z origin should be at the lowest point on the board.
16) Generate isolation routing for the top layer. A 20-degree 0.1mm bit effectively has an 0.012" diameter. I found that one width pass was OK. Look for shorts that the tool can't cut!
17) Generate a CNC job from the isolation routing. I got the best results with an 0.002" depth, 5"/min feed, one pass. Travel Z and spindle speed are irrelevant.
18) Output G-code, change F to G1 F, import into Luban.
19) Apply a thin layer of cutting fluid or light machine oil to the copper clad. Be careful not to let it soak into the slopboard.
20) Run the top copper job.
21) Remove the copper clad from the slopboard, peel off the tape, degrease thoroughly, apply fresh tape to the newly-cut side, and use dowels to pin copper clad to slopboard upside-down. Remove the pins and zero the tool again!
22) Grease up the board, generate the bottom isolation G-code, and run it.
23) Swap in an end mill. Generate cutout G-code FROM THE BOTTOM COPPER, NOT THE TOP COPPER! Use the same settings as the alignment holes, and run the job.
24) Remove board, carefully cut out with moistened tools, clean board, and populate!
25) Use damp rags to thoroughly clean all fiberglass dust.
Interference SFX by Partners in Rhyme
Other SFX from www.zapsplat.com - Jak na to + styl
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You can also make custom circuits with a exacto-knife. Don't let not having a cnc hold you back.
You can also connect your components with soldered wires. Don't let not having an exacto-knife hold you back.
Yep, I did this once (around year 2000). The PCB was approx 1x3cm, double side, the components (I think that were 2-3 resistors, 1 or 2 capacitors, one transistor and one small audio output transformer) were THD and some of them I mounted as SMD (resistors); it was a mosquito repellent audio oscillator and worked at first try. All was made by hand, from design to drilling holes, with no tools other than a soldering iron.
I make it to win a bet and I won it.
@@billmckillip1561 You can also connect your components by twisting wires together all janky-like and securing it with hot glue. Don't let not having a soldering iron hold you back.
You can also use Crayola and draw things on your walls and pretend they are working by magic. Don't let not having a CNC hold you back.
â@@Lozoot2 Components? You were living in paradise! In my days, we didn't have any components. Different kinds of soil and our own bodily secretions is what we had to work with. And we were happy!
That Sound of Silence remix did not disappoint.
Thanks for running this machine for this purpose. Very informative. And entertaining as usual.
I appreciated it and will recall it warmly
It was...exceptional
The song was good, but the thing that made me mildly spit-take my cereal (not some kind of weird euphemism) was when the eyebrow waggling escalated to ridiculous levels at 6:20.
@@slartimus Zack is ridiculous, and I love him for it.
making a lot of snapped tools with the snapmaker, call me unsurprised đ
It's a genius marketing strategy, it guarantees you never forget the company name...
Dude youâre a madman. Love this video.
I just wanted to toss out that I'm here for Zack not for a category. Your videos and lives give me motivation and inspiration to work on my own projects. Follow the dopamine and takes us along!
I fully agree! Zack is so fun to watch
same, I like watching the 3d printing and what have you but I like him specifically bc he's funny and relatable
FINALLY! A multi-purpose machine that ACTUALLY INCLUDES proper laser safety panels!
No relying on everyone in the house walking around with laser shades all the time.
It didn't. That's an upgrade
That is an upgrade sadly
Just use an enclosure with a camera to monitor the cheapos which have no laser safety panels . It just works.
Even though I haven't played tf2 in years it holds enough of a special place in my heart for me to feel personally attacked by the straight facts you spat.
The worst part is I 100% agree.
"when tf2 works, it's a coincidence"
I damn lost it good job!
Wow, that was an expensive board to make with all of the bits you broke. But to get the results you want, you have to experiment! Bravo, may you have learned from your experience! Happy days and model on! đ
Great work. Iâve CNCâd many boards similar to how you did it. I finally bought a Bantam Tools PCBMill and itâs like night and day difference. The biggest advantage is the software. 1000 times better than flatcam and designed to work with the machine. Plus it mills holes not drills. If you ever get a chance to buy one(since the one I bought is discontinued and replaced by their new design) I highly recommend it. That board you had could be completed in roughly 30 minutes. For vias I just solder wire to the pad on each side. Glad you discovered small end mills. I use 1/64 for detail, 1/32 for clearing and 1/8 for cutting the outline.
Great video.
uh, in flatcam, you can choose to mill big holes.
The machine we see here is clearly capable of milling PCBs. Buying a machine just for the software seems a bit lunatic to me.
You need mesh leveling for v-bits. It's actually quite easy to do but I don't know if it possible with this particular machine. Basically the bit and the board are both conductive. Connect a couple of wires and use them as an end stop. Whenever the tool touches the board it should send a signal to the Z end stop input on the CNC.
if you do it that way, your v bit is dull by the time you are ready to mill.
@@SharkyMoto you dont have to use the v bit to create the mesh
@@SharkyMoto How would lightly touching a copper surface dull the same bit that is going to violently mill through said copper? Can you explain the material science going on there?
@@ericcmcgraw the bit cant turn normally while your are leveling, so it isnt cutting but rather just pushing down on the bit.
@@leobla744 yes, neverthless the hardness of the materials are not affected by the speed, so the bit would still just dent the copper, not vice versa.
The projects are always banging, but your script writing honestly is the best in the business.
This is one of best vids youâve ever done, that production value baby! Keep it up Zach, love it!
Good stuff! A few hints to make your life easier next time.
1) Use oil when routing to help with smoother cuts.
2) Afterwards, use 800 grit sand paper really lightly to remove the ragged edges. This makes silkscreening and soldering easier.
3) If your bit feels off center, it's probably the collet, not the bit. Tighten the collet all the way without a bit in it. Then loosen it off until you can put your bit in. This helps center those cheap collets in the ring.
I would watch a two hour cut of this, no hassle. Really interesting and cool!
Your videos are awesome! Thank you for putting so much work into them
Your script writing is superb! This was a very informative video and I enjoyed it. Thank you for all the thought you put in to this channel.
10:15 OMG it just dawned on me... when I import PDFs and Jpegs into Autocad I often have to scale them by 2.54 to get it right... probably because the files are in dots per INCH and I want them in meters now...
I appreciate the genuine level of perseverance after constant bit breakage! Sound effect game was on point for this ep too
Cool, look forward to seeing a big project with this in use!
I canât wait till you hit 1 mil subscribers, your vids are amazing keep ups the good work!
hey machinist here, i have a few possibly helpful tips:
1. when using a flat endmill try not to plunge straight down but instead helix into the material.
2. you can find a lot of bits at machinist shops like herrics, MCSdirect, Grainger, Shars, Kennametal, ect.
3. some too materials and setups work better than others (HSS v.s Carbide, or 4 flute vs 2 flute) the harder the material the slower you can spin the spindle with larger feed same with more flutes.
4. Slower spindle speeds will make your tool wear down slower within reason.
Damn, that TF2 comparison just made me sad :(
You deserve ten times the subscriptions. You are very entertaining while delivering a terrifyingly specific subject. :)
I used to use a laser printer (from the library), clothes iron, and some homemade CuCl2( some mixture of HCl H2O2 and one pre 1982 penny) to etch my own boards, I erred on the side of over etching, bridged the missing connections with enameled wire, and it did work.
Yep I used to do exactly that back in high school, circa 1990. I got really good at it and made useful circuits borrowed out of magazines and with a bit of help from Radio shack for acid, PCB clad etc. I used a dc motor out of a toy car, coupled to a 1mm drill bit to hand drill the holes. Oh the good old fun days!!
The singing is magnificent. I was pleased to see the turn of fate at the end! Great work
Time to invest in Micro Center.
Love the video! I'm excited to see what shnasty projects you come up with for this new toy!
Dude spends as much time working as he does coming up with jokes and it's 100% appreciated
I used to show up just for the technical information, but I keep coming back for the never ending stream of comedy! Zack, you are a LEGEND!!
Bud, I've been subbed to your channel for a while now and EVERY time you put a new video out it's even better. This shit is getting insane.
My dad got a snapmaker A350 recently and it is so wonderful to finally be able to make pcbs at home, it has been a dream of mine for a really long time :D
idk how you havnt hit a mil. Amazing personality and content keep it up pls!
Man thats incredible, you are a pioneer in this sort of thing it seems
Great video man! I really like your narrative.
Forget the whole cnc circuit board cutting! I'm more impressed by how you named all the sponsors at the end with a straight face.
Oh, wow, thanks for including the instructions.
The jokes in this episode are so good I feel like you got a writing staff. Awesome video man.
You got a good and entertaining personality bro, I appreciate your content
Great vid!
Not watched one like this from you in a while
That was pretty cool stuff!
I make my pcb with a silhouette 4 vinyl cutter. Stick it on the board. Acid wash. Peel sticker off and dremel press drill the holes out. Way faster then 2 hours. But I have to manually drill
2:35 That had to be one of the last references I would have expected in a video about making PCBs.
Randomly popped up, loooooooove it! Gets me excited again to get into making. :)
Such a puntastic video, great work as always
Great results for a first try!
I've made quite a few boards for hobby and professional purposes (mostly prototypes), I have a Sainsmart 3018-ProVer, which is very cheap compared to some of the dedicated PCB mills out there, but works very well for PCB milling. For control I use Candle, a very simple but capable little CNC software. I've gathered some experience over the years which I'd like to share:
- Clamp your board down firmly with at least four clamps. Tape works, but most PCB blanks are slightly bent, and if the tape doesn't hold it down perfectly, it may flex when you try to mill it, leading to inconsistent depth of cut.
- Install a leveling sensor. The simplest option would be two wires, one attached to the PCB, the other one to the milling bit. Alligator clips work fine. Most CNC boards have some sort of input for additional sensors.
- With the aforementioned sensor, level the PCB blank. One probe point every 10mm should be sufficient. Having a flat surface is not enough for the kind of tolerances we want, so software compensation is mandatory. All professional PCB mills do this. Candle works well for the software part, but most CNC software should have a similar feature.
- Precision end mills are nice, but quite expensive and fragile. I had good results with 30 to 60 degree V-tips. For holes, I use normal PCB drills. It's a bit more work to change the drill size for different holes, but milling holes takes way longer, especially if you have lots of them.
- Cheap bits are a bit of a gamble, sometimes they are good, sometimes they are garbage. But it's still cheaper to experiment a bit than to break too many high quality bits. One you find a type that works well, stock a few for future accidents.
- You want good quality bits, especially for isolation routing. Good bits cut with very little noise, and there should be no burrs around the cuts when you wipe over them with your fingers.
- Some sellers stock FR1 PCB blanks. Those don't have fiberglass in them, so they are way easier to mill and less dangerous, but they aren't as sturdy as FR4. For most applications they are absolutely fine though.
- Try to stick with sigle sided boards when possible. If you need two sides, you can connect the vias with copper wire, but most board designers will assume that all holes are plated through, and you can't solder both sides on all components (e.g. capacitors). This might lead to design flaws. Rivets are an option, but a lot of work.
- Don't bother with solder resist, it's messy, it takes forever and if you solder carefully, it's not needed for functionality.
- When the board is finished and tested, cover the copper side with protective lacquer. You can get that stuff in spray cans, there are special non-conductive types for PCBs. Keeps the moisture out and your boards look shiny and new even after years. Dries in a few hours. Also prevents shorts, but don't rely on that.
Happy milling, I hope you can speed up some projects in the future!
Your videos are pure gold
Love the new angle
Hi Zack you are awesome and an inspiration. Use finger diel gouge to double check the board before you cut. Chances are it will not be flat. Instead of carpet tape use screws and shims to clamp the blank. I was a cnc machinist for a very long time and that's how it works with that. Hope I helped. When you cut a dial gauges are your best friends.
I laughed out loud so many times during this episode. Weâll done yet again! đ
I like you how had the same problems that I did. I glad you show how hard it is to mill a pcb some some video make it look to easy and I feel like people may get trap by this. I am interested to try some of these very small end mill. Keep the cool Video comming !
Awesome to see, the mini rivets were a great idea! I'd be interested in seeing if you could add a silk screen or something to stop random debris being able to short your board out if it fell ontop of it. Even if its just smearing hotglue over it and cut out holes for your pads
Very awesome! Thanks for the tips & info! Very cool!!
This was just a sponsor for MicroCenter. Love the work, loved the video. Keep up the good work.
Great video Zach! I can see how having somethig like this would be really useful, especially with not needing to have parts sent back and forth. For another project you could try making a diy pen plotter.
always such amazing videos
Loved this episode to "bits!" I've used a diamond tipped tool on an ancient engraver, with a spring loaded collet in the 'z' axis and spindle turned off. Did great work dragging sharp lines on anodized aluminum, maybe a robust tool like that could take on .0014" of copper?
"We're going to machine our way from hot garbage to premium garbage like the dumpster behind a wholefoods" - youre a frikin genius Zack, love your work. I saw a guy called bitluni do a circuit board milling project using a cheap chinease desktop milling machine, he might have some tips for you, check him out.
The first steps to being okay at something is to suck at something. You are well on your way to greatness!
You are very entertaining and informative good job with the video congratulations on making circuitry
Good to see youâre doing all good buddy, your channel has been a real highlight the past year or so and I remember seeing your first videos and knowing you were going to be successful! But I didnât realize how quickly your channel grow and itâs been a lot of fun to watch!
I have my own electronics and systems engineering âbusinessâ. Just me and a small lab I built several years ago. Mostly to fund my own addiction to test equipment. I focus mostly on component level troubleshooting and board repair for industrial and laboratory/research clients. I specialize in metrology and test equipment repair/calibration⊠And I really enjoy it a lot.
Nothing necessarily wrong with milling PCBs, itâs pretty great if youâve already got the shop set up with similar equipment, and an area that is meant for dirty tasks. And it is a lot of funâŠ.âŠ
But The etching process probably makes more sense. I mean obviously the best thing to do is just order the boards......because theyâre so cheap, Much higher quality than you can do at home, and you get them really fast. sometimes I will be troubleshooting or problem-solving an existing circuit, and I need to reiterate and change the design and remake the boards a few times per dayâŠ
If I were to do the same thing, but having to wait on boards for each revision⊠It would take a long time and I usually donât have that option. But itâs just because Iâm such an idiot, and I make mistakes in design⊠Iâm a hardware guy not a design/layout guy. The only other excuse is because itâs a lot of fun! So I definitely donât discourage people making them at home⊠But if itâs something you can get done at PCB way or elsewhere⊠I suggest going that route.
Also check out Marco reps and how he has made boards with several different methods. The laser method proving to be really fast, easy, and able to be accomplished pretty cheaply. I was pretty impressed with the tiny details he was able to get.
Absolutely one of the funniest writers on CZcams! And in the top 1% when it comes to electronics and technology channels. I was always super impressed at your first few videosâŠ. obviously the projects and content but mostly the skill of your writing.
Writing is a real bitch, And way more difficult and complex than people realizeâŠ.. And anyone Who doubts that, I just point them at the last 30 years of anti-comedy in Saturday night live.
The only other person I could compare to in the technology CZcams genre would be Alex from technology connections, And Marco reps.
If you look outside of the tech genre⊠Youâve got guys like âordinary thingsâ, âjay Foremanâ, âmany kudosâ, âGeorge rockall-Schmidtâ, And âJacob Gellerâ. Literally that group is better than 95% of the writers in the past 30 years of television and comedy.
Awesome video man! Youâre super entertaining
I fumbled my way through cnc'ing circuit boards a few years back, and had good luck with an aluminum spoil board, superglue (rather than carpet tape), and acetone. helped keep things flat. I had dedicated alignment pin holes that I'd design into the boards, and they had teenie-tiny ground points on them to which I'd set the CNC x-y zero using a usb microscope. Yes, these pins were made from my vast collection of broken endmills.
if you coat the copper with something, laser away everywhere you dont need copper, you can also use the machine to etch pcbs... OH and before i forget, you can also use any old resin printer, just get yourself one of those uv reactive pcb blanks, make a 1 layer print in the shape of your pcb, etch it and you got yourself a perfect pcb with no tools in a very short time! also, no jagged edges and no microcenter.
Yeah but he got a free CNC machine.
@@1pcfred i know... i know, but with resin printers beeing CHEAP, using that would be epic, you can still use the cnc for actual cnc tasks like drilling the holes
Have you actually tried that? I would think that the laser could easily damage or even remove the hair thin copper right along with the mask. You'd still need a mill for holes/vias, and a I don't think a resin printer would have any means of aligning the image with the board. (Unless it's a single sided board with only SMD, or you're willing to drill everything by hand.)
On a laser/cnc combo like this machine you can use registration holes like he did to get the laser and mill in more or less perfect alignment, so the laser could probably help in other ways like maybe for marking silkscreen, or even cutting an SMD template.
Most 3d printers could be modded to take a laser head (ignoring software), so that technique sounds interesting. Ferric chloride is much cheaper than a pack of end-mils and arguably less messy than milling dust.
@@TheVideoGuardian maybe you need a mill for holes or vias but I have a dedicated high speed drill press. I don't drill boards on my CNC machine when I isolation route them. I drill them by hand with my drill press. I can't be asked to do all of the bit changes on my CNC it'd take. A 3 jaw chuck is a lot easier to work with. I'm very particular about part fit in boards too. One size does not fit all. Plus I just like drilling boards out. If I didn't then I wouldn't do what I do.
@@SharkyMoto I have a CNC machine but I don't drill boards with it. Changing bits with collet chucks kinda sucks. I also have a high speed mini drill press that drills PCBs out brilliantly too. It's why I have it.
Cool information! My local High school's CNC machine is sort of outdated and needs a considerable upgrade! Great to see a nerd going over CNC machines!
I've been wanting to make a custom keyboard, potentially a lot of them, with PCBs. And now I know that I DON'T want to do that so thanks!
Man you make the best videos, i can't take my eyes off, or else i feel like ima lose interesting information.
âSets the system to bald eaglesâŠâ I am dying. Funniest thing I have heard in a long time. Perfect delivery. Oh man, thank you for that laugh. I really needed it.
I just got that joke because of this comment. Thank you.
Love that enclosure! đ
This video has made me feel so much more competent about my projects and learning curve. Sometimes it feels like getting a new machine is its own version of smash it till you understand how to suck less.
I fucking love your videos man, keep it up. I don't even care if the next one is about cheese production or w/e. I'll watch it. I don't know a single channel that has this level of production value as well as these punny jokes and memes. Love it
1) Make a 1-line Gcode file with the M21 command that you can run after E-Stop
2) Nice voice! Love the video, died laughing. Came back from the grave to write this comment. Remember me as I was.
3) Order bulk bits. Youâll use them. Trust me.
Your videos are very high quality. It's funny because your audience by topic is necessarily not mainstream. I wonder if you had a mainstream show if you'd be in the top 5? I think you certainly have the talent for it.
What nice âsound of silenceâ song at 10:25. awesome stuff, awesome video, funny & informational
It all started when i saw a 42 minute video on filament and i said "How could there be 42 minutes of filament?" now I've found my favorite page in youtube!
So glad i found your vid. I've been wondering for years what wheezy meant when he said "the combination is the G-Code."
Yay learning.
I used to be a CAM/CAD operator at a custom printed circuit board manufacturer.
A) You don't remove the locator pins. You use shorter ones.
B) You program the G-code to drill the locator holes first, then pause. You set the pins. THEN you do all the rest, even on the first side. Relying on the tape alone can allow the board to shift as the bits push their way along, laterally.
C) I had to write custom GW-BASIC (yup, a LONG time ago) to check for things and automatically modify the generated G-code. Hand editing G-code is a losing game because there are to many opportunities for human error, and those errors almost ALWAYS cost money.
D) A vacuum bed will hold those boards flat AND release them without frustration as soon as you turn off the vacuum.
E) You are far, FAR better off laser printing your circuits onto transparency film (once you have calibrated the exact size of the print) than machining away copper. Most good laser printers have a setting to adjust the density of the print. Set that to the maximum so light doesn't leak through the black printed areas and cause there to be less resist left there than should be to get a clean etch. What black to the naked eye can still let a lot of light through.
I loved the content!
Could you use the laser engraver to burn in your circuit pattern on masking tape and spray with conductive paint?
And then electoplate that paint for usable conductivity? Still not the worst idea.
Use the Flatcam Beta, it is much better. To enable mesh bed leveling for cnc on the machine you would have to hack it a bit. There must be a z-probe pin that you can use? If that works you can do mesh bed leveling with bCNC.
I have a desktop CNC mill that I use for PCBs - it can cut traces down to 8 mils thanks to an extremely low runout spindle, and it's also beefy enough to mill 1/2" / 12mm aluminum plate. I used it to mil metal parts for my 3D printer.
I laughed so much at this video, thanks bro! The content is not half bad as well đđ
I bought a snapmaker 2.0 A350 during pre-order. I'm sad I've been so busy 3d printing for 2 years I haven't had much time.to even experiment with CNC or laser (I've also procrastinated building my own enclosure for lazer and CNC work so I don't cloud up my basement or blind my kids lol
I absolutely love the thing and it's cool to see big guys using them for stuff like this
Some of the most entertaining videos I've seen on CZcams
I used to use an auto leveling software when I used to mill PCBs . It was another step took a bit time but worked well . But haven't used self milling for a while now. I got some good results with small v bits using it.
Hi Zack,
I'm also using Flatcam and a CNC for my professional(nah) PCB making endeavors. I've went through the same caveats and mistakes you've been through when I first started a couple of years ago, so here's some tips and tricks to improve your PCB quality.
-I don't have a bed leveller tool, so I offset my zero everytime I'm going to etch something. Trick here is to start the spindle and lowering the bit oh-so-delicately, with about 0.1mms every step. The moment you hear an etching sound, move it upwards by one step and start the program.
-Find the floating point precision of your CNC. My CNC works at a 0.00001 precision, so my isolation geometry code lowers at Z-0.00001 for accurate isolations.
-Sandpaper the hell out of your etched copper! Milling will only slightly move the copper and not going to magically make it disappear. If you sandpaper it, you will have a better end product and possibly avoid shorts.
-If you have approximately x3 more time, I suggest you create a ground plane and etch it also. This gives the PCB a non-copper area to avoid possible shorts but damn it it takes a lot of time.
-This PCB didn't have any tiny SMD components, but in time you will come to realize that isolation routing is not possible for routes less than about 0.7mms. I suggest that next time you should make a test routes to see what your machine is capable of, and use/create routes accordingly. I've lost too many boards wasted trying to use trace paths to a TMP117!
-My personal opinion when it comes to DIY PCB manufacturing is etching it with a laser cutter. I see that your device has a laser cutter, but 1.6 Watts is probably not going to do the job. Kindly check out this video to see the full process: /watch?v=RuSg7-hMaQg
Regards,
heh that's what I do too. Just BS the Z touch off. Running the path a few times does clean the job up. Don't use SMD garbage and that's that solved. If you don't have a pick and place machine then SMD really doesn't make any sense for you to use anyways. They invented SMT just to screw the DIY community. So why use something that's actively against you? 1.8W isn't a laser cutter. Well, maybe it could cut thin acetate or something? Tissue paper?
I had the exact same experience with my CNC and the cheap 15 degree carving bits and I thought my CNC was trash :D Good to know that it can actually achieve decent results with the correct mill.
If you need thighter tolerances for SMD parts you can also try to spray coat the pcb black and then laser the coat away and etch in acid. You can get around 0.05 mm clearance that way and it is also quite fast.
you got my thumbs up with that little song in the middle.
Nice video again. Just one short question: would it be possible to fill the vias with solder instead of using the rivets? Or is that not reliable enough?
I made a diamond tipped drag engraver for my benchtop cnc mill. Works great on solid metal. Not sure if it would work for this, or just rip up the surface. Very fine lines though!
CNC machinist here, You're killing me! I've made every one of these mistakes myself and at least once it has got me fired! I haven't laughed this hard in ages.
"Everything's better with a freaking laser"
Most adorable Dr. Evil impersonation. Ever.
These puns are why I can't stop watching your videos
Great Video.The behavior cnc control "remembering last feedrate indefinitely" like Many G codes is referred to as Modal . CNC Control interprets the meaning XYZ IJK etc based on Mode. G20 inch mode G21 metric etc.
G90 and G91 for example are Absolute or Incremental Mode , G00 and G01 are rapid move or feedrate (F) move . G02 and G03 are cw or ccw arc mode. Some controls treat different commands as modal.
Best ep yet.
'Like a the dumpster behind a Whole Foods' hahahaha, that got me man! đđđ Great vid, thanks!
Man i have never realized i wanted this so bad until now
That's pretty sweet that they just gave you a CNC machine. I had to make my own. Being as copper clad board is conductive it's pretty easy material to map. You should probably find out what surface mapping is and how to do it. I stick PCB down with hot snot. It doesn't take much to hold it down really. If there's any pressure at that bit you know what happens to them. Snap!
this episode made me so proud of my local makerspace's piece of shit circuit mill. It can do at least on par isolation width with way cheaper tools. sometimes you gotta kick it to make it work but then it works really nicely and has done so for at least a decade at this point.
"you don't level the bed you mill a level surface into the bed" I died. Excellent comedic presentation.
This is a comedy channel right? You're killing me!, I'm cramping up from all the amazing jokes!
Regarding the cutline width problem with v-bits: There are attachments called Engraving Milling Depth Regulator or similar that solve this issue. It also helps if the fiberglass material is not stuck down exactly flat.