a day ago
- The author prefers making PCBs at home to avoid waiting for orders from China or dealing with perfboard/breadboards.
- Historically, PCBs were made using hand-drawn designs with paint and acid etching, followed by toner transfer and photolithography methods.
- Modern techniques include using cheap SLA resin printers to expose photoresist directly from Gerber files, and CNC milling for isolation routing or drilling.
- The author's current process (2025) involves designing in KiCad, machining with a CNC mill, laminating photoresist, exposing with a UV lamp, developing, and etching.
- Optional steps include adding a soldermask layer or tinning for durability, especially for boards in real use.