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Post by Razoric on Feb 6, 2017 10:52:43 GMT -8
"You'll want a nice quality PCB blank for this. You can buy them from most electronic-DIY stores, but you can make your own, too! For completeness' sake, I'll show you how I'll start from scratch for our handheld's controls. "Step one, you want a good quality, coat-less copper flashing, like the stuff used for waterproofing, and to cut a square out of it. I've got a nice, high quality square here which I've wiped clean in a bit of lemon juice and baking soda with a clean cloth, then let dry." She presents the item in question, turning it a couple times in front of the camera. Of course, it's not really copper persay, but a thin sheet of brontium, courtesy of Ikenga. It's firey red and shiny, her hint to those who could recognize such things on video. "If you have something that's on the older side, just clean it up nice and it'll work just fine. "I then get a piece of eighth inch plexiglass - keep the paper on the back side until the very end - and some clear epoxy. This is 5 minute epoxy, but if you have the long lasting stuff, that works too. Anyway, apply the epoxy and use an eraser squidgey to spread it nice and evenly..." She carefully spreads it out and about, removing excess. "Then place it down on your copper sheeting. Easier to cut excess than to add more copper, so leave an eighth inch or more along the edges. Then let it set." She cuts the camera feed and starts to prepare the next step. "Brontium is so pretty," she comments to Ethan as she goes. Once set, she records once more. "Cut off the excess copper with a sharp blade, scoring and cutting, and use a file to sand away the edges. "So, let's head to the computer where I can show you how I came up with the circuit design." She clicks off the recording, then moves her camera over to her workbench. "I already did the computer stuff, and I'll put it in editing, for efficiency's sake." With the camera once more active, she presses on. "Print shop or laser printer your design, full scale, on laminate transfer paper, like t-shirt transfer. Cut it to size and put it on your PCB. Then it's clothes iron time, doing a few passes. I won't try to rip the paper off as is, instead..." She holds up the result, setting her iron aside. ".. I soak it in some water for a few minutes. That softens the paper and lets it come off, leaving you with a beautiful mask on copper. "After that, get your safety gear - respirator, goggles, apron and gloves - because we're going into chemicals. Ferric chloride is the name of the game. Ideally you'd have a temperature controlled, vortex-motion tank for this... But I'm just using a pyrex pan. Anything that doesn't react with acid will do. "Soak it 20 minutes in there. That'll get rid of the copper and the mask, but the copper that was under the mask will be untouched." From there, she cuts the camera off and puts a regular piece of copper in the dish instead to record the timelapse. Brontium doesn't tend to react like, at all, so instead she uses Shaping to get rid of the pieces of brontium she doesn't need - as if she were using a blow dryer to wipe away brontium dust - while she's off-camera by pointing with her orichalcum rod and beseeching it in high speech. (Rote: Shaping. Gnosis 2, Matter 2, Rote Craft 3, Rod 1, High speech 2. 1 reach spent for casting time, 1 reach to affect solid objects. Paradox reduced to chance die by her rod. (Release))0vStj1Fn10d10(10s reroll)2d10Then she puts the result in the dish to eat away at the epoxy and mask, then she records normally again and fishes it out as if it had been sitting there for longer than a couple minutes. "Rinse it in cool water, spray some isopropyl alcohol on it, wipe with a soft cloth. And voila... Home made PCB. Let it dry completely before drilling holes or soldering to it, or trying to apply a solder mask, if that's your jam." And she cuts the camera, setting the PCB to dry near her soldering workbench. "And that's a segment." She looks over her checklist. "I'll do some component stuff, then I'll tackle your soldering lesson. Sounds good?" 10d10ยท2d10
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