This week, we make our own PCB design.
Lucas Bahle will be showing you how to design PCB on fritzing software and convert it to the file so that CNC milling machine can read it, and we will mill our first PCB!
Please download fritzing software from
http://fritzing.org/download/
PCB is a short name for Printed Circuit Board.
You can make PCB in various different ways and techniques.
The most common DIY way is to etch the copper layer with chemical.
You can buy the copper board with photo sensitive material and expose it with circuit image to UV light, like silkscreen making.
or there is a DIY way to use transfer paper and iron or hacked laminator.
You can also mill the circuit with CNC milling machines
below image is a cnc milled circuit with voronoi design.
You can also commercially produce PCB. there are various services to print your circuit, not only 1 layer but on multiple layers. In general, you need to provide gerber files to the company printing your circuit.
There are also flexible PCBs which you can print commercially or etch it yourself.
you can also make circuit out of copper foil and vinyl cutter
you can cut copper conductive fabric with laser cutter and make fabric circuit.
IF you want to mill the PCB in future for your project, you can contact Lucas Bahle: bahle [at] kh-berlin.de and make an appointment. The whole milling process takes time, so make sure you give enough extra time to mill. Do not plan to mill the circuit on the last minute!