chongmagic
Well-known member
Decided to get a fiber laser and didn't even think about making your own PCBs, has anyone tried this?
Fiber Laser Making PCBs
- Thread starter chongmagic
- Start date
Nostradoomus
Well-known member
Which one did you get? I want one but for enclosure art. Getting pcbs fabbed at jlc is cost effective enough 
chongmagic
Well-known member
Ended up deciding on this one.
www.gweikecloud.com
G2 20W Metal & Plastic Fiber Laser Engraver
Mark stainless, anodized aluminum, brass & plastics. 200×200 mm field, rotary-ready, fast setup.
www.gweikecloud.com
Nostradoomus
Well-known member
There’s a good amount of videos around about people doing it, it’s surely doable. Seems like a lot of hassle to me with drilling and solder mask/silkscreen curing etc. cool though! Have you done anything with the laser yet??
chongmagic
Well-known member
It should be here in a few days. I want to try engraving some pedals with it for sure. I'm super excited to try it out for sure!
Nostradoomus
Well-known member
let me know how it works with Lightburn, it says it’s compatible but you never know. I really want to upgrade from my cheap old diode laser. Had to move into an apartment recently and running a laser burning paint for an hour or two isn’t really feasible any more . I feel like a fibre laser could get things done fast enough that the stank won’t be too much of an issue if I have it next to the window and exhausting properly.
. I feel like a fibre laser could get things done fast enough that the stank won’t be too much of an issue if I have it next to the window and exhausting properly.
drew.spriggs
Well-known member
Just cutting tracks? Easy.
However the whole process is:
Much easier just to click a single button and have 5 for $5 from PCBWay
However the whole process is:
- cut tracks
- cut half through-holes
- cut positioning jig
- removing board, cutting rear tracks
- applying UV-cure solder mask to both sides
- removing solder mask from both faces
- cutting through-holes all the way through
- cutting board outline
Much easier just to click a single button and have 5 for $5 from PCBWay
Feral Feline
Well-known member
Ordering PCBs ... pffft... LAZY!
Nothing as satisfying as MAKING YOUR OWN PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS! AhmmahRight, Chongmagic?
Gotta roll your own PIO caps as well... smelt the leads yourself... personally mine the tantalum for those tant-caps... then power the whole shebang from your own windmill farm where each fan blade doubles as a solar-panel... so much fun, so much to DO when you go TRULY DIY!
On second thought, I'm just going to get a Mooer-clone off Tao-bao for like... $30 including shipping. Then I won't need to debug my builds anymore...
Have fun with your new toy, Chongmagic!
Nothing as satisfying as MAKING YOUR OWN PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS! AhmmahRight, Chongmagic?
Gotta roll your own PIO caps as well... smelt the leads yourself... personally mine the tantalum for those tant-caps... then power the whole shebang from your own windmill farm where each fan blade doubles as a solar-panel... so much fun, so much to DO when you go TRULY DIY!
On second thought, I'm just going to get a Mooer-clone off Tao-bao for like... $30 including shipping. Then I won't need to debug my builds anymore...
Have fun with your new toy, Chongmagic!
drew.spriggs
Well-known member
Tell me about it
It's cool for vibes, but absolutely isn't worth it either from a cost or time perspective.vigilante398
Authorized Vendor
I have a 20W fiber laser (Xtools F1 Ultra) and tried a PCB once, but I wasn't able to get a usable result out of it. I saw a tutorial where someone with the same machine made a PCB, but all the comments were from people that tried it and weren't able to get it to work.
I make PCBs at home with what is basically a CNC machine specifically designed for PCB work, but I only do it for prototypes and proof-of-concepts. If there's a design that I already know will work, I'll order professionally fabbed boards.
Coolness factor is off the charts though. Let us know how this progresses. My laser is on the other side of the country so I've been without for ages. If Lightburn works I'd buy the app. I had very good luck with it and it's not at all a steep learning curve. The coolest thing I recall doing was some custom back plates for a guitar. Shaded a piece of paper with the edge of a pencil over the openings. Scanned to PDF. Imported and traced into Lightburn. Cut it from StewMac sheet stock. Perfect fit.
chongmagic
Well-known member
Yeah I know it's a ton of work, but it looks so fun to do! And the act of figuring out the correct power settings and speed, I love stuff like that.
