DIY PCB Making at Home

Welcome to this comprehensive guide on making your own DIY printed circuit board (PCB) at home using the FeCl₃ (ferric chloride) etching solution and toner transfer method! PCBs are the backbone of most electronic devices, and creating your own can be both rewarding and cost-effective. In this Instructable, we'll walk you through each step of the process, from designing your PCB layout to transferring the toner image and etching the board. Whether you're a seasoned electronics enthusiast or a beginner eager to learn, this guide will equip you with the knowledge and skills to produce high-quality PCBs right in your home workshop. Let's dive into the exciting world of DIY PCB fabrication and bring your electronic projects to life!

• Single sided PCB board
• Photo Paper
• Ferric-Chloride solution
• Rubber gloves
• A pan big enough to submerge PCB board

Note: Be incredibly careful while using the Ferric Chloride solution, use proper protection i.e. safety gloves and mask etc.

Note: try to source a clean copper clad board.

The first step in creating your DIY PCB is to design the layout using PCB design software. This stage is crucial as it involves planning the placement and connections of all the components on your circuit board. Here’s how you can get started:

1.1 Choose Your PCB Design Software

There are several PCB design software options available, both free and paid. Some popular choices include:

• Proteus: A powerful tool good for simulating circuits and designing PCBs
• Altium Designer: A powerful and widely used tool with a vast library of components.
• KiCad: An open-source software that's feature-rich and ideal for both beginners and professionals.
• Fritzing: User-friendly and great for simple projects and beginners.
• EasyEda: it's an online Circuit and PCB designer tool offered by JLC PCB and its free to use.

1.2 Create a New Project

Once you’ve chosen your software, create a new project. This will typically involve setting up the dimensions of your PCB and selecting the number of layers. For most DIY projects, a single-layer or double-layer board is sufficient.

1.3 Schematic Design

Begin by drawing the schematic diagram of your circuit. This involves:

• Placing Components: Use the component library to place symbols for each part of your circuit (resistors, capacitors, ICs, etc.).
• Connecting Components: Draw wires to connect the components according to your circuit design.

1.4 PCB Layout

After completing the schematic, switch to the PCB layout view. Here, you will:

• Place Components: Position the physical representations of your components on the PCB. Pay attention to spacing and orientation to ensure ease of assembly and functionality.
• Route Traces: Draw the copper traces that will connect the components. Aim for the shortest and most direct paths to reduce resistance and potential interference.

1.5 Design Rules Check (DRC)

Most PCB design software includes a Design Rules Check feature. This tool helps identify any errors in your design, such as traces that are too close together or components that overlap. Run the DRC and resolve any issues it finds. But if you know what you are doing the errors don't matter much.

Once you’re satisfied with your PCB layout, export the design files. Typically, you will need to generate Gerber files, which are the standard format for PCB manufacturing. Additionally, export a PDF of the layout for use in the toner transfer process.

Now you will print this layout on a photo paper using a TONNER PRINTER.

Note: it is important that you use a Tonner Printer and Glossy/Photo Paper.



With your PCB design complete, you’re ready to transfer your design onto a copper-clad board using the toner heat method.

1. Cut the printed layout using the border edges as guidelines.
2. Place it on a copper clad board the way you want it.
3. Now use an iron, set the heat to max, press on the paper hard and move it all over the paper, so that it is pasted on the clad. Keep doing this until the whole print is completely bonded with the copper-clad board.

1. When you are satisfied with the result, take a pan with warm water (warm enough so that you can touch it) in it.
2. Now place the copper clad in it.
3. Paper will start absorbing the water.
4. When the paper completely absorbs the water, you can start rubbing on it lightly, so that all the paper is removed, and the tonner is left behind as shown in the picture.

Now in this step, you can perfect your design even more. Simply use a sharpy(permanent marker) and fix the traces that got torn apart during paper removing process, remove any unnecessary ground planes that are too close to traces that our software didn't remove. I designed this PCB to be a surface mount PCB for THT components, so I can go ahead and fill in the holes of THT components with marker and connect the pad of same nodes together.

Now it's time to etch our design by submerging copper clad board into Fe-Chloride Solution. Make sure you have a pan big enough to submerge the PCB into the solution and enough solution obviously.

1. Submerge the PCB in the solution.
2. Now start shaking the pan, so that the solution doesn't splash all over.
3. Keep checking the etch progress.
4. Once the etch is complete and fiber glass is revealed from under the copper, remove the PCB from the solution carefully and wash it with water and soap.

Note: Be incredibly careful while using the Ferric Chloride solution, use proper protection i.e. safety gloves and mask etc.

To remove the tonner, I use Petrol as that's what I had available use can use Acetone (Banned in my country) or Ethanol (hard to source in my country) . You can see the result in the pictures I shared with each step. After this you can use a tinner solution to tin the bare copper traces or use a soldering iron and solder to tin the board. Unfortunately, I did not do this because the soldering iron method takes time and tinner solution is not available in my country or if some store has it, it is extremely expensive.

A good etch can be achieved by carefully following these steps. A nice clean etch also depends upon the PCB design if your traces are too thin you are going to have problems also if they are too close you might get a short. So, it's important to know what you want to achieve.