If you’re looking for a great DIY project with practical applications, then building your own circuit board is a fantastic option. Circuit boards connect electronic components with a variety of things like conductive tracks. While circuit boards may look complicated, you can design a simple one easily at home with just a few materials. It is a fun challenge to try this alone or with a group of people.
What Is a PCB?
PCB stands for a printed circuit board. These are the circuit boards found in electronics because they are cheaper and faster to mass-produce. It is far superior to other wiring methods, like wire wrap and point-to-point construction, which both fell out of style when circuit boards became popular. The first and most important material you will need is a PCB board. It is the part that electronically connects the components with conductive pathways and is itself a non-conductive board. These components connect through the conductive material below the non-conductive board. There are different materials for PCBs, and it is crucial to consider the options.
RF Material for PCB
You will likely want RF material for PCB construction. RF stands for radio frequency, which is the oscillation rate of an alternating electric current. If you are making a circuit board for electronics like this, get RF material for PCB before anything else.
Other Materials
Other than the PCB board, get a fine-tipped marker, glossy paper, plastic tweezers, a small cloth, sanding paper, an iron, a mini drill, a laser printer/photocopying machine, and some etching solution. That’s it. Those ten materials will be what you need to build your circuit board. A specific recommendation for etching solution is ferric chloride. For safety, you should also make sure you have gloves and eye protection on hand.
Design the PCB Layout
The last thing you will need before you start your circuit board construction is the design layout of your PCB. You can choose to make your circuit board design, or you can find one online. If you want to plan your blueprint, then you can find various programs and softwares that can help you through the process.
Once you know the diagram you will use, print it out to refer to it during the construction process. You will use glossy paper, photo or magazine paper, and a laser printer or photocopying machine. You will iron the PCB layout onto the circuit board.
As you can see, making your circuit board is not as hard as it seems. The materials are relatively easy to come by, and there are only ten things that you need, other than your standard latex gloves and safety glasses for protection. These accessible materials make it a great project to try out.
