[Coco] Prototype PCB's

Gene Heskett gene.heskett at gmail.com
Thu Jul 1 15:17:10 EDT 2010


On Wednesday 30 June 2010, Little John wrote:
>Gene,
>I usually generate excellon drill files and gerb274x using EAGLE's default
>CAM processor settings. How much would the Drills cost? I could probably
>talk my dad into getting them for you. This would be great - It would
> allow me to get some of this stuff tested. I release all of my projects
> as "open" projects so anybody can use them as they see fit. Prototyping
> is getting more difficult for me due to the decline of my eyesight and
> this would definitely be a great boon to my projects.
>Thanks for all your help - John

I'll have to check & get back to you, John.  My usual source, Hemley? over 
in Ohio doesn't have a good selection of engraving type bits, just decent 
carbide utility stuff at good prices, like a 4 flute upcut TiN coated 1/4" 
mill at about $12 a copy, flat or ball nosed.  I have end mills to about 
1/16", with 1/8" shanks, but they are quite fragile because of the 1/2" 
length of the cutting flutes and will need active mist lube at about 100 psi 
and 20k rpms more than my spindle can do.  Engraving stuff should be 1/8" 
shanks all the way to the single flute V tip.  I might look into the 
feasibility of side mounting a belt driven higher speed spindle if this 
should turn out to be too slow.  Or maybe even a trim router if I can find a 
short one that would snuggle in under the gear case.  I'll take some 
measurements with me the next time I hit Lowes & see what they have.
FWIW, none of the dremel made tools can be used for something like this 
because of the poor bit rigidity they all have.  It would crawl 1/16" 
sideways just from the side pressure of moving into the cut.  Very poorly 
made tools even if I have worn out 6 or 8 of them over the last 55 years.

So I'll have to look around and see what is available.  Today I'm all stove 
up, overdid it yesterday cutting down and cutting up the bottom 20 feet of a 
couple of pine trees that failed the high wind test, and getting two dump 
truck loads of them to the curb for this mornings free pickup.

Our pin oak in the front yard mainly survived, and I was told over a beer, 
by one of the neighbors last night, that I should now be building benches 
under it since its the only shade tree in the neighborhood that survived.  
;-)  Under active consideration...

>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Gene Heskett" <gene.heskett at gmail.com>
>To: "CoCoList for Color Computer Enthusiasts" <coco at maltedmedia.com>
>Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 9:51 PM
>Subject: Re: [Coco] Prototype PCB's
>
>> On Wednesday 30 June 2010, sales at gimechip.com wrote:
>>>Can anyone recommend a good place to have prototype PCB's made in small
>>> (like 2 or 3) quantity for cheap. It would help me get these hardware
>>> designs out there faster. I have checked with Express PCB or PCB
>>> Express - their miniboard service would be great, that is, if they
>>> accepted Gerber's. As it is, I know my way around EAGLE pretty well - I
>>> don't want to have to learn a new CAD/CAM/etc. Package. And I have some
>>> really cool designs that I'd like to get out there, and yes, I do
>>> eventually release the entire designs for all to see - I want people to
>>> be able to build anything I design without having to order it from me
>>> (unless they want to). By releasing these things, people can improve
>>> them, build their own, etc. - That's why I enjoy doing this stuff -
>>> It's fun and you guys Rock Out Loud! Oh Yeah!!! (nope, I'm not Kool-Aid
>>> man, I just like to yell Oh Yeah!)  - John
>>
>> John, can you get gcode (rs274-d I believe it is) out of Eagle?  I have
>> a small cnc milling machine that can do about 4"x10" boards max.  No
>> bits ATM,
>> but thats fixable if I can get the bit costs back.  Not terribly speedy
>> as the spindle is all tapped out at 2500 rpms.
>>
>>
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-- 
Cheers, Gene
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
You are fairminded, just and loving.



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