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From: halbert@pbsvax.dec.com (Dan Halbert HLO2-3/M08 DTN 225-6305)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: TEC-200 photocopier PC pattern transfer material
Message-ID: <10779@decwrl.DEC.COM>
Date: Tue, 7-Jul-87 15:24:19 EDT
Article-I.D.: decwrl.10779
Posted: Tue Jul  7 15:24:19 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 10-Jul-87 06:31:37 EDT
Sender: daemon@decwrl.DEC.COM
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 25

I have used the TEC-200 PC board photocopier film which mjj mentioned in a
previous message. It works approximately as advertised, but I have had the
following problems with it:

1. If your photocopier does not produce dense black output, you will not
get a dense, gap-free transfer onto the PC board. The instructions that
come with the film say that the the transfer process (done with a hot clothes
iron) will tend to fill in the gaps, but this doesn't work perfectly. I had
to go over the pattern with a resist marking pen. I would have used a better
copier, but it would not take the film in its paper feeder.

2. The transfer will be a mirror image of what was copied. In most cases, you
must therefore make an intermediate transparency. This compounds problem 1.

3. My copier apparently does not copy exactly 1:1, so the spacing on IC
sockets, etc. was not exactly right. Again, problem 2 will make this worse. My
IC socket had to have its pins splayed. 

4. Completely transferring the pattern with the iron takes a little practice.

The film looks like overhead transparency film. I have tried some kinds
we have around the office, but without much success. But there may be certain
brands that work better.

--Dan Halbert