Instructables user Ookseer walks us through the process and tools for drilling tiny, precise holes. Great for making your own PCBs!
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Instructables user Ookseer walks us through the process and tools for drilling tiny, precise holes. Great for making your own PCBs!
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This would be fine for an array of holes but not many applications need that (except for headers). A through hole DIY PCB needs holes all over.
Personally, I design my PCB’s based on the perfboard .1″ spacing. I use hole markers so that the exact point to drill is marked with a dot of missing copper. This allows the drill to bite (like a small center punch mark). I drill one hole carefully, then overlay a perfboard on top. I put a piece of wire through both holes and then rotate the perfboard until the holes align properly with markers on the pcb. Then I wrap the two boards in a some clear sellotape to prevent relative movement. Then I drill the rest of the holes, drilling through the holes in the perfboard using them as guides for the drill. If locating the places to drill is too awkward, I use a printout overlaid on top of the perfboard so that in section the layers are paper, perfboard, etched pcb, timber.
I don’t use a drill press, just an el cheapo dremel with a .75 mm ( think) drill bit with only 1 cm of the drill bit exposed.