Post : Letting [Euler] help out with PCB fabrication
URL : http://hackaday.com/2013/01/11/letting-euler-help-out-with-pcb-fabrication/
Posted : January 11, 2013 at 4:00 am
Author : Brian Benchoff
Tags : CNC mill, pcb, transformation matrix
Categories : tool hacks

http://hackadaycom.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/drillin.jpg

Since [Alessio] has been etching his own PCBs, he's hit upon the most tedious part of the process, and the reason homebrew SMD boards are so awesome: drilling your own boards is a pain. While [Alessio]'s CNC mill takes care of most of the work, aligning the pre-drilled boards and correcting for any scaling issues from the mask is a bit difficult. With the help of a transform matrix, though, drilling PCBs has never been easier (http://blog.alessiovaleri.it/using-transform-matrix-for-pcb-drilling-part-1/) .

While the Gcode running the mill may be accurate, the actual manufactured PCBs might not be. If the extents on [Alessio]'s board aren't exactly aligned with the axes of the CNC mill, the drill holes end up where they're supposed to be. To solve this problem, [Alessio] wrote a PCB drilling transformational matrix calculator. The basic idea is by drilling just a few holes, [Alessio] is able to calculate any offset required in the Gcode with the help of a little bit of linear algebra.

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We could convert a rip-rap into a small CNC mill - use a small drimmel tool and we already have all 3 axis. We would need to make the base out of plywood to drill into.

don't even need the drimmel - just a motor we can mount and put a chuck onto.