Etching PCB's at home
Etching PCB's at home, why bother? Because let's face it, It's cheap beyond ridicoulus to have 5 professional boards fabricated, and if you don't mind waiting, shipping is not too bad either. There are however moments when you just want something done, and it's simple enough to do at home, or when in a pinch, and you dont feel like waiting for the chinese board houses to deliver. Cons are lack of thru plated holes, and generally only single sided boards, the way I make them is possible. I usually turn to home etching for obvious one-offs, like high voltage power supply capacitor banks in small linears and transmitters, small relay boards, and simpler things like that, but I've also made an esp32-SI5351 vfo, using lot of smd components, with great success. I begin by making a design, in my case in EasyEDA (yes I know Kicad is a better choice, but havent had the courage to make the transition). When etching at home, I make the minimum track-to-stuff distance big...