MAKE YOUR OWN PRINTED CIRCUITS (Jun, 1950)

MAKE YOUR OWN PRINTED CIRCUITS

NOW YOU CAN experiment with “printed” circuits. A kit containing air-drying conducting and resistance paints is available to the student and experimenter for the construction of miniature radio and electronic circuits. The process consists of determining on paper the size of the painted components and their most compact arrangement, transferring the layout to a suitable base of sheet polystyrene or fiberboard, as shown in photo A, and then drawing the lines and areas of silver or copper paint which act as wires and condensers. Connected areas of carbon and graphite paint serve as resistors.

Photo C shows the “Microcircuits” kit and a small model of a two-tube pocket receiver that appeared in a student construction article in Popular Mechanics Magazine some time ago. The components, such as the variable tuning-condenser, audio transformer, batteries and other parts that cannot be painted, are fastened to the case in the conventional manner. The polystyrene base shown in photos C and E is only 1-1/2 by 3-1/2 in. and was fitted into the end of the case enclosing the set. Hearing aids and similar small units can be constructed. A manual of tables comes with the kit so that the user can easily determine the length, width and area of resistors to obtain the proper resistance and wattage values. There are also tables for fixed condensers and inductances. Photo D shows a two-stage amplifier painted on the glass envelope of a twin-triode miniature tube.