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--- pcb-help_ep [2022/09/07 17:06] – benh
+++ pcb-help_ep [2024/02/09 11:09] (current) – benh
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ==== Knowledge Base: ELECTROPLATER ====
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+** We are no longer guaranteeing quality of the electroplating results. ** The required maintenance for the number of monthly users no longer justifies continued operation, and we'll be phasing the plater out of operation entirely at some point in 2024 (theoretically). You can read below to understand more about the plater.
+** If you need vias: ** If you can get away with it, we recommend sizing your vias to be 1mm/40mil diameter holes (excluding the annular ring), and then soldering in a standard header pin. Otherwise, your best option is likely to get it fabricated professionally; see [[pcb-design|our PCB Design]] page for some fabrication house options.
+-----
 === Table of Contents===
   - Overview
   - Q&A
+    - Do I have to do this to get vias? This seems very time consuming.
+    - What's the deal with training?
     - What are the different baths?
     - Why don't we use bath 4?
@@ Line 25: / Line 34: @@
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 === Q & A ===
+**Do I have to do this to get vias? This seems very time consuming.**
+It is indeed time consuming, but plating is typically avoidable by making vias with a diameter of 40 mil (1 mm). A standard 0.1” header pin can then be pushed through and soldered on both the top and bottom. Boom.
+**What's the deal with training?**\\
+We used to lump the electroplater training into the plotter and laser trainings, but it was a long session with the plater normally tacked on at the end as an afterthought, and very few people actually used it. And then the plater was down for a prolonged period (in part due to the COVID pandemic). And then our professional-quality training videos were taking longer than expected. So we just decided to eliminate the plater from the standard training and spin it off as its own thing. This both reduced our standard training requirements and time, and provides a better training experience for those who are interested in actually using the plater.
+So, here's the situation:
+If you were trained on the plater in a previous life and would like access, great - shoot us an email. We'll see if we can work something out, though likely we'll just ask you to watch the video anyway, since it's only 30 minutes.
+If you have never been trained on the plater but would like to be, also great - see our [[pcb-training|Training]] page for all the details. It's essentially the same process and the plotter/laser training, but for a different tool, and a bit shorter.
 **What are the different baths?**\\
 Baths 1 and 2 are different cleaners, called (appropriately) Cleaner 110 and Cleaner 210, respectively. Both are based on sodium metaborate. Bath 3 is Activator 310, a carbon-laced liquid that provides a conductive pathway for the copper plating onto non-conductive surfaces, such as FR4. Bath 4 is a ViaCleaner that isn't used at the Hive (as of Spring 2021). Bath 5 is called Copper Plater 400; it's sulfuric acid (97% strength) and copper sulfate. Don't stick your hand in it. Please. See the [[https://gtvault.sharepoint.com/:b:/s/HiveMakerspace/ESjBwZ9SU3pPs1f7gYgGBMwBKNzEZfvGpbCGLWnxXIsNiA?e=xs7k9P|MSDS]] for details on these.