Project finishing, was Re: Veroboard trace cutting tool? - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

5 Dec 2004

Something that I have started using to help give projects a more
"professional" look is clear adhesive label stock for the case/cover. It
is trivial these days to do a layout on a computer, so just take that
layout and print it on the adhesive label stock. It is a lot less
expensive that silkscreening! If the layout needs protection, just add
another layer of clear adhesive label stock over it. I've had some
trouble finding the label stock locally, but the local Kinko's (a
copying service store in the US) does carry it. I use a sharp X-Acto
knife to cut out the holes after the label has been put into place.

http://www.frontpanelexpress.com/ provides the software to do somewhat
inexpensive front panels including holes, slots, and engraving. The
front panels can be ordered online from their software. I've also used
their software to do the layouts for the label stock printing out using
"wiremode".

...
  Ethan Dicks wrote:

  Ah... I was under the impression that the cutting
edge had a
 substantially different angle fro a drill (like describing a 180
 degree arc between the cutting surfaces rather than, say, 150
 degrees).  
 My tip:

 - using a sharp knife, cut two cuts in the trace
 - use the soldering iron to heat and remove the small fraction of copper
 between the two cuts

 Advantage #1: you don't need to buy anything
 Advantage #2: it hardly damages the ressin
 Advantage #3: you can even remove the connection between two pads
 Advantage #4: You can make arbitrarly large areas blank; could be
 usefull for isolation areas

 Believe me, this works. Even on epoxy, but just as well on pertinax.

 Bert 