Hacking a Makerbot mightyboard Rev H to engrave PCB's

I have a mightyboard Rev H motherboard that was a spare part purchased for my school's Makerbot Replicator 2. I teach electronics/robotics and my students use Ferric Chloride to etch hand drawn PCB's. A messy and somewhat dangerous chemical. I want to make a CNC mill (so to speak) using this motherboard to cut the traces with a small endmill. Is there anyone out there with suggestions or ideas for the software that would work with the board? I will be using a Dremel drill for Z and it will be a RepRap design similar to a Prusa Mendel. The final design is very open to change. I will use the schools Replicator to print the pieces needed. I'm not worried about connecting the motherboard to the steppers or driving the dremel drill. It is more the control software that I am weakest in. I recently read about circuit layout software that would generate the pathways and even plunge the holes with the endmill for a 'one operation' design that creates the board in one pass. (Didn't save the website!) SO many questions, not enough answers!

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/22/2014 09:38PM by wleggett.

Is it really worth the time and effort to solve this problem these days? You can now get two layer, solder mask, silkscreen, vias, 6 mil tracks/spacing, 100% etest, 50mm x 50mm boards, 10 of them for $14 including shipping from China in two weeks... That's $1.40 per board. FYI I recommend Elecrow, but there is also Seeedstudio and iTeadStudio.

I understand you are teaching, but the money spent on building and getting a PCB engraving system working could perhaps be redirected to more prototyping supplies such as breadboards, wirewrapping tools, etc. Your students could learn how to design modern PCBs with vias, wait two weeks, then assemble them. During the two weeks wait you could teach more circuit design perhaps?

These days PCB manufacturing is just another commodity to be ordered over the internet. The skills I would look for when hiring are specification writing, circuit design, PCB layout and testing.

Andy

Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/23/2014 04:56AM by ajayre.

... I've changed from photo-chemical etching ... first to CNC-milling ... then to laser-engraving and etching with hydrogen peroxide and hydrochloric acid.

Here a related thread - [forums.reprap.org]

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

Plenty of stuff in the wiki:

[reprap.org]
[reprap.org]
[reprap.org]
[reprap.org]
[reprap.org]
[reprap.org]

Standard Dremels for 110/220V are already too big, they usually vibrate too much. Small 12V ones or even dentist tools are better.

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Generation 7 Electronics	Teacup Firmware	RepRap DIY

Have you checked out Zen toolworks?