PCB UV Exposure Box

Making my own PCB UV exposure box is so much cheaper and very simple to build, yet is also a very effective way to develop my own PCB at home. The box was made out of MDF board which I recycled from a used carton box. Most people will just throw all these away. I just spent on the electrical stuffs that cost less than MYR100 (USD35) in total.

Here are the list of materials that I used for this project.

Materials:

Used MDF boards cut into sizes

1/4" screws

1/4" nails

1 x glass

4 x 18W electronic ballast

8 x lamp holder

4 x insect lamp

2 x 2" hinges

1 x fuse holder with 3A fuse

1 piece of reflective paper

6 x metal "L" bracket

Connectors

Wires

Used plastic foam

Glue nails

Tools used:

Jigsaw

Plastic cutter

Drill

Hammer

Screwdrivers

Vice

G clamp

Clean the boards properly and cut them into sizes. The size of the box depends on the size of the glass top and the length of the lamp. Below are my board sizes with 1 cm thickness each.

37 cm x 28 cm - 2 pcs (cover and bottom)

28 cm x 11 cm - 2pcs (sides)

37 cm x 11 cm - 2pcs (sides)

Nail the boards together and you may also want to use the metal "L" brackets to reinforced the joints.

For the top enclosure, cut the plastic foam according to the dimension of the board. Stick the foam together as shown in the pictures using the double sided tape. Install the hinges.

Install the ballast and I use glue nail to permanently fix the lamp holders. Place or stick a reflective paper at the bottom of the box to get better and even brightness.

Secure the wiring and add a fuse to the main power source for protection.

Finally, place the piece of glass on top and test it.

I did a few experiments to find the optimum exposure time. My best result is at 40 seconds. Next to do is to add a timer for this box and I will update this Instructables once is ready. Hope you enjoy.