Contac S4

The Contac S4 is used to plate the insides of the board's drilled vias with copper so that they create a connection between traces on the top of the board and traces on the bottom of the board.

The power switch is located on the right side of the machine

Allow the machine to warm up for 15 minutes on power on

Ensure all baths are filled to the required levels. Top off with chemicals (or inform a trained staff member) if necessary:

Bath 1 takes cleaner 110

Bath 2 takes cleaner 210

Bath 3 takes activator 310

Bath 4 takes via cleaner

Bath 5 takes copper plater 400

Bath 6 takes tin plater (not used in this guide)

On the touchscreen interface, push the menu icon in the upper left corner

Select "Profiles"

Select "Copper Plating Profile"

Mount the board in the PCB handle located on the left side of the machine

Insert the long side into the clamps and tighten with an Allen wrench

Rinse the board with tap water

Take the lid off bath 1

Place the board into bath 1 and press play

Once phase 1 is complete, remove the board from bath 1 and rinse it with tap water

Place the board into bath 2 and press play

Once phase 2 is complete, remove the board from bath 2 and rinse it with tap water

Dry the board with a heat gun

Hit the board on a hard surface while drying to ensure no air bubbles are trapped inside the vias

Place the board into bath 3 and press play

Once bath 3 is complete, lift the board out of the bath and scrape ink off the surface back into the bath

Transfer to a tub and scrape off any remaining ink

We want ink to remain inside the vias and nowhere else because the copper will get deposited on the ink

Dry the board and then place into bath 4 and press play

The quality of the copper plating depends on how dry the ink is, so ensure the board is as dry as possible before starting bath 4

Once bath 4 is complete, remove the board

Dry the board with a heat gun

Hit the board on a hard surface while drying to ensure no air bubbles are trapped inside the vias

Again, the quality of the plating will depend on how dry the insides of the vias are

Gently wipe the surface with a moist towel to remove as much black ink as possible

Do not press into the holes on the board; we want the dry black ink to remain in the holes

Place the board into bath 5 and press play

Halfway through the two hour plating process the Contac will pause so you can rotate the board 180 degrees and press play again

Once bath 5 is finished, remove the board

Rinse with tap water and dry with a heat gun

The via plating process is now complete

Bath 6 is used for tin plating which is not covered in this guide