Etching circuit boards

Something I learned back in high school was etching circuit boards. That was the best part of 30 years ago.

I've been tossing up how I handle a rational and tidy way of distributing 12v for all of the miscellaneous bits - the fans, the meters and so on. I hate terminal blocks and the current method isn't reliable. 

I got to thinking - the WARS power pole box that I use is nice, but overkill for this stuff, but I like the idea. A heap of Anderson plugs allowing me a consistent method of connection plus being reliable and sturdy. 

An etching kit aimed at beginners is around $30 and comes with a few boards. It's not like I won't find uses for them in the future. 

I can re-learn an old skill that will come in handy again, and I can build something a little more specific to my needs. Less fuses. More plugs. 

Then of course, I can print a box to hold the whole thing together, stick it under the shelf connected via a single 12v cable and I can tidy up all of the power leads running all over the place and have them going to a single spot. 

From a circuit design diagram perspective, it couldn't get simpler if I wanted it to - basically a pair of reasonably sized tracks across the length of a board. Nothing being connected to it is sensitive nor current hungry, so there won't be fuses. The power feeding it will be fused back at the wall.  

A quick layout once its etched to work out the spacing between the Anderson power poles, a run on the drill press to put in some holes, then on to working out how to mount them. For the sake of simplicity, I might just use some solid mains cable, tin that and put on the Anderson pins, put them in their housing, seat them and solder in. 

The whole board will be lucky if it ever passes 1A, so that should be adequate. 

Right now I can see the need for about 5 connectors plus the feed in, so if I put 8 on it, that should give me a little room for future growth.

It'll probably be fairly agricultural, but all I need is for it to work.. and work better than what I'm doing has been. Move anything and right now it's guess work which fan or LED in the meters cuts out.