soldering perfboard

thanks, LG... so even more seasoned builders will bridge circuits by simply soldering underneath?... or is there a better type of perfboard to use?...

also, is it okay to solder ICs in this manner, or am is my best approach to use a socket?...

thanks, isaac

You've purchased 'pad-per-hole' perf board. Practice arranging the physical components such that the minimum number of jumper wires is necessary.

You would then solder the pads that a component uses to hold that component in place. You can create solder bridges to connect the various components that are in adjacent holes or use a wire, insulated or bare for the more widely separated components. If you need a buss, you can place a bare wire on the under side of the perf board after the components are tacked into place. If you need to simply connect two points, use an insulated wire on the top side of the perf board. Strip the wire ends and position it in an adjacent hole, tack the wire into place and then bridge the two pads on the underside.

It would look neater if the runs were always straight though this is just a 'style point'. You can make a corner using two jumpers that are bridged below and run at 90 degrees to each other.

Have fun !

thanks, again... it sounds like i should be looking for that type of board (with rails), but sadly i don't know the name... when i jump online or am at a local parts store, should i be shopping for a specific name?...

thanks, isaac

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If you are sure that your IC are good and cheap and the circuit is not critical, sure, solder them directly to the perf board. You can socket the more expensive or reprogramable IC like a small micro controller that might need reprogramming to get the circuit operating.

You can get perf board that has about 5 holes in a row from each pin, down the entire length of the board. These are then usually 'boxed in' by power rails on each side. It is very convenient when you are placing decoupling caps near to digital IC's to have the power rails under the DIP body. This makes it possible to solder the cap close by the IC.

It's not necessary to re-quote EVERY bit of EVERY previous post in the thread.

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Not that I know Isaac! Just look at the foil traces and you'll be able to tell. Perhaps Vector has such a perf board. Also, the more professional prototyping products are going to be tinned so that the copper doesn't corrode. If yours isn't tinned, clean it well before you begin. The soldering will go much better.

This will run the board cost up but you're better off.

Here is a link to such products on Vectors page:

rails

It's called "stripboard" or "veroboard".

It's available in various layouts. The most general layout has strips running all the way across the board. You need to break the strips where you don't want connections (e.g. under an IC). There are specialised tools for this, although a suitably-sized drill bit works just as well.

The other common layout is like a plug-board, with short strips and rails either along the edges or down the middle. This is more suitable if your projects tend to be based around ICs.

.Hi, Isaac. For the smaller projects, your answer could be as close as the local Radio Shack. Their p/n 276-170 ($3.49, in stock at just about every store) is made to transfer directly from your protoboard

-- 5 holes per just like a protoboard, with single supply rails above and below the working space. Really convenient for knocking off smaller single supply projects that require less than 5" of space on one row of your protoboard -- you can just take the components and wires directly off the protoboard and solder them to this perfboard.

They used to have several of these types of boards I liked more, but they've discontinued them. I find these to be faster than point-to- point, and have used them for lower-speed stuff where layout isn't critical. And the fact that Radio Shack is open on weekends, so I can get it today, is always a plus.

If you're willing to wait for mail order, I understand Futurlec has a couple of inexpensive boards that might suit:

They're hobbyist-friendly, and don't have minimum orders AFAIK.

Good luck Chris

Practice, practice, practice! Pick one of your perfboards, and cut some small pieces of bare wire, and solder the bare wires into the holes. Practice doing this until you can make good joints - it doesn't take long. :-)

I've done this for years; I use #30 wire-wrap wire for the connections.

Have Fun! Rich

For something like this, I'd use sockets.

Cheers! Rich

I like the 8007:

Cheers! Rich

Futurlec has both the "continuous run" (stripboard) and "4-hole with rails" prototype boards at a pretty good price.

Stripboard seems to be more common in the UK and points east but it can be an alternative to home etching or a commercial board house. There's a free stripboard layout app at

thanks for all the info... i'm pretty sure i have enough info to get me rolling... i'm assuming it's okay to saw off any portions of the board that i don't need to use and can reuse it for another project?... also, are there standards for enclosures?...

thanks, isaac

Gosh, yes! Always save extra pieces of perfboard -- they're really handy for cobbling together little blivet boards.

Just make sure you don't slice until you're sure you won't need the extra space!

Cheers Chris

I was just going to point him to my fave:

This is about the only thing I buy from Radio Shack on a regular basis, and I'll be sad when they are discontinued.

Otherwise, my fave place to get good quality but small pad-per-hole is smallbear:

Steve's also got stripboard and mounting hardware, and he's a super nice guy!

-ph