Strip Board - Is it the best prototyping board?

RE: Strip Board - Is it the best prototyping board?

colporteur — Tue, 24 Aug 2021 22:20:14 GMT

Your commentary on early board layout has parallels to programming. In the early days of programming I feel there was greater emphasis on efficient coding. Like electronics there were limited resources, they were expensive and not readily available. Practices that increased your chances of doing it right the first time were important. You learned those early and they became the foundation for future work.

There is a vast difference comparing how you designed a PC board using early technology compared to today. Those constraints in early design reduced cost but also provided a better product. Those same cost don't exists today so motivating people to invest in the design because it improves the product is a hard sell. "yeah it cheaper and easier if I do it this way."

When I worked in system engineering for a telecommunication company, I tried to anticipate the future when new systems were implemented to replace old. I referred to them as doors to the future. Not build and framed but the layout could accommodate the door. The response I would get from project managers was, it not in the requirements. Years of working from a ground level position to engineering convinced me, designing for future doors was important. It was easier to just do it and not have to convince people that it needed to be done.

I support many of your suggestions in design. I'm also old and not relevant anymore.

RE: Strip Board - Is it the best prototyping board?

geralds — Tue, 24 Aug 2021 17:19:15 GMT

Hi Douglas [mention:193ac2434c814a24b46635a2210baec1:e9ed411860ed4f2ba0265705b8793d05] ,

For me about a stripboard:

1.) It has a higher capacity than a dotted (with solder eyes) prototyping board.

A stripboard is therefore not a solution for amplifiers (the better ones) or for the higher frequency range.

[View:/resized-image/__size/1594x900/__key/commentfiles/f7d226abd59f475c9d224a79e3f0ec07-586f2d7e-e210-449c-9d9b-430f6c66a34e/8611.contentimage_5F00_208641.jpg:620:350]

I have separated the circuit into sections: the AC / DC source on the left, the application circuit in the middle and on the right side.

The through-hole components are on top, the SMD's are on the bottom.

[View:/resized-image/__size/1594x900/__key/commentfiles/f7d226abd59f475c9d224a79e3f0ec07-586f2d7e-e210-449c-9d9b-430f6c66a34e/6567.contentimage_5F00_208642.jpg:620:350]

This can be clearly seen in the photo, for example: I had to solder a lot of bypass capacitors.

Left-top: DC/DC under it a LDO, middle a the µC and OPAMP, right the dual-MOSFET with LEDs as well some components.

Right-top: for an other application a µC, middle-top: RS-drivers.

The original dimension of the circuit with the µC, OPAMP and the LEDs (controller-, touch-sensor-, LED-boards).

[View:/resized-image/__size/987x700/__key/commentfiles/f7d226abd59f475c9d224a79e3f0ec07-586f2d7e-e210-449c-9d9b-430f6c66a34e/5305.contentimage_5F00_208643.jpg:620:440]

[View:https://players.brightcove.net/1362235890001/NkxiVJdjx_default/index.html?videoId=6269321081001:740:466]

Heartbeat - proto - active

[View:https://players.brightcove.net/1362235890001/NkxiVJdjx_default/index.html?videoId=6269322623001:740:466]

Heartbeat ready - wooden hearts flash with the heartbeat

2.) There is more of a risk of short circuits if you unintentionally make solder bridges, or if you lay wires further and longer across.

3.) The assembly is not the best, not so easy to optimize, as far as you want or can. The assembly is much larger than the assembly on a dotted proto board.

4.) If you rearrange the assembly, e.g. after the application was finished, the tracks were cut where you do not need them for a new application.

Rearranging it on a dotted proto board is much easier.

Well, there are more pros / cons arguments.

Pro to the pad protoboards:

a.) I am already building the circuit as I build it on an etched circuit board.

b.) The wires are arranged in such a way that they form the conductor tracks, two-sided, three-sided, etc ..

c.) I can easily remove the unused pads with a cutter knife. I do it like this, I lift out a little with the tip of the knife and pull the pad down with the side cutter. If it comes off, I'll just scrape it off; is very easy.

This frees up space to improve the electrical properties of the board.

There is also no longer any risk of short circuits because there is enough space around the solder joint.

I use different methods to lay the wires, jumper wire, thread wire (with or without thread combs), component wire, and lay them like a conductor path.

This proto-PCB is compatible to the Arduino footprint. Well, nice .....

[View:/resized-image/__size/1594x900/__key/commentfiles/f7d226abd59f475c9d224a79e3f0ec07-586f2d7e-e210-449c-9d9b-430f6c66a34e/3252.contentimage_5F00_208646.jpg:620:350]

[View:/resized-image/__size/1593x900/__key/commentfiles/f7d226abd59f475c9d224a79e3f0ec07-586f2d7e-e210-449c-9d9b-430f6c66a34e/1108.contentimage_5F00_208647.jpg:620:350]

- Everything is built up just like an etched circuit board.

I would think - develop whatever you can with your brain, then simulate it on a pc (if you can) then assemble it as best you can to see the end of your goal of how to work with it.

If you've forgotten something, repairs can be expensive.

So work step by step and at a point where you are not sure, then make a prototype and play with it.

On the other hand, reducing prototyping can also be a solution - set everything up right immediately because you know it's right.

Conversely, prototyping can be fun!

Especially when you're creating circuits that contain intentional errors.

Because then you can learn a lot about how the "universe" (in the electronics lesson) behaves.

Have fun!

Best Regards

Gerald

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RE: Strip Board - Is it the best prototyping board?

robogary — Tue, 24 Aug 2021 14:07:20 GMT

Are you using the strip board for the very first hookup, without trying on a solderless breadboard first ?

RE: Strip Board - Is it the best prototyping board?

BigG — Tue, 24 Aug 2021 12:08:41 GMT

I just spotted this on my LinkedIn feed and thought this enhancement should be shared/promoted.

I thought strip board would be the perfect candidate for this new substrate, considering that prototyping has a very short life before being disposed of.

What other substrates are recyclable, I wonder?

https://www.jivamaterials.com/

RE: Strip Board - Is it the best prototyping board?

shabaz — Mon, 23 Aug 2021 13:11:35 GMT

Also I guess people are familiar with the Eloi/Morlock capability with these boards : ) Like the lower stripboard only seems to have about 6 parts..

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But on the underside there's at least another 16 components or so.

[View:/resized-image/__size/620x595/__key/commentfiles/f7d226abd59f475c9d224a79e3f0ec07-586f2d7e-e210-449c-9d9b-430f6c66a34e/5383.contentimage_5F00_208640.jpg:620:595]

RE: Strip Board - Is it the best prototyping board?

jc2048 — Mon, 23 Aug 2021 12:02:36 GMT

I can spot two errors in your stripboard layout, if anyone wants to try practising their fault-finding skills.

You were lucky with the transparent red and blue tape: the first company I worked for was really cheap and we only had black crepe tape to work with. Did you get to use transfers like these for the DIL chips, or did you use the circular component-lead pads?

[View:/resized-image/__size/620x465/__key/commentfiles/f7d226abd59f475c9d224a79e3f0ec07-586f2d7e-e210-449c-9d9b-430f6c66a34e/6888.contentimage_5F00_208637.jpg:620:465]

RE: Strip Board - Is it the best prototyping board?

14rhb — Mon, 23 Aug 2021 08:44:14 GMT

A great blog reminding me of when I got started in electronics mid 80's. Unfortunately some interesting modern devices don't come with 0.1" friendly pin outs, although a small SMT/SOIC etc breakout can be soldered onto the Vero to accommodate them.

However in all my years what I had never though of doing was trying some components for hole spacing at 45 degrees...thanks for the top tip [View:/resized-image/__size/16x16/__key/commentfiles/f7d226abd59f475c9d224a79e3f0ec07-586f2d7e-e210-449c-9d9b-430f6c66a34e/contentimage_5F00_1.png:16:16]