Proto board/stripboard/experimenter's board...

[xenoxion]

I'm probably going to order something to solder circuits onto, and I'll most likely be getting it here, but it lists three different types of board and I don't know which to choose. Which is best for soldering relatively simple circuits onto- prototyping board, stripboard, or experimenter's board?

 

[canadianpoet2012]

xenoxion,

It really depends on the type of circuit and personal preference. If this is your first attempt at home made circuits, you don't want anything too complex!

The three boards you linked to are all good and are commonly used, but for different circuits. If your circuit is going to contain a lot of logic or ICs, then you want the prototyping board. This is because the tracks are laid out so that you can have power rails and busses, and the distance between the copper cladding is just right for ICs. But there is still room for discrete components.

If its mainly discrete components (resistors, capacitors etc.) then you want strip board. This is because you have a very large wide area in which to work, and if you only have one or two ICs, then it is easier to drill out the strips in the middle of them, than it is for 20 ICs (very time consuming!)

However, I wouldn't use the experimenter's board. This is because all you effectively have are solder points, you would need to solder in your own wire links to make the circuit. This would get extremely messy and complex, no matter how careful you were. Plus, you'd have a hard time doing any debugging!

Personally, I'd use the strip board, unless I have more than about 7 ICs, then I'd go for the prototype board. But if I have a lot of support components for the ICs then strip board is again better!

I hope this was of some help to you.

 

[xenoxion]

If its mainly discrete components (resistors, capacitors etc.) then you want strip board. This is because you have a very large wide area in which to work, and if you only have one or two ICs, then it is easier to drill out the strips in the middle of them, than it is for 20 ICs (very time consuming!)

Drill out strips? So this stuff is like smaller breadboards, with contacts below the surface or something? I thought they were all like the experimenter's board you explained, where it's just plastic with holes cut into it


So, from what I can gather, stripboard is plastic with metal rails under it in a pattern like this:
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And to mount ICs you have to drill out part of the rail to make a separation so that the contacts don't short each other out, is that correct?

 

[Noggin]

i like the experiementers board and I use teflon coated wire wrap wire to make all my connections.

 

[Oznog]

None of those are the type I myself prefer.

I most often use a type out of Radio Shack. Has 2 side-by-side copper strips running the full length of the board, and many rows of 3 connected in the other direction. That repeats several times. Much like part of that 777 there, except that the rows of 3 are immediately next to the lengthwise strips whereas 777 looks like it's got an unused space which won't fit the common 300 mil IC pin spacing, only a fat 500 mil IC.