some help

[kenyanscott]

hi guys so about 6 years ago i decided to attempt to build a SHO clone.

the schematic I was going to follow looked like this





and got this









now i have some questions, and ill try explain this as best as I can.

I use veroboard, so when I looked at the schematic, I treated that as if I was looking at is from the non copper side, (in reverse) - is that right?

my soldering, I'm not convinced thats is any use, so ill happily take any feedback.

i have a little breadboard, but I dont really know how to use it, so any help, streer and guidance would be much appreciated!

[thermionix]

Yeah you have large blobs of solder connecting adjacent tracks on your vero board.  That won't work.  There may be more going on but it's hard to see because of the solder blobs.

[Plexi]

Agree with thermionix
MHO: try again... in a new veroboard, and more precisión soldering 

[stallik]

These layouts traditionally show the board from the component side (top).The copper tracks are included so you know where to cut them. It looks to me that you've built it in reverse. Or at least partially so.

Can be confusing first time you cut the tracks in reverse of what you're seeing on the layout so locate the relevant hole on the top and poke a piece of wire through. That way, you don't make a mistake when you turn it over.

Regarding the soldering, yes it's a bit messy and there looks to be a blob which joins one track with another. Practice is the key here but the best tip I can give you is to thoroughly clean the copper first. I use wire wool. Nothing sticks well to tarnished copper.

Good luck

[thermionix]

It looks to me that you've built it in reverse. Or at least partially so.

Yes and Q1 is reverse-reverse, and R5 seems to be missing.

[digi2t]

When building on vero, two points;

- When looking at a vero layout, it's always shown as if you are looking at the component side, with the copper strips away from you, like this;

Layout;



Board view;



With that out of the way, here's an important tip for preparing your vero board. When preparing to do your cuts, it can be confusing trying to transfer the cuts on the layout to the board. Since you have to flip the board over, so the copper strips are facing you, you now have a mirror image between the printed layout and the physical board to deal with. This is easily a place where errors can occur. Here's what I do; I open the image file of the layout in Paint, and choose "Rotate", and then click "Flip horizontal". This will flip the image, and it will represent looking at the copper side of the board. The image will look like this;



Now it's easy to simply transfer the cuts from the reversed image to the board. Then flip the board around, and use the normal layout to place your components.

Missing components and the soldering part... attention to detail and practice makes perfect. Don't give up. While it's satisfying to successfully complete a project, the satisfaction is ten-fold when you successfully resolve a project that's been kicking your ass.

[kenyanscott]

hi guys

just so i am clear on the Veroboard situation.

when I look at the drawing - I would be looking at the Veroboard with the copper underneath the components?

so when I build it, I am pulling the components on as if I was just sitting them into the Veroboard non-copper facing me directly, then I cut the tracks our once I flip it over (which would then be a mirror image?)

any ideas on how to practice soldering before I go do this again? I don't want to get it all right then bugger it by not doing the soldering correctly :-(

[digi2t]

when I look at the drawing - I would be looking at the Veroboard with the copper underneath the components?

Correct.

so when I build it, I am pulling the components on as if I was just sitting them into the Veroboard non-copper facing me directly, then I cut the tracks our once I flip it over (which would then be a mirror image?)

I would say "putting" rather than "pulling", BUT...

Personally, I do all my trace cutting BEFORE placing components. If you make a mistake here, you only lose the board. If you solder in components first, and you make a mistake cutting traces after, then you're stuck desoldering (and possibly damaging) components in the process. Do the trace cutting first. Then install jumpers. Then resistors. Then caps, and then whatever's left. Work you're way up from lowest to tallest.

any ideas on how to practice soldering before I go do this again? I don't want to get it all right then bugger it by not doing the soldering correctly :-(

Google and YouTube are your friends. Search "practice soldering" or similar, and you'll find tons of info on the subject. Practice is just that... practice. Cut a small piece of board, and some pieces of solid core wire to represent components for example. Practice soldering the wire onto the board. Good or bad solder joints illustrated below...



Also, much of this depends on what kind of iron you're using, the kind of solder, temperature, etc. As I mentioned, do your homework.

[kenyanscott]

cheers, its much appreciated!

I'll practice and then give it another bash. I noticed that the area where it's the globules of solder is where there is a condensed amount of soldering being done, the outer ones where there are fewer components seemed to have soldered, so I think I'll take my time and not rush into soldering a condensed area like that.

I'll get there, then I can come back and ask questions about pots, and foot switches...................

[duck_arse]

It looks to me that you've built it in reverse. Or at least partially so.

Yes and Q1 is reverse-reverse, and R5 seems to be missing.

and one of your electo caps is backwards, the one stuck out by self. use that bit of vero as practise, get some lead off-cuts and poke them thru all the empty holes, then solder them. also - clean the vero before soldering with a scour pad or similar, and use a drill bit ~3.5mm to make the copper/track cuts. then check for and clean up the little crescents of copper left behind - miss one of them and it can ruin your day. carefully run a sharp knife between the long tracks to remove any possible day-crimping solder shorts that might be there as a final thing.

[thermionix]

+1 on Youtube videos.  Visual aides are great.  Even still, it will take time and practice.  Probably nobody starts off soldering well.  My first "big" project was a tweed Bassman clone, I had soldered before but not so much and nothing so critical.  By the time I finished building it, I couldn't stand to look at the soldering I did at the start of it, so I pulled it all apart and rebuilt it.

Things to look out for.  The tip on your soldering iron may be too big, making it difficult to get solder only where you want it, and creating solder bridges.  Never use a soldering gun on, well, anything really.  "Too hot" and "not hot enough" can also be problems.  You want to be able to "get in and get out" quickly and make a reliable joint in a short time.

[moid]

One tip that has helped me find the cuts I need to make in the copper strips be placed in the right place is to look at the non copper side (which is what you see in the vero layout images) and then use a thin marker pen and poke the nib / tip of the pen through the hole that needs to be have a cut placed on it. The ink invariably rubs of around the edge of that hole, so when I turn the vero board over to the copper side, one of the hole will have dark marker ink around it, so it's obvious which one to cut.

The other way to do it (if you don't have a thin point marker) is to stick one end of a resistor through the hole from the non copper side, turn the board round and use any pen you have to draw around that hole with the resistor leg sticking through - that way you know you've got the right hole to cut. Also you don't need to cut right through the vero board; just the copper. And don't use a power tool to do this like I did the first time I tried - I shattered the damn board! A hand held drill bit is fine, the copper is easy to scrape through by pressing the drill bit against it and rotating the bit.

Good luck, that SHO is a great booster; I've just built one myself - keep trying!

[suryabeep]

I use a small dremel to make cuts in veroboard. Generally goes quicker and I can get it pretty accurate.

[kenyanscott]

solder failure number 2 tonight! lol

Ill keep plodding on until I get it, I may get my friend to do it for me, and get a lesson or two from him in the process (hes a car sparky by trade)

so I think i could have it done for the weekend, as long as i dont run out of parts trying.

sad thing is ive not even attempted to think about the off board soldering i need to do for hte pots, jacks, DC connection and foot switch :-(

[Ice-9]

What type and size of solder and soldering iron are you using ? this will make a difference as the correct solder type is important.

[pinkjimiphoton]

When building on vero, two points;

- When looking at a vero layout, it's always shown as if you are looking at the component side, with the copper strips away from you, like this;

Layout;



Board view;



With that out of the way, here's an important tip for preparing your vero board. When preparing to do your cuts, it can be confusing trying to transfer the cuts on the layout to the board. Since you have to flip the board over, so the copper strips are facing you, you now have a mirror image between the printed layout and the physical board to deal with. This is easily a place where errors can occur. Here's what I do; I open the image file of the layout in Paint, and choose "Rotate", and then click "Flip horizontal". This will flip the image, and it will represent looking at the copper side of the board. The image will look like this;



Now it's easy to simply transfer the cuts from the reversed image to the board. Then flip the board around, and use the normal layout to place your components.

Missing components and the soldering part... attention to detail and practice makes perfect. Don't give up. While it's satisfying to successfully complete a project, the satisfaction is ten-fold when you successfully resolve a project that's been kicking your ass.

hahah, ya beat me to it dino!!

[kenyanscott]

I'm not sure of the solder itself.

I'm using a soldering iron I got from maplins in the uk. It's a 30w iron the tip does seem pretty big.

This is it https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=maplins+soldering+iron+and+glue+gun+kit&rlz=1CDGOYI_enGB752GB752&hl=en-GB&prmd=sivn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiP2ZCgm83VAhWbOsAKHSXzCGUQ_AUIEigC&biw=375&bih=591#imgrc=uWVf_vP3DOcYiM:

I'll take any feedback onboard so I get this correct


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[thermionix]

You mean this?

https://www.maplin.co.uk/p/am-tech-solder-and-glue-kit-a29wy

That's not what I would consider a big tip.

[kenyanscott]

That the one.

I think we have established my considerable lack of soldering talent


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[stallik]

I don't believe any talent is required to solder well. It a technique which can be learned and with a little practice and patience you will get much better at it. I used to refer to my efforts as Goliath welding. Now it's quite competent but one day.....