Perfboard with no soldering pads

[spargo]

A while back I got some cheapo perfboard at Radio Shack and just now want to use some of it...problem is, it's just the board.  There are no soldering pads on either side of it, just the plastic.  Is there a way to use it?  It seems like you'd need some metal to solder to.  Would I have to just solder wires between everything?

[Electric Warrior]

just solder the component legs to each other.

[Top Top]

I've always used that kind of perf until exactly two weeks ago when I got some of the pad per hole stuff.

You just wire the component legs from one part to the next and use wire or extra cut off component legs for the ones that don't reach.

[anchovie]

You can also get push-in pins if you wanted to do a mini turret board.

[deadastronaut]

why not just use vero/strip....?

perf looks a bit fiddly to me..whats the attraction with perf?.. ive never used it, but might if i can be
convinced of its superiority to vero..

[jefe]

why not just use vero/strip....?

perf looks a bit fiddly to me..whats the attraction with perf?.. ive never used it, but might if i can be
convinced of its superiority to vero..

I'm the opposite.. I don't understand the appeal of vero. I like perf because it doesn't require any special layout, you just use the pcb layout. I don't know how many times I've seen other members ask "has anyone made a vero for this?". No need for a separate layout when using perf. /my 2 cents

Back on topic: I've only used the pad-per-hole perfboard, but I don't think I'd have much problem using the no-pad type. Just solder all the component leads to each other.

[jasperoosthoek]

why not just use vero/strip....?

perf looks a bit fiddly to me..whats the attraction with perf?.. ive never used it, but might if i can be
convinced of its superiority to vero..

Because you can do normal PCB layouts without etching. I've done a lot of tonepad effects on perfboard. All or most of the holes match the holes from the tonepad boards or other designs. Now I'm lazy and just buy the boards directly from tonepad or general guitar gadgets.

I don't like vero as it looks like several antennas. There is just too much metal that has no function. And, I do get a kick of making things as small as possible but that's just me.  I always preferred the small fiddly lego over the double sized duplo  .

[slacker]

why not just use vero/strip....?

perf looks a bit fiddly to me..whats the attraction with perf?.. ive never used it, but might if i can be
convinced of its superiority to vero..

Don't go there, no good will come of it  

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=77252.0

[deadastronaut]

why not just use vero/strip....?

perf looks a bit fiddly to me..whats the attraction with perf?.. ive never used it, but might if i can be
convinced of its superiority to vero..

Don't go there, no good will come of it  

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=77252.0

ahhhh i see that debate has been thrashed out already...still perf looks like a b****d to degug, change a part etc...
oh well back to cutting,toner ironing,chemicals,drilling,etc..etc....

[jasperoosthoek]

Get it right the first time, like me on all of my builds! (Crossed fingers behind my back)

Debugging is always a b**** except for breadboard. On my first perf builds I tied/twisted the leads together before soldering. Now I just lay them in place and then solder them. It's much easier to debug them that way.

[deadastronaut]

nope....still not convinced...

[petemoore]

  Resistor lead down through a hole, up through the adjacent hole, the ends of the loop laid flat to the board parallel to each other...1/6'' or so twist...solder to create ''leadlug''.
  Kinda loose though..not that it has to matter.
  Better method was: resistor lead through hole, another resistor lead through hole, solder, trust the wedge can be pulled out but is stiff enough once the rest of circuit is installed.
  Simple down/up 1/2 loop and some leadlugs here and there...
  Requires a bit more creativity and thinking through than copperpad perfboard, I found copperless perfboard to be inhospitable when trying to install sockets and opamps on it...can be done [use R-lead+socket wiperlead in copperless hole to create solderwedges].
  I never had any problem with solder bridges using the copperless board, though, with good soldering technique on perfboard, it's pretty easy to avoid or eliminate solder bridges.
  Should be very good if soldered, tested/jiggled/passing the tests, then frugally epoxied at certain points.

[jefe]

ahhhh i see that debate has been thrashed out already...still perf looks like a b****d to degug, change a part etc...

It is a bitch to debug & change parts, you're right. I honestly have very few problems though, because I just work very slowly and carefully with perf. It's a personal thing, I'm not gonna try to convince you that perf is the best. I happen to find a lot of satisfaction in knowing that I soldered up the entire board, every point. On the other hand, I can't understand why so many people put so much emphasis on how a pedal looks.. especially on the inside of the pedal! Neat wiring and good construction practices obviously have their benefits, but I've seen people go the trouble of making sure everything inside is blue, for example.. blue pcb material, blue caps and resisitors, blue wire, blue led, etc.. makes no sense to me, but I don't spend too much time trying to make sense of it, because in the end, it's a personal thing. Use perf, or stripboard, or pcb, or whatever, just enjoy! 

[petemoore]

 If the twisted circuit works, anything else is window dressing with the shutters closed.
 Someone mentioned and I built a boost using drilled through dowel rod circuit'board', really have to count the node connections when the nodes are wrapped around/through the dowel, very easily cut to fit the box inside width for wedge fit+cardboard thicknesses, glued secure tight using cut to box-depth cardboards that are fit to the up/down limits of the of the box against the sides.
  A circuit board would have been harder to fit/secure in the existing box-space.
  It required a debugging jumper, I figured a second, more carefully laid out and drilled dowel would be easier, but I found it impossibe' hard to draw a 3-D layout 2-D paper.
    For a phaser, use PCB.

[snarblinge]

hey Jefe, just a few cents

I love it when the inside is all matched, 99% of the pedals I build go to mates or mates of mates, and don't stay in my possession, hell I can't even play the guitar I just have it to test pedals.

my goal is to do totally blue internals totally green totally black, I always use red and or black wire to match the battery snap, or colour match to the outside of the box. I love the idea that when the new owner opens it up to change the battery, or push the LED back into place, that everything will look nice and themed. for the ones I built for myself however its hard to screw the back down for bonus wire and mis-drilled parts clashing with board placement.

rather off topic but still a fun discussion.

[jefe]

hey Jefe, just a few cents

I love it when the inside is all matched, 99% of the pedals I build go to mates or mates of mates, and don't stay in my possession, hell I can't even play the guitar I just have it to test pedals.

my goal is to do totally blue internals totally green totally black, I always use red and or black wire to match the battery snap, or colour match to the outside of the box. I love the idea that when the new owner opens it up to change the battery, or push the LED back into place, that everything will look nice and themed. for the ones I built for myself however its hard to screw the back down for bonus wire and mis-drilled parts clashing with board placement.

rather off topic but still a fun discussion.

I have to admit, some of the gut shots I see around here are really cool, so I can kinda see why people go to such great lengths. It's just not for me. It would be a waste of my time to try and match all the colors inside the box. Likewise, some people can't see the point in using perfboard, when they can just buy a pcb. To each his own! I think each of us get different things from this hobby, and I'm not one to judge what others are getting from it.

[DougH]

I started with PCB and quickly went to naked perf. PCB is the best method for production work but too much hassle for hobby one-offs. Vero doesn't make any sense to me so I have no interest in it. I can't intuitively "see" the circuit when I'm looking at it. I'm not interested in learning a new way of visualizing a circuit as there is no advantage to using it, for me. 99.99% of my builds work the first time, so debugging is not an issue. I generally don't rework circuits after the fact either. That's what the breadboard is for- getting it right the first time. I have reworked one or two things in perf and although it is not as easy as PCB, it is do-able. For the little rework I do, it's not worth the hassle of any other method. Perf is fast, easy, makes visual sense, and I can do very clean builds with it.

[jefe]

99.99% of my builds work the first time, so debugging is not an issue. I generally don't rework circuits after the fact either. That's what the breadboard is for- getting it right the first time.

Same here, Doug. Most of my builds fire up the first time, and all my experimenting is done on the breadboard. By the time I've decided to commit a circuit to perf, I've already worked out any tweaks and mods, and I already know this is a circuit I want. Some people solder everything up, just to find out they don't even like the circuit. I like to breadboard it first, and if it's not for me, I just pull evertyhing out of the breadboard and sort all the parts back in to their respective bins.

[petemoore]

  The top of the perfboards I work with soon have copper leads which can be soldered to.
  Blasphemin', I solder components to them. This frees space between where I connect copper pads [I like to leave open copper pad between two used ones], puts more of the circuit in a position where it can be easily 'read', and makes it much easier to piggyback or change structures with no solder bridge mess around a clump of lead-ends, gets rid of long, overlapping spans under the board.
  Knowing that most of the time a teeny value resistor body doesn't matter to the immediate circuit and makes great insulator when 'weaving' a late made connection on a nearly overpopulated perfboard has freed me from having to try to weave a soldering tip through leads without touching them at the bottom of the board.

[deadastronaut]

nope still not convinced....but better informed...

yeah i bread everything , no more 'dust collecting mod it one day projects'.....

veros great for knocking up a quickie.....i wouldnt go to the hassle of making a pcb for a simple boost/buffer.
when i can have it built before the pcb image comes out of the printer...

i do pcb too though...when i can be arsed..(back to that thread) to print,iron,etch,drill,and eventually build...
yeah pcb is nicer when its done though.

@fuzz. a pedal builder that does'nt play guitar?..weird!, theres a whole new thread there!....