Stick on copper traces...

[rwebbart]

Wanted to say hello and thanks. I've lurked around here for a year and finally joined. I've learned a lot from you fine folks and hopefully this little tid-bit will be found useful by someone else.



I made the traces with copper tape normally used in making stained glass. You can take a hobby knife and slice it into strips small enough to just cover one set of holes in your perfboard, or if the circuit is small enough, you can just use it as is, but it will double the size of the board. That wasnt a problem for this project. I hate doing point to point because of the time, and I dont have any vero around, so I got creative.

It's $5.99 for 36 yards!!!! Thats enough to do about a trillion Bazz Fuss pedals.

I've thoroughly tested it and it seems to work. Voltages stay whee they are supposed to and its easier than point to point. Just takes a few minutes up front to apply the strips.

[jafo]

That's pretty cool; I'll have to look into it. Welcome, and good first post!

[DavenPaget]

Well i'm not sure where i have to get it 

[Ice-9]

Cool idea, but it looks like you would have to drill all the holes as well ? It does look good for PCB repair of broken and lifted traces as well.

[rwebbart]

@DavenPaget
I got it at Hobby Lobby.

@Ice-9
I just poked the holes with the end of a piece of solid core wire. in hind-site, all i really had to do was the holes for the components.

[slacker]

I like it, is the tape self adhesive or do you have to glue it on?

[rwebbart]

I like it, is the tape self adhesive or do you have to glue it on?

Self adhesive. Its also made for a soldering surface in the process of creating stained glass windows, so it holds up to heat really really well.

I actually had to de-solder 2 components (working way to late) and they gave way long before the tape. (actually, the tape still stuck perfectly)

[amptramp]

I had no idea it was so cheap - a couple of years ago, people were stealing copper from building sites.  A technician working for me got fired one time because he stole a roll of copper shielding tape worth about $80.  That was after another tech got reassigned to another program.  I (as project manager) went to the shop manager and said, "Where's my technicians?  They're like Spinal Tap drummers!"  He got a good laugh out of that.  But I didn't get another tech.

[rwebbart]

I had no idea it was so cheap

I think that shielding tape is thicker and wider, but this stuff is dirt cheap for sure. On top of that, if you sign up for Hobby Lobby's mailing list, you get 50% off anything in the store coupons all the time.