When working with simple perfboard (just holes, no 'traces' connecting
the holes) how does one connect the components together? I'm guessing by
using jumper wires for point-to-point wiring on the backside, but that
seems a bit ugly.

- jim

Unclad perf-board is generally used for wire-wrap applications only. To do
wire-wrap work you need a wire-wrap tool and a roll of wire-wrap wire. Both
are available at Radio Shack. You buy the type of IC sockets that have long
wire-wrap pins. For leaded components, you either wrap directly to the leads
or you put them in wire-wrap sockets.

Wire-wrap works OK for digital and low-freq analog work, but it doesn't work
at all for SMT parts. You generally need a good copper ground plane for RF
work.

Joe
W3JDR

"James W" wrote in message
...
When working with simple perfboard (just holes, no 'traces' connecting
the holes) how does one connect the components together? I'm guessing by
using jumper wires for point-to-point wiring on the backside, but that
seems a bit ugly.

- jim

Thanks... but one more question.. The boards I've seen have individual
copper pads that surround each hole. The pads do NOT interconnect holes.

If these are for wirewrap, why the copper pads at each hole?

- jim

p.s. I'm familiar with many fabrication techniques, I'm just trying to
figure out how one works with these particular boards.. i.e. why are
these boards so common and electronics stores.

W3JDR wrote:
Unclad perf-board is generally used for wire-wrap applications only. To do
wire-wrap work you need a wire-wrap tool and a roll of wire-wrap wire. Both
are available at Radio Shack. You buy the type of IC sockets that have long
wire-wrap pins. For leaded components, you either wrap directly to the leads
or you put them in wire-wrap sockets.

Wire-wrap works OK for digital and low-freq analog work, but it doesn't work
at all for SMT parts. You generally need a good copper ground plane for RF
work.

Joe
W3JDR

"James W" wrote in message
...

When working with simple perfboard (just holes, no 'traces' connecting
the holes) how does one connect the components together? I'm guessing by
using jumper wires for point-to-point wiring on the backside, but that
seems a bit ugly.

- jim

I don't know what the manufacturer is thinking when they do that, but I find
the solder pads very convenient for mechanically holding the componants to
the board. With just wire wrap things slide around (and it didn't occur to
me until _just now_ that I could have used glue).

I generally prefer dead-bug on a ground plane, or paying a few bucks to a
quick-turn PCB house.

"James W" wrote in message
...
Thanks... but one more question.. The boards I've seen have individual
copper pads that surround each hole. The pads do NOT interconnect holes.

If these are for wirewrap, why the copper pads at each hole?

- jim

p.s. I'm familiar with many fabrication techniques, I'm just trying to
figure out how one works with these particular boards.. i.e. why are
these boards so common and electronics stores.

W3JDR wrote:
Unclad perf-board is generally used for wire-wrap applications only. To
do
wire-wrap work you need a wire-wrap tool and a roll of wire-wrap wire.
Both
are available at Radio Shack. You buy the type of IC sockets that have
long
wire-wrap pins. For leaded components, you either wrap directly to the
leads
or you put them in wire-wrap sockets.

Wire-wrap works OK for digital and low-freq analog work, but it doesn't
work
at all for SMT parts. You generally need a good copper ground plane for
RF
work.

Joe
W3JDR

"James W" wrote in message
...

When working with simple perfboard (just holes, no 'traces' connecting
the holes) how does one connect the components together? I'm guessing by
using jumper wires for point-to-point wiring on the backside, but that
seems a bit ugly.

- jim

James W wrote:

When working with simple perfboard (just holes, no 'traces' connecting
the holes) how does one connect the components together? I'm guessing by
using jumper wires for point-to-point wiring on the backside, but that
seems a bit ugly.

That's the usual way. If you just show people the front of the board it
doesn't matter if the back is untidy.

Leon
--
Leon Heller, G1HSM
Email:
My low-cost Philips LPC210x ARM development system:
http://www.geocities.com/leon_heller/lpc2104.html

I've seen people "solder" the leads on the backs of perf board too! While it
works, it sure has a tendency to look sloppy! MNS

"Leon Heller" wrote in message
. ..


James W wrote:

When working with simple perfboard (just holes, no 'traces' connecting
the holes) how does one connect the components together? I'm guessing by
using jumper wires for point-to-point wiring on the backside, but that
seems a bit ugly.

That's the usual way. If you just show people the front of the board it
doesn't matter if the back is untidy.

Leon
--
Leon Heller, G1HSM
Email:
My low-cost Philips LPC210x ARM development system:
http://www.geocities.com/leon_heller/lpc2104.html

"James W"
wrote in
message ...
When working with simple perfboard (just holes,
no 'traces' connecting
the holes) how does one connect the components
together? I'm guessing by
using jumper wires for point-to-point wiring on
the backside, but that
seems a bit ugly.

- jim

It is often done with wire on the backside of the
board.
Sometimes the perforated ground and power strips
from vector are used.
If there are a lot of connections, wiring is done
on the top, fed through and soldered on the back.
Wire can be grouped into routing channels and tied
to the board. (I use 4 pound Monofilament as a
tie.)

Vector board is not suitable for RF except for
very simple circuits.

"MR NO SPAM" ) writes:
I've seen people "solder" the leads on the backs of perf board too! While it
works, it sure has a tendency to look sloppy! MNS

Perfboard was around long before most hobbyists had heard of wire wrap.

Once transistors came along, perfboard tended to be the method of
construction, unless you were planning to do it point to point on
a chassis like you would with tubes. "Messy" has no relevance since
the wiring was under the board. You'd use component leads to connect
the parts, and if they weren't long enough, bits of wire. And the ones
with bits of copper at each hole had the advantage, as someone pointed
out, that you could solder the components to the board before adding
the wires.

People were hesitant to make their own etched circuit boards, and even
after they became fairly common in hobby circles, many would say "I don't
want to bother" and they'd stick with perfboard.

If perfboard faded from view in recent years, it's likely because
etched circuit boards have tended to take over, if not made by the hands
of the hobbyist then because people were buying premade circuit boards.

As someone pointed out, perfboard is not so great for RF. Better
to use a blank piece of copper circuit board, and build on top of
that, so you have the copper as a good ground point. But that's
likely "messier" than using perfboard with the wiring on the bottom.
But how something looks is irrelevant. You can stick it in a box
out of view. Building over circuit board actually works better than
perfboard, because it's easier to run wires in a three dimensional
space.

Of course, from time to time I've used copper circuit board
as "perfboard", drilling holes where needed and reaming out the copper
from around the holes so the components go in without shorting. Wire
up on the non-copper side of the board, like perfboard, but all
ground connections go to the copper on the top side.

Michael VE2BVW

"Leon Heller" wrote in message
. ..


James W wrote:

When working with simple perfboard (just holes, no 'traces' connecting
the holes) how does one connect the components together? I'm guessing by
using jumper wires for point-to-point wiring on the backside, but that
seems a bit ugly.

That's the usual way. If you just show people the front of the board it
doesn't matter if the back is untidy.

Leon
--
Leon Heller, G1HSM
Email:
My low-cost Philips LPC210x ARM development system:
http://www.geocities.com/leon_heller/lpc2104.html

Yes I agree. I suppose I should have said.. I've seen SOME sloppy work. IF
one takes their time, they could do a neater job (trimming leads and
touching with solder, not globs and such) and even then enclose it to make
it look a bit more attractive. MNS

"Michael Black" wrote in message
...
"MR NO SPAM" ) writes:
I've seen people "solder" the leads on the backs of perf board too!
While it
works, it sure has a tendency to look sloppy! MNS

Perfboard was around long before most hobbyists had heard of wire wrap.

Once transistors came along, perfboard tended to be the method of
construction, unless you were planning to do it point to point on
a chassis like you would with tubes. "Messy" has no relevance since
the wiring was under the board. You'd use component leads to connect
the parts, and if they weren't long enough, bits of wire. And the ones
with bits of copper at each hole had the advantage, as someone pointed
out, that you could solder the components to the board before adding
the wires.

People were hesitant to make their own etched circuit boards, and even
after they became fairly common in hobby circles, many would say "I don't
want to bother" and they'd stick with perfboard.

If perfboard faded from view in recent years, it's likely because
etched circuit boards have tended to take over, if not made by the hands
of the hobbyist then because people were buying premade circuit boards.

As someone pointed out, perfboard is not so great for RF. Better
to use a blank piece of copper circuit board, and build on top of
that, so you have the copper as a good ground point. But that's
likely "messier" than using perfboard with the wiring on the bottom.
But how something looks is irrelevant. You can stick it in a box
out of view. Building over circuit board actually works better than
perfboard, because it's easier to run wires in a three dimensional
space.

Of course, from time to time I've used copper circuit board
as "perfboard", drilling holes where needed and reaming out the copper
from around the holes so the components go in without shorting. Wire
up on the non-copper side of the board, like perfboard, but all
ground connections go to the copper on the top side.

Michael VE2BVW

"Leon Heller" wrote in message
. ..


James W wrote:

When working with simple perfboard (just holes, no 'traces'
connecting
the holes) how does one connect the components together? I'm guessing
by
using jumper wires for point-to-point wiring on the backside, but
that
seems a bit ugly.

That's the usual way. If you just show people the front of the board it
doesn't matter if the back is untidy.

Leon
--
Leon Heller, G1HSM
Email:
My low-cost Philips LPC210x ARM development system:
http://www.geocities.com/leon_heller/lpc2104.html

A good way to connect the components is to simply bend the component
leads over. Often, they're long enough to reach between connected
components. If not, short bare wires can be added. It can be done quite
neatly, and the result is very durable. But if beauty is important to
you, you should probably go to the trouble of making a PCB.

This method shares a problem with conventional one- or two-sided
non-ground plane PCBs in that proper bypassing and "grounding" requires
some skill and knowledge. It's easy to end up with "ground" currents
from multiple circuits sharing a common conductor, which can often lead
to crosstalk and oscillation. This becomes more of a problem with
increasing frequency, but because virtually all modern semiconductors
have substantial gain at very high frequencies, it can still be a
problem even when the operating frequency is low. I personally favor
"ugly" construction, in which components are mounted over a solid ground
plane. This reduces the impedance of inter-circuit ground connections so
is considerably more forgiving of less-than-optimum layout.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

James W wrote:
When working with simple perfboard (just holes, no 'traces' connecting
the holes) how does one connect the components together? I'm guessing by
using jumper wires for point-to-point wiring on the backside, but that
seems a bit ugly.

- jim