Interesting prototype boards

HollyMinkowski

Has anyone here ever used boards like these?
All the holes are connected together by small traces and the idea is to lay
out your circuit and then use something like an xacto knife to cut the traces
your circuit does not need. I generally use the plain type boards that you
have to wire up on the bottom with wires..and they are really ugly on the
bottom when you are through.

So I was thinking of having a box of these ordered and was wondering if anyone
here ever used them before and what you thought of them? They cost no more than
the standard type of board. They would make clean prototypes without any wires.

Clock Loop

Thats pretty cool actually, for it to be really useful, the bottom side would have the same thing. Then you can bounce signals around each other.

Post Edited (Clock Loop) : 6/13/2009 12:20:23 AM GMT

CounterRotatingProps

Yes, but it's been years since I've seen them. What's also interesting is when you have settings that require a jumper or not ... you know those semi perminate things like board address etc. Instead of putting on a dip switch and just leaving it set, you can cut the trace or not.

Are you willing to tell us where you found these little gems? [noparse]:)[/noparse])

thanks
- Howard

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HollyMinkowski

@Clock Loop

I thought the same thing, have them on both sides

I would not get the ready made ones, was thinking of having a board fab in China
make a bunch of larger two-sided ones..we have a machine you can program that would
jump around and grind away the traces you needed to cut...I think it would look
pretty good. Actually it can cut up a regular copper clad board and make it workable
but it ends up all funky looking to me.

Clock Loop

Actually, you can't bouce signals around eachother.

The vias are tied through.
So this only works as a single sided board, even if both sides have traces.

And would be more pointelss work, if it did have traces on both sides,
unless you wanted more current carrying.

Post Edited (Clock Loop) : 6/13/2009 12:18:23 AM GMT

HollyMinkowski

@CounterRotatingProps

Are you willing to tell us where you found these little gems? said...

I found them on Ebay as I was looking around for cheap solderless breadboards and proto boards.
But those are not big enough to hold the 40pin dip and only have the layout on one side.
shop.ebay.com/items/?_nkw=wireless+proto&_armrs=1&_from=

Found some nice and cheap breadboards
Only 16.99 delivered from Nanjing.

mikediv

HollyMinkowski its been a while since I have seen these I Actually have a couple of proto boards I build years and years ago for a print enlarger the only reason I used these was the very thin wire wrapping couldn't handle the amperage of my circuit.
But to be honest it was a lot of work cutting the traces and I made more mistakes and had to add jumpers all over the place , I think if I had to choose I would just use the boards that look like this but they are actually laid out like a solderless breadboard
but then again for some small circuits I guess , have you had a chance to look at what gadget gangster has done??? maybe somehting like that would be woorth taking at look at the design

HollyMinkowski

I forgot to mention that the 16.99 solderless breadboards also come with a bunch of
jumper wires...the wires have pins on both ends and look very nice

HollyMinkowski

@Clock Loop

Hmmm...maybe you are right, 2sided might not be better...guess I did not think
about it long enough

Timmoore

sparkfun.com sell them http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=8812
though they are made by measureexplorer if I remember correctly and they sell them on ebay- look for measureexplorer as a seller.

Oldbitcollector (Jeff)

@Holly,

I had seen those boards a while back a had been tempted to try them.
I'll be very interested in your review of that product.

OBC

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Timmoore

I have used it once (so YMMV), some comments from my try with it.
1. The tracks are much harder to cut than you think. Cut all tracks before mounting anything.
2. Make sure you draw out both sides of the layout you want, even very simple boards are too complex to hold in your head. Its very easy to make a mistake if its not drawn out.
3. Yes it does look neat but its only suitable for simple layouts unless you add wires as well then you are back to the orginal problem.
4. 2 side does work but you need to think about layout - easiest way to think about it is 2 sets of tracks at 90degrees, each hole joins the tracks so you have to be careful all the way along the tracks.

I have used verowire for years, tried these boards to see if they work better and went back to verowire (http://www.verotl.com/vero-wire) for prototypes and 1offs.

nightwing

The solderless breadboards are nice... Used them for a long time....

There is a board from Radio Shack that like it but not connected like that.

Well there is the toner PC board tricks... Used that to etch designed into brass...

kwinn

I used something similar but larger (4x6") many years ago and liked them. Unfortunately the supplier I got them from went out of business and I could not find anyone that carried them. I still have a tool that you inserted in the hole and turned to cut all the traces connected to the via. Still use the tool for boards with vias connected in rows.