Basic prototyping question (was:BASIC STAMP for MIDI)

Archiver

First Off I want to thank everyone who jumped in with advice on my
MIDI controlled talk-back mic project. I 'jumped in' too, bought a
couple of BS2s and BS2-IC 24 pin carrier boards and have been reading
examples to start writing my code and designing my circuits.

Here's my next question: prototyping: can somebody give me some
pointers to information about how to use the carrier boards to work
up my prototype. Specifically, how should components be organized
and connected.

I know that there are two rows of 'holes' that are connected to the
socket pins & headers, so it's easy to see how you would put one end
of a pull-up resistor there & still have a 'hole' left to connect the
lead from a switch. But what about the other end of the resistor.
It's out in the middle of the board, presumably soldered into place.
Is it reccomended to try to heat up solder on the under side of the
board to 'connect' adjacent holes so that a lead can jump over to
+5v? And since I'll have a number of pull-up resistors all needing
to attach to +5v, do i try to solder them all to each other or maybe
use the 'smearing' technique I mentioned to create a 'bus' where
leads from each resistor could go.

I guess I need a really basic rundown on how to wire circuits on the
carrier board because it's not clear to me how to do so. Perhaps I
should have ordered a different board...

thanks in advance for helping me get my footing here.

-DL

Archiver

DL,

Start by drawing your circuit as you propose to wire it, (a layout, not a
schematic) so as to work out the best component layout. As every circuit is
different, no-one can really help you as to specific board layout.

If possible install and test in sections, makes troubleshooting easier. It
really sucks to build a large circuit and then figure out why it doesn't
work. Of course, some circuits you have to build the whole thing to test it
at all.

I have never had great sucess with the "smearing" technique. The possibility
of a hard to find poor connection is too great for me. I bet many people can
do it every time, but I can't. I put a piece of tinned hook-up wire in
there. Or in the case of the pullup resistor, use the resistor lead to
connect to the next hole, just give a little bend and solder. Most
components can be mounted this way. I would create a +V and GND bus and tie
stuff into that. Or wherever is handy ;-)

Don't feel bad if your first board is messy and you have to lay it out a few
times. Have a de-soldering tool handy ;-P . Board layout is sort of like
Tetris or a Rubick's cube, it just takes some practice to line it all up
nicely. Personally, I prefer perf-board to proto-board, but that is simple
personal prejudice. I find it easier to work with and correct mistakes.

I am assuming you have gotten it all to work already on a breadboard, no?

Jonathan

www.madlabs.info

---

Original Message

---

From: <futilityengineer@y...>
To: <basicstamps@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, January 17, 2003 9:56 AM
Subject: [noparse][[/noparse]basicstamps] Basic prototyping question (was:BASIC STAMP for MIDI)


> First Off I want to thank everyone who jumped in with advice on my
> MIDI controlled talk-back mic project. I 'jumped in' too, bought a
> couple of BS2s and BS2-IC 24 pin carrier boards and have been reading
> examples to start writing my code and designing my circuits.
>
> Here's my next question: prototyping: can somebody give me some
> pointers to information about how to use the carrier boards to work
> up my prototype. Specifically, how should components be organized
> and connected.
>
> I know that there are two rows of 'holes' that are connected to the
> socket pins & headers, so it's easy to see how you would put one end
> of a pull-up resistor there & still have a 'hole' left to connect the
> lead from a switch. But what about the other end of the resistor.
> It's out in the middle of the board, presumably soldered into place.
> Is it reccomended to try to heat up solder on the under side of the
> board to 'connect' adjacent holes so that a lead can jump over to
> +5v? And since I'll have a number of pull-up resistors all needing
> to attach to +5v, do i try to solder them all to each other or maybe
> use the 'smearing' technique I mentioned to create a 'bus' where
> leads from each resistor could go.
>
> I guess I need a really basic rundown on how to wire circuits on the
> carrier board because it's not clear to me how to do so. Perhaps I
> should have ordered a different board...
>
> thanks in advance for helping me get my footing here.
>
> -DL
>
>
> To UNSUBSCRIBE, just send mail to:
> basicstamps-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> from the same email address that you subscribed. Text in the Subject and
Body of the message will be ignored.
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
>
>

Archiver

--- In basicstamps@yahoogroups.com, "Jonathan Peakall"
<jpeakall@m...> wrote:

> I put a piece of tinned hook-up wire in
> there.

OK, that sounds pretty simple. You mean a tiny piece of bare wire,
lying just between to two 'holes' where I want one component conduct
to the next one, soldered to both so that there is still room for the
leads from the two components I'm connecting to poke through the
holse. Or am I misunderstanding this

>Or in the case of the pullup resistor, use the resistor lead to
> connect to the next hole, just give a little bend and solder.

So the resistor goes through it's hole, bends so it's touching the
next-door hole & is soldered into it's hole. Then poke the end of
the next component or hook up lead through the hole the bent lead
from the resistor is touching & solder it into place, making sure
that some of the solder bonds with the bent resistor lead. Have I
got it?

>Most components can be mounted this way. I would create a +V and GND
>bus and tie stuff into that. Or wherever is handy ;-)

What would this bus look like: a bunch of tiny bits of wire soldered
between the holes in a row, or is it one long piece of wire laying
along a row and soldered in each spot to the hole, but not covering
it?

thanks for your hel Jonathan!

Archiver

Dl,


>
> OK, that sounds pretty simple. You mean a tiny piece of bare wire,
> lying just between to two 'holes' where I want one component conduct
> to the next one, soldered to both so that there is still room for the
> leads from the two components I'm connecting to poke through the
> holse. Or am I misunderstanding this

Yup, you got it. You can wrap the wire around the component lead or not as
you prefer.


>
> >Or in the case of the pullup resistor, use the resistor lead to
> > connect to the next hole, just give a little bend and solder.
>
> So the resistor goes through it's hole, bends so it's touching the
> next-door hole & is soldered into it's hole. Then poke the end of
> the next component or hook up lead through the hole the bent lead
> from the resistor is touching & solder it into place, making sure
> that some of the solder bonds with the bent resistor lead. Have I
> got it?

Exactly.

>
> >Most components can be mounted this way. I would create a +V and GND
> >bus and tie stuff into that. Or wherever is handy ;-)
>
> What would this bus look like: a bunch of tiny bits of wire soldered
> between the holes in a row, or is it one long piece of wire laying
> along a row and soldered in each spot to the hole, but not covering
> it?

Usually one length of wire. I will usually use something fairly stiff and I
prefer solid wire for this. Even with the wire in place you can still use
the holes, just heat and stuff the lead through.

And you did set the circuit up on a breadboard first?

Have fun!

Jonathan

www.madlabs.info