Bridging Tracks On Perfboard

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fignewton83

Joined Nov 6, 2021
31
For when you get the Veroboards delivered:

Plan carefully the distribution of ALL components first.

View attachment 341788
When you are satisfied, using Veroboard, cut all traces first.

View attachment 341789

I convinced myself that I should run always the jumpers on the components side so I minimize the chances of short circuits with the copper traces. Prior starting, clean the traces and be ready to use flux for every point. Do not touch the copper with your hands.

View attachment 341790

I always start soldering all COMMON jumpers and then all Vcc ones. That facilitates further verifications with any point of the circuit.
All that looks great.

Where do you get the jumper wires? I would love to find a roll of solid wire I could use for cutting custom length jumpers. I thought about using bailing wire but not sure that metal composition is good for electronic projects.

What software/tools do you use for that layout? I need that badly.
 

atferrari

Joined Jan 6, 2004
5,012
All that looks great.

Where do you get the jumper wires? I would love to find a roll of solid wire I could use for cutting custom length jumpers. I thought about using bailing wire but not sure that metal composition is good for electronic projects.

What software/tools do you use for that layout? I need that badly.
I bought a huge amount of three different size rolls, years ago, on the counter at a mom and pop shop that is now gone.

I was tired of collecting wires of several different sizes that once peeled off were imposible to solder.

The software is Corel Draw that I've also been using for my job as a marine surveyor for the last 30 years.
 

Dave Lowther

Joined Sep 8, 2016
332
Where do you get those jumpers? I would like to find a roll of that. Capable of 8 to 10 amps. Is that feasible?
A friend gave me a large box of half used reels of wire that were being thrown away by the place he worked at. The bare copper wire (that isn't component leads) is just some single core wire with brown pvc insulation that's been stripped. You could buy a small reel of tinned copper wire.
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IDK what diameter you'd need for 8 to 10 amps, see the table in an earlier post.
 
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Dave Lowther

Joined Sep 8, 2016
332
What software/tools do you use for that layout?
For veroboard and perfboard I used KiCad. Set the PCB layout grid to 0.1 inch and use 2 layer. For veroboard the strips are on the bottom layer and wire jumpers on the top layer. Similar for perfboard, but the insulated jumpers are (in KiCad) on the top layer.
 

Ya’akov

Joined Jan 27, 2019
10,235
Excellent info.

Given that flux causes the molten balls, and presumably tracks as I'm trying to drag them, to separate, would it be advisable to use a no flux solder for this very purpose? Is no flux solder even a thing?
Welcome to AAC.

Flux is critical to reliable solder joints—so don’t omit it.

The easiest way to overcome the problem of make a bridge is using a small piece of wire—I save the clipped leads of components. Drop a small piece between the two points and the solder will wet the lead, and flow along it closing the bridge.

The current capacity will be the wire plus the solder.
 
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