Ah, where to start? I've built numerous electronic projects using Manhattan style construction, strip-boards,
pref-board, etc. My preferred construction technique is island-pad/Manhattan, and occasionally, soldering
components to nails in pounded into a "breadboard", aka, a slab of pine or ceder fence plank. I do etch
my own pcbs, but it's just easy-stuff, using tape or paint-pen to mark off areas for Vcc and ground, nothing
detailed. I might add, using Manhattan construction provides a wonderful ground plane.
I avoid surface-mount where possible, as my eyes aren't getting any younger, but I can manage when needed.
I'll eventually get a microscope, hot-station, reflow oven, etc. But for now, for protyping in metal, I prefer
Manhattan construction, as it's fast and easy to change things out without damaging pads on a strip-board
by numerous prototyping changes via reheating. I suppose using Spice or something like that could reduce
my development mistakes, but so far, I have found that I prefer to "program" with solder.
With the above in mind, I would like to create pcb breakout boards on a scale that is larger than dip or smd.
I have something like this in mind, about 40mm by 60mm, with round pads about 10mm:
I created the above in microsoft paint, and obviously, that's not going to work
very well, as it's difficult to get the scale correct. But you get the idea. Maybe
there is a better way to do this, so I could get a toner mask or whatever it's called,
or, maybe create 48 of these on a pattern, an send it off to china, and have someone
bang out 100 pcs, so I can continue my hobby into my declining eyesight years?
pref-board, etc. My preferred construction technique is island-pad/Manhattan, and occasionally, soldering
components to nails in pounded into a "breadboard", aka, a slab of pine or ceder fence plank. I do etch
my own pcbs, but it's just easy-stuff, using tape or paint-pen to mark off areas for Vcc and ground, nothing
detailed. I might add, using Manhattan construction provides a wonderful ground plane.
I avoid surface-mount where possible, as my eyes aren't getting any younger, but I can manage when needed.
I'll eventually get a microscope, hot-station, reflow oven, etc. But for now, for protyping in metal, I prefer
Manhattan construction, as it's fast and easy to change things out without damaging pads on a strip-board
by numerous prototyping changes via reheating. I suppose using Spice or something like that could reduce
my development mistakes, but so far, I have found that I prefer to "program" with solder.
With the above in mind, I would like to create pcb breakout boards on a scale that is larger than dip or smd.
I have something like this in mind, about 40mm by 60mm, with round pads about 10mm:
I created the above in microsoft paint, and obviously, that's not going to work
very well, as it's difficult to get the scale correct. But you get the idea. Maybe
there is a better way to do this, so I could get a toner mask or whatever it's called,
or, maybe create 48 of these on a pattern, an send it off to china, and have someone
bang out 100 pcs, so I can continue my hobby into my declining eyesight years?
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