Need stripboard soldering and layout tips.

Thread Starter

TIP31

Joined Aug 17, 2013
25
I need some tips on laying out circuits on strip boards, and help successfully soldering on them.
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
Do your layout work with a pencil. I use 10 square per inch graph paper because the strip boards use .1 inch spacing. Then put the parts in, bend the leads a little so they won't fall out. Turn the board upside down and solder the parts to the pads. Then grab some rather fine wire and tack solder it to each pad as you go from one component to the next. A stainless steel dental pick can be used to make 90 degree turns nice and square.
 

Dr.killjoy

Joined Apr 28, 2013
1,196
Most of my troubles are with the solder melting to the other rails.
Please explain your problems so we can help instead of posting a general subject and beating around the bush and making us guess...
Also its about control and watch Collin protoype build on makes youtube channel..


Thanks
Jason SR
 

ErnieM

Joined Apr 24, 2011
8,377
Make sure you clean the board before you put anything on it, meaning find some steel wool and scrub the copper bright again.

If you can't keep the solder on one pad then get a smaller tip for your iron and thinner solder.
 

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,495
I use a soldering iron with a fine tip. It's cheap, but it works fine and made this job a LOT easier than anything I had before. Get the fine tip; I think I bought the pack of multiple replacement tips.

Be sure you're also using the right solder.
 

THE_RB

Joined Feb 11, 2008
5,438
Most of my troubles are with the solder melting to the other rails.
A clean board will help a lot. Also you need a fine tip soldering iron, and it really helps to have a plunger type desolderer (solder sucker) to remove the excess solder from the stripboard.

For general tips;
use a long rail for power and ground
use a 1/8" drill bit in a handle or electric screwdriver to cut tracks
run tracks horizontally (obviously, when you have ICs!)
run top wires vertically
but some 0.1" snappable rows of pins, for taking wires off-board
:)
 

varicap

Joined Jan 30, 2014
3
Pilko, thanks for mentioning the file on Pebble software - I downloaded the fule but it doesn't seem to want to unzip - any clues? I am computer literate, but don't normally have to deal with the zip/unzip procedure - thanks up ahead

Varicap
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
Clean your solder tip, clean your solder tip, clean your solder tip.

Don't over-heat your workpiece. Touch the solder tip to the copper ring and a bit of lateral force onto the component lead - count to 2 or 3 then touch some thin solder where the tip touches the copper ring. Don't add too much. You only need enough to make a nice cone of solder that covers the ring and works up the lead about 0.5 mm (half the height of a coin).

You can redo to add more very easily - repeat as I described above. Don't mash your solder in too early. It is difficult to remove if you have too much - don't be afraid to stop, look and add more. If you do add more, heat until you see the matte gray solder melt and turn glossy befor adding solder.
 
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