Agree completely on the importance of an oscilloscope; I tried building without one and trying to 'analyze' my way through the inevitable problems but it's just a huge waste of time, except for maybe the most trivial of projects. Having grown up in the era of desktop oscilloscopes, that's what I went looking for at first; but aside from the cost, the mere table space was an issue for me. So even though it goes against everything I was taught... in the end I went for a PC-based USB oscilloscope from Pico. Takes up practically no additional desktop space (assuming you have the PC there already); and in some ways has an easier to navigate UI than a real desktop device. Just something to consider.
Re: soldering iron: there are several aftermarket/opensource soldering stations that take Weller RT tips. I am using one by vlk on tindie, a friend is using Soldering RT1- both work as well as original Weller station.
I doubt that occasional hobby soldering with rosin-cored lead-free solder in a reasonably-organized workshop is a significant health risk. I suspect a lot more gunk of a similar chemical composition ends up in your lungs when cooking in the kitchen.
That said, if you want to be on the safe side, if your workshop is tiny, or if you're predisposed to respiratory problems or allergic reactions, it probably doesn't hurt to have a small fan nearby.
I'm having trouble finding a source for the solder you recommend. There's one on amazon where the description matches but photo doesn't, making me skeptical that it will be correct.
My main issue with perfboard is the lack of ground plane. For analog and higher frequency stuff, I vastly prefer manhattan/dead bug style. Jim Williams is the master of this. Otherwise for connecting modules from aliexpress or what have you to make some gadget, yeah perfboard is great.
For almost all my prototypes I use the Vector 8007 perfboard with a gnd plane on one side. Not as effective as a solid plane but still far better than none. As my old EE prof used to say, a ground plane solves a multitude of poor ckt construction ills. They are pricey so I often build several small ckts on one board and sometimes recycle them. Mount components on the gnd plane side, wire on the back side, and tack gnd pins of thru-hole components directly to the plane.
I wrote a short post about different types of circuit boards here https://www.quaxio.com/circuit_boards/. While breadboard+perfboards are the most common boards for experimenting or hobby builds, knowing the names of the other boards can come in handy.
I'm using the simplest variety, just isolated solder pads around each hole. I could never really get into perfboards with connected rows or columns - it just dramatically reduces maximum component density, which is seldom a good trade-off...
Beyond that, you know... low price and a nice color. Right now, I'm using a bunch of these from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012YZ2Q82/ (they have a selection of different sizes).
Agree completely on the importance of an oscilloscope; I tried building without one and trying to 'analyze' my way through the inevitable problems but it's just a huge waste of time, except for maybe the most trivial of projects. Having grown up in the era of desktop oscilloscopes, that's what I went looking for at first; but aside from the cost, the mere table space was an issue for me. So even though it goes against everything I was taught... in the end I went for a PC-based USB oscilloscope from Pico. Takes up practically no additional desktop space (assuming you have the PC there already); and in some ways has an easier to navigate UI than a real desktop device. Just something to consider.
Thanks for the article!
Re: soldering iron: there are several aftermarket/opensource soldering stations that take Weller RT tips. I am using one by vlk on tindie, a friend is using Soldering RT1- both work as well as original Weller station.
Is it important to have something that moves air away from where you're soldering, so you don't breathe in nasty fumes?
I doubt that occasional hobby soldering with rosin-cored lead-free solder in a reasonably-organized workshop is a significant health risk. I suspect a lot more gunk of a similar chemical composition ends up in your lungs when cooking in the kitchen.
That said, if you want to be on the safe side, if your workshop is tiny, or if you're predisposed to respiratory problems or allergic reactions, it probably doesn't hurt to have a small fan nearby.
I'm having trouble finding a source for the solder you recommend. There's one on amazon where the description matches but photo doesn't, making me skeptical that it will be correct.
https://www.testequity.com/product/881SO213-WIREFC-52837-0454
Would you be able to share your source for the small needle-tipped dropper bottle? They look pretty nice.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NBONWMT/
Thanks a bunch!
My main issue with perfboard is the lack of ground plane. For analog and higher frequency stuff, I vastly prefer manhattan/dead bug style. Jim Williams is the master of this. Otherwise for connecting modules from aliexpress or what have you to make some gadget, yeah perfboard is great.
For almost all my prototypes I use the Vector 8007 perfboard with a gnd plane on one side. Not as effective as a solid plane but still far better than none. As my old EE prof used to say, a ground plane solves a multitude of poor ckt construction ills. They are pricey so I often build several small ckts on one board and sometimes recycle them. Mount components on the gnd plane side, wire on the back side, and tack gnd pins of thru-hole components directly to the plane.
You may appreciate a proto board I made just for solving this problem. The gerbers are freely available on pcbway. https://www.pcbway.com/project/shareproject/W7RLF_Proto_Board_Rev_2_2cd4857c.html
This is wonderfully done. Thank you for sharing!
My pleasure! :)
I wrote a short post about different types of circuit boards here https://www.quaxio.com/circuit_boards/. While breadboard+perfboards are the most common boards for experimenting or hobby builds, knowing the names of the other boards can come in handy.
I’d also recommend a logic analyzer from Saleae and an ESR meter for testing caps
Very useful. What do you look for in a perfboard? What are some examples you use?
I'm using the simplest variety, just isolated solder pads around each hole. I could never really get into perfboards with connected rows or columns - it just dramatically reduces maximum component density, which is seldom a good trade-off...
Beyond that, you know... low price and a nice color. Right now, I'm using a bunch of these from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012YZ2Q82/ (they have a selection of different sizes).