Yep, I understand the confusion re: protoboards. When I use the term I
indeed mean the 'whiteboard'.

I find that I use the whiteboard to experiment with and check out ideas.
When I write code, I _know_ what will and will not work. When it comes to
hardware I am not nearly as certain. Thus the 'quick-and-dirty' test
circuit.

Once I have my ideas in hand, I then go to the point-to-point or wirewrap
technique. I find both of these 'relaxing', almost like knitting or
something :-)  Something I can do with the brain only half-engaged. (Of
course the same can be said for populating PCB's).

I have a copy of Eagle and have actually laid out a few relatively simple
circuits using it. I think my big problem here is that my perfectionism has
me tweaking and rerouting traces when the board is more than good enough to
send out for prototypes, at least.

Bob Ammerman
RAm Systems
(contract development of high performance, high function, low-level
software)



----- Original Message -----
From: Dan Michaels <oricom@LYNX.SNI.NET>
To: <PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU>
Sent: Sunday, September 17, 2000 1:22 PM
Subject: Re: [EE]: Equipping Hardware Lab


> Jim Ham wrote:
> >I have stopped hand wiring except for the simplest of circuits. For about
> >$100.00 you can get a few double-sided, plated through PCBs delivered to
> >your door in 3 days. I use Alberta Printed Circuits, but others offer
> >similar service. The time that used to be spent on wiring now goes to
> >laying out the first draft of the PCB. If you use a package where the
> >schematic talks to the PCB layout software you are guaranteed no layout
errors!
> >
>
> Bob Ammerman wrote:
> >>Well, not to my surprise, the idea of using a protoboard has been
roundly
> >>trashed here.
> >>
> >>Lately I've been building prototypes using the following techniques:
> >>
> >>Wirewrap construction (with power and ground buses in 22gauge wire and
> >>bypass caps soldered straight to the pins).
> >>
> >>Point to point wiring on .1x.1 board, using component leads where
possible
> >>and wirewrap wire (soldered) where needed.
> >>
> >>What do you think of these techniques?
> >>
> >>At this point I really don't want to get involved in homemade prototype
PCB
> >>stuff (tho if I could afford one of those XY table/router things it
would be
> >>pretty neat).
> >>
>
>
> Hi Bob,
>
> As Jim Ham mentioned, APC is a good place to get inexpensive custom
> pcbs made. There are several inexpensive pcb layout packages around,
> the cheapest being the free [and quite nice for the price] Easytrax
> - available I believe on the www.apcircuits.com site.
>
> Regarding your comment:
>
> >>Well, not to my surprise, the idea of using a protoboard has been
roundly
> >>trashed here.
>
> I think there is a confusing cross-use of terms here. First, there are
> various kinds of protoboards typically made out of FR4 material. These
> are your basic fibreglass material, brown or green [when soldermasked].
> These bds have essentially the same electrical characteristics as
> custom pcbs, so are perfect for any construction.
>
> Second, the kind being "trashed", I believe, are actually the
"whiteboards".
> These are the kind with the multiple vertical rows of springs that you
stick
> your component leads into. These are the ones with significant capacitance
> between rows, and are best avoided except for breadboarding mock-ups and
> slow-speed stuff.
>
> Myself, I used to wirewrap and solder point-to-point, but this takes
> ***hours*** and/or ***days*** to build almost anything non-trivial.
> Nowadays, for just about everything, I go with APC - or use mine own
> products [see below].
>
> Regarding protoboard selection [not the whiteboard kind], the Simmsticks
> are good, with lots of circuitry laidout for you already. The melabs.com
> boards are mainly unconnected holes, and will take you hours of
> soldering or W/W to do anything.
>
> I originally used melabs boards, but as a result of the time required to
> build anything non-trivial using a bd with little more than holes, I
> started producing my own several years ago, and came up with designs
> specifically meant to drastically reduce construction times:
>
> http://www.sni.net/~oricom/product.htm
>
>
> best regards,
> - Dan Michaels
> Oricom Technologies
> ===================
>
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