Circuit Soldering question

[SparkyCal]

Today I began experimenting with taking my ideas off the breadboard and putting them on a regular circuit board.

I am working with non printed boards, so my question is this.

To connect components to one another underneath the board, how do you do that? Is it by running solder somehow? Is it by connecting their pins to one another (if they reach). Is it with tiny wires?

Thank-you

 

[davenn]

Hi ya

Today I began experimenting with taking my ideas off the breadboard and putting them on a regular circuit board.

I am working with non printed boards, so my question is this.

To connect components to one another underneath the board, how do you do that? Is it by running solder somehow? Is it by connecting their pins to one another (if they reach). Is it with tiny wires?

Thank-you

if it is plain holed perfboard …. no strips of circuit track

there's 2 types ----- one with solder pads around the holes ….



and one without the solder pads

which do you have ? or something totally different ?

show a photo

legs of resistors etc poked through the holes can be bent and aimed to other component legs and soldered
Add additional wire as needed to get between other component pins

 

[SparkyCal]

Sorry. I didn't realize there were different kinds, other than the printed ones. The one I am using is the same as the pic you posted.

 

[shrtrnd]

You usually use tiny wires. What I do, is buy the small forked pins that you insert into the board and solder to the pads underneath.
That way I can mount the components on the forked pins, and run the wires underneath the boards from one contact point to another.
You don't NEED to do that, you can just insert the component into the top of the board, and solder it in place to the pad underneath.
Probably each tech has their own way of doing this.
I'm old-school, and do it my way using a wire-wrap tool to connect the tiny wires, instead of soldering them from one contact point to another. But you can do it just soldering the tiny wires.

 

[SparkyCal]

You usually use tiny wires. What I do, is buy the small forked pins that you insert into the board and solder to the pads underneath.
That way I can mount the components on the forked pins, and run the wires underneath the boards from one contact point to another.
You don't NEED to do that, you can just insert the component into the top of the board, and solder it in place to the pad underneath.
Probably each tech has their own way of doing this.
I'm old-school, and do it my way using a wire-wrap tool to connect the tiny wires, instead of soldering them from one contact point to another. But you can do it just soldering the tiny wires.

Interesting. What do these forked pins look like. Is there a link?

 

[Bluejets]

Normal approach to using the board shown above is to do the layout grid fashion.
By that I mean similar to the circuit drawing itself.
Components are placed and soldered to the individual pads and then bridge to the next connection by soldering adjacent circle pads and joining with a blob of solder.
Those connections too far out of the grid reach are done by running small gauge wire such as stripped cat 5 cable between points over the top.
As usual, a pic is worth a thousand words.

 

[SparkyCal]

Thank-you. I am not sure I can do that. I'd likely make a mess. I may try it though. i am waiting for a fume extractor to be delivered to my hom. I was soldering without one and then i read about the toxic fumes, so i have put soldering on hold for now.

 

[Bluejets]

i am waiting for a fume extractor to be delivered to my hom. I was soldering without one and then i read about the toxic fumes, so i have put soldering on hold for now.

Bit over the top with hobby electronics.
Just my opinion.
Not quite the same as 1lb iron, burner, 3/8" 60/40 solder/lead stick, and hydrochloric acid on galvanised iron.

 

[SparkyCal]

Bluejets. You are probably right, however, I was in my office trying to solder a circuit on a board and because I am just a beginner, I was making mistakes, causing me to use more solder than I needed. The room became quite full of vapours and so I thought, for a $35 investment, a fume extractor would not be a bad thing. I bought the one that was recommended as the best one in that particular price range.

 

[hevans1944]

Virtually ALL solder used for electronics work has a hollow core filled with flux (some call it rosin, but that is just one type of flux). The solder manufacturers try to include just enough flux per unit length of solder to allow a good solder joint to be made. If you are filling a room with vapors, that is definitely too much solder (and flux) going to waste! Of course, if you can afford it, a fume extractor won't hurt... and it may help. But years ago, I used to solder all day long with a lit cigarette in my mouth. My work benches showed burns where I laid a cigarette down and forgot about it. So I doubt a fume extractor would have done me any good.

While learning how to solder, invest in a "SoldaPult" vacuum-plunger operated "solder sucker".

You "cock" the spring-loaded plunger by holding the blue plastic cylinder in a vertical position while pressing down on the yellow tip held against your work bench. To use it to remove solder, you press the yellow button causing the plunger to rapidly retract inside the plastic cylinder, one end of which has a white Teflon tip attached that you hold near the molten puddle of solder your want to remove. The retracting plunger is sealed to the inside of the cylinder with an "O"-ring so it produces a partial vacuum at the Teflon tip.

You place the Teflon tip next to a molten puddle of solder, trigger the plunger to retract, and Presto! the solder is sucked into the cylinder where it instantly cools and becomes solid. Eventually you must disassemble this contraption to clean out the solder, apply a bit of silicone lubricant to the "O"-ring, and you are back in business again. This is no substitute for de-soldering copper-braid, which performs a similar function by means of capillary attraction of the the solder to the braid. Braid is quite useful, but you need both tools on your work bench.

 

[SparkyCal]

Maybe i am just being too cautious. I think if the unit cost over $100, I probably would have just opened a window ;-)

But it arrived today and I am very pleased with it. it is very well made and got good ratings. Here it is:
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07VWDN29F/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Audioguru]

A cheap soldering iron has no temperature control (or maybe a useless lamp dimmer circuit to turn down its heat too low) so it gets hotter and hotter until it smokes away the important rosin in the solder causing poor soldering. My soldering iron is over 50 years old and has temperature control. It is always at the correct temperature for soldering. The room I solder in has no smoke, just a pleasant aroma.

 

[hevans1944]

The room I solder in has no smoke, just a pleasant aroma.

I am guessing you must bathe daily and apply Old Spice aftershave. Well, my wife insists that I do that too, so that I don't smell like an old man. I insist that my old man nose works just fine for smelling, but she insists that I shower and apply scented lotion to my body every day anyway. Of course, now that we have a large walk-in shower, it's a lot more fun if we bathe together.

I, too, use a temperature-controlled (700 F) soldering iron. Mine is made by Weller and uses the magnetic Curie-effect to cycle the heater element on and off. No fancy electronics, just a low-voltage transformer that helps (with its weight) to hold the soldering station in place on my work bench. I have had one of these since the 1960s and the pencil heater finally failed this year. Since I have plenty of temperature-controlled tips, I ordered a replacement station, paying an obscene price. Happy to be soldering again, sans fume extractor.

 

[Audioguru]

I, too, use a temperature-controlled (700 F) soldering iron. Mine is made by Weller and uses the magnetic Curie-effect to cycle the heater element on and off. No fancy electronics, just a low-voltage transformer that helps (with its weight) to hold the soldering station in place on my work bench. I have had one of these since the 1960s

The same as mine, even the same temperature.