What prototyping method do you use?

[39cents]

I have been working on the Hammerhead PI, but I am not using the provided PCB. I have been designing and building each section on a separate PCB (I use KiCad) so that I can fully understand how each section works. Also it lets me re-use sections in later designs. Eventually I will combine all the sections back into one PCB.

Unfortunately I am not very good at making PCBs. Printing and etching is never a problem, but I can never seem to keep the top and bottom layers perfectly lined up.

Today I did a double sided PCB for the oscillator but realized I could not easily solder it because the holes are not thru plated, and the top and bottom layer are slightly off again. I can't solder a chip socket on the top side of the PCB : (

Maybe I will just send the gerbers out to a PCB shop instead!

What method are you using for prototyping circuits?

thanks

The silk screen on this one is not good!

[waltr]

I gave up years ago trying to made double sided PCBs at home. Only do single sided for the reasons you mention, top to bottom registration and no plated through holes. Another reason is I do not like drilling all the tiny holes.
When I need a double sided PCB I send the gerber files to PCBway and get 5 boards made. They are cheap and fast.

For simple circuits I do prototype on Pref board doing point to point wiring.
Also will use to 'plug in' proto boards for testing new circuits.

Maybe someone else here has some good techniques to do double sided.

FYI: Add at least what country you are in to your profile. This helps use to know where to recommend to buy things.

[39cents]

Thanks. you confirmed what I was thinking. Sticking to single sided, using perfboard occasionally and I do my initial tests on breadboards currently. Glad to hear I am not the only one having trouble doing double sided pcb's.

Thanks for reminding me about the profile.

Another thought.. switching to SMT would eliminate the problem of soldering IC's into doubsided pcb without plates thru holes.

[Carl-NC]

Long ago I etched single-sided PCBs but now it's just too cheap to order them. I still use PCBWay for work but lately find JLCpcb.com to be even cheaper for home projects.

For bench prototyping I build on an Ace breadboard. It works remarkably well for most detector designs though you probably won't ever get 6us sampling. Once I get things dialed in I move to a PCB.

Another thought.. switching to SMT would eliminate the problem of soldering IC's into doubsided pcb without plates thru holes.

But it creates another problem. Thru-hole parts are big enough to route traces between the pins and makes layout fairly easy. Not so much with SMT parts, so then it becomes mandatory to use 2 layers. Or a whole lot of jumpers.

[zakari]

hi 39cent
i had this problem specially in ic socket . when i made sbg-pid double side homemade pcb
you must solder around the holes on top side then assemble ic socket and solder the behind the board.
at the final you will check connection between the socket leg and lines with moltimeter
you can solder with smd soldering iron

best regard
zakari

[39cents]

Long ago I etched single-sided PCBs but now it's just too cheap to order them. I still use PCBWay for work but lately find JLCpcb.com to be even cheaper for home projects.
But it creates another problem. Thru-hole parts are big enough to route traces between the pins and makes layout fairly easy. Not so much with SMT parts, so then it becomes mandatory to use 2 layers. Or a whole lot of jumpers.

That is a great point and not something I had considered. Thanks for the tip on JLCpcb.com

[39cents]

hi 39cent
i had this problem specially in ic socket . when i made sbg-pid double side homemade pcb
you must solder around the holes on top side then assemble ic socket and solder the behind the board.
at the final you will check connection between the socket leg and lines with moltimeter
you can solder with smd soldering iron

best regard
zakari

Thanks zakari, so you try to get bottom solder to travel along the pin to connect with solder previously placed on top?

[godigit1]

Hi 39cents

I went that rout as a learning exercise as well,
I was able to get the HH on 5 boards all one sided. I called it The Frakin-Hammer.
I built the boards up to the sample generator and moved on to other stuff.

Think I have both schema and pwb files in dip trace if you wanted them.
The boards are not the same size I was going to use a umbilical cord type of connection as I never intended to package them up .
But they may a easy place to start a redesign.
I still use the power supple on my bench its been very useful.

Be Well

[blobber]

Here some pictures of my most demanding double sided pcb prototype. But anyway a good lesson..




After many hours...



..later when I was sure, to have a working unit, I've ordered some pcb on jlcpcb



I think, I would do it again in this way.