# Where do I get the good stuff? (Stripboard)



## wintercept (Oct 10, 2021)

Hi all,

I am looking to make some artsy vintage-y builds, mostly inspired by the Seeker Electric Effects stuff (from Instagram @seekereletriceffects):



​So, I'm looking for some nice quality stripboard material. I have some of the cheap stuff and it works well enough but is definitely not the best, and it has an ugly silkscreen grid. 

Any suggestions would be great. Thank you!


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## bhcarpenter (Oct 10, 2021)

Would this work for you? https://www.amplifiedparts.com/products/turret-board-blank-189-holes-10-18-x-2-58


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## fig (Oct 10, 2021)

G26040 - 2.4" x 3.5" Perfboard with Holes
					

<p>Phenolic perfboard has hundreds of 0.042" dia. holes on 0.1" centers. This perfboard is great for prototyping small electronic projects and has no foil pads or foil traces - it's totally blank. Size about 2.4" x 3.5". </p>




					www.goldmine-elec-products.com
				




Not strip, but nice looking!


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## wintercept (Oct 10, 2021)

bhcarpenter said:


> Would this work for you? https://www.amplifiedparts.com/products/turret-board-blank-189-holes-10-18-x-2-58


Thanks for that, I do want to do turret stuff eventually. Maybe build an amp


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## wintercept (Oct 10, 2021)

fig said:


> G26040 - 2.4" x 3.5" Perfboard with Holes
> 
> 
> <p>Phenolic perfboard has hundreds of 0.042" dia. holes on 0.1" centers. This perfboard is great for prototyping small electronic projects and has no foil pads or foil traces - it's totally blank. Size about 2.4" x 3.5". </p>
> ...


I think you’re on to something, but it says that has no strips or pads, so it’s just phenolic material with holes. I’ll look more on that site.


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## wintercept (Oct 10, 2021)

It looks like some of the stuff Seeker uses has a wider lead spacing, so I’m going to try looking for something with 0.15” pitch as opposed to the usual (I think) 0.1”

I’m not trying to rip them off, but I think making something in that vain would be super satisfying!


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## finebyfine (Oct 10, 2021)

I've designed my own stripboard in EasyEDA (I use diptrace for other things, but you'll reach the pad limit on the free version fast when making stripboard) and got it made at JLCPCB. It'll be made of FR-4 which is less flexible than phenolic FR-1 & FR-2 but it's also more durable.


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## fig (Oct 10, 2021)

Here's some of mine...all these are per pad copper (some both side)
The bottom 2 are strip. The larger is my preferred.


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## wintercept (Oct 10, 2021)

finebyfine said:


> I've designed my own stripboard in EasyEDA (I use diptrace for other things, but you'll reach the pad limit on the free version fast when making stripboard) and got it made at JLCPCB. It'll be made of FR-4 which is less flexible than phenolic FR-1 & FR-2 but it's also more durable.


That’s a good idea. I could get the best fit for enclosures, and have fun with the silkscreen. 

Thanks!


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## mdc (Oct 10, 2021)

The stuff from BusBoard is a bit expensive compared to what tayda sells, but it's very nice. The board is thick, and the tracks are very secure.


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## bowanderror (Oct 11, 2021)

finebyfine said:


> I've designed my own stripboard in EasyEDA (I use diptrace for other things, but you'll reach the pad limit on the free version fast when making stripboard) and got it made at JLCPCB. It'll be made of FR-4 which is less flexible than phenolic FR-1 & FR-2 but it's also more durable.


If you're willing, I'd love to get the gerbers for that! I've tried making my own, but am not great at making custom Eagle footprints.


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## bowanderror (Oct 11, 2021)

wintercept said:


> I am looking to make some artsy vintage-y builds, mostly inspired by the Seeker Electric Effects stuff (from Instagram @seekereletriceffects):
> 
> View attachment 16862​So, I'm looking for some nice quality stripboard material. I have some of the cheap stuff and it works well enough but is definitely not the best, and it has an ugly silkscreen grid.



That looks like 0.15" pitch board rather than standard 0.1" spacing. The wider spacing allows you to more easily use larger "mojo" style components, but is often more expensive. The only options I've seen for sale are from RP Electronics & Vero Technologies.

You may want to ask Andy over at Vero-P2P as he posts a lot of 0.15" pitch vero layouts. The contact form is at the bottom-right of the sidebar:




A lot of those builds are probably perfboard rather than veroboard, for which RP & Jameco have options.


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## finebyfine (Oct 11, 2021)

bowanderror said:


> If you're willing, I'd love to get the gerbers for that! I've tried making my own, but am not great at making custom Eagle footprints.





wintercept said:


> That’s a good idea. I could get the best fit for enclosures, and have fun with the silkscreen.
> 
> Thanks!



I have lots of extras of these and am more than happy to send them to a good home - I have a generic size and then I also have some that are made for 3 Knob Tayda enclosures with 3 spots for potentiometers, and then one that fits 3-6 knob enclosures with 6 pot locations. All 2.54mm (.1") pitch other than the potentiometers.

This is a link to an EasyEDA project that contains all 3 of these boards that you can generate gerbers from






						Pedals - EasyEDA open source hardware lab
					

In EasyEDA open source hardware lab, open source square pools all kinds of electrical design engineerings together to realize resource sharing easily.



					oshwlab.com


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## bowanderror (Oct 11, 2021)

finebyfine said:


> I have a generic size and then I also have some that are made for 3 Knob Tayda enclosures with 3 spots for potentiometers, and then one that fits 3-6 knob enclosures with 6 pot locations. All 2.54mm (.1") pitch other than the potentiometers.


Thanks mate, these look great! The 3-Knob & 6-Knob boards are a genius idea.

Btw, your site has been super useful, especially the Tayda pot page! Super unique & efficient resource.


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## finebyfine (Oct 11, 2021)

bowanderror said:


> Thanks mate, these look great! The 3-Knob & 6-Knob boards are a genius idea.
> 
> Btw, your site has been super useful, especially the Tayda pot page! Super unique & efficient resource.



Most things I make are products of solving my own frustration hahaha!


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## fig (Oct 11, 2021)

I haven't gotten to try _all_ of them yet, but Alex's boards are great!


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## wintercept (Oct 11, 2021)

@bowanderror thanks for the links. I’ll check those out and that blog as well.

@finebyfine I didn’t realize you had a site! That’s pretty cool. I’ve always considered setting up a blog to share what I learn and create. That’s part of the spirit of our community after all. Where would we be without sites like Geofex, etc.?

Thank you all for sharing. I think I have a lot more to consider if I want to make pedals like this.


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## ~nick~ (Oct 11, 2021)

fig said:


> Here's some of mine...all these are per pad copper (some both side)
> The bottom 2 are strip. The larger is my preferred.


Where do you get your 2 sided perf board for the best prices at, good sir? The one on the upper right.


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## fig (Oct 11, 2021)

Those were actually part of a package deal from 3pdt.com



			Amazon.com


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## BuddytheReow (Oct 12, 2021)

fig said:


> Those were actually part of a package deal from 3pdt.com
> 
> 
> 
> Amazon.com


Those step drills do come in handy


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## HamishR (Oct 14, 2021)

I am fortunate in having two electronics suppliers nearby. Each have their own type of Vero board. One sells the plain brown one which has shiny copper traces and the other store has brown material printed with white lines on one side and dull copper traces on the other. I prefer the look of the plain brown stuff but the boards with the white lines and dull copper strips works better. It takes solder extremely easily and neatly  and the traces are far more solid. The plain brown board with the shiny traces sometimes has micro-fractures or tears in the copper which has caused grief on more than one occasion. And the shiny copper doesn't seem to take solder as well.

If you are in Australia the good stuff comes from Altronics IME and the less good stuff comes from Jaycar.


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## wintercept (Oct 14, 2021)

@HamishR thanks for the info. I’m in the States but you just have me the idea to check a local shop. There is one in my state  that I went to on the job (needed 10k resistors for alarm panel, fast) and they had everything; I could barely absorb half of it. 

I remember they had isles of NTE stuff, and a wall of resistors, which were kind of pricey but convenient nonetheless. I’ll have to take another trip sometime.


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## Harry Klippton (Oct 14, 2021)

wintercept said:


> @HamishR thanks for the info. I’m in the States but you just have me the idea to check a local shop. There is one in my state  that I went to on the job (needed 10k resistors for alarm panel, fast) and they had everything; I could barely absorb half of it.
> 
> I remember they had isles of NTE stuff, and a wall of resistors, which were kind of pricey but convenient nonetheless. I’ll have to take another trip sometime.


Was it cables and connectors in Newington?


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## wintercept (Oct 14, 2021)

Harry Klippton said:


> Was it cables and connectors in Newington?


Yes! fellow nutmeg statesman? I'm about an hour away from it in the valley.


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## Harry Klippton (Oct 14, 2021)

wintercept said:


> Yes! fellow nutmeg statesman? I'm about an hour away from it in the valley.


Yeah I'm a bit north of you up in the hills. I haven't been to cables and connectors but my old man told me about it


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## wintercept (Oct 14, 2021)

Harry Klippton said:


> Yeah I'm a bit north of you up in the hills. I haven't been to cables and connectors but my old man told me about it


Ah yes! I recall the introduction thread from a while back now. I don't know when, but I'll visit them one day and share what I find.


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## Feral Feline (Oct 15, 2021)

I found some fancy vero at a (formerly) local shop that's got silver strips instead of the usual copper. I haven't tried it yet to see how it differs in use compared to the copper.

I'd like to try the "compact" vero that Fuzz Dog has (had?), and it's green instead of the horrid beige most vero comes in. 'Course, some would say the green is ghastly compared to beautiful brown... 
It's interesting stuff in that it looks more like perf, with smaller traces connecting each row of holes, very easy to cut a trace. Do-able but more fiddly on regular vero, but it makes it easier to make the layout more compact.

Tip I oft repeat:
If you have old vero (or PCBs/Perf) that's become oxidised, get a bicycle rim eraser/rubber from your local bike shop and with a little genie-like rubbing the copper will be fresh, bright and shiny new again.


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## wintercept (Oct 15, 2021)

@Feral Feline I’ve seen the silver stuff, I’m pretty sure it’s tinned. When I etched the circuit boards for my wah pedal, I bought this stuff called “Liquid Tin” from MG Chemicals on Amazon. It got lost and found in the mail and long story short, I ended up with two for the price of one. It literally applies a layer of tin on all exposed copper. Very interesting to watch. 

I quite like the look of old phenolic, but I think I uncolored FR that the new stuff is made of is kind of ugly.

That’s a great tip! I usually just flux the fuck (the only appropriate term) out of old stuff, or use scotch pads if it’s too bad.


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