How to Prototype Without Using Printed Circuit Boards

Step 3 Make your wiring plan

This stage is crucial. The time and care you take in this step may be the difference between a circuit that works and one that doesn't.

I've developed a wiring planning sheet (attached) that is a modification of the Meccano stripboard planning sheet. Feel free to share it with your friends.

The planning sheet will represent the back of the perfboard, where you will do all your wiring. Because it shows the back side, it is a backwards mirror-image of the front of the board. This is where the numbers and letters are helpful on the front of the board, to help you navigate this mirror-image world of the circuit back side.

Correspondingly, there are numbers and letters on the planning sheet, arranged inverse to the order on the front of the perfboard. Use the following steps to create an error-free wiring plan:

1.  Use a pencil to fill in the holes for socket pins and component wires. Check and re-check the placement. I find that once I have reliably established one component on the board, I can count across or down a certain number of holes to locate the next component.

2.  For IC sockets, name the IC and number the pins. Remember that pin numbering on the back side needs to be done in a mirror-image compared to front side pin order.

3.  Refer to your circuit schematic: Draw lines to connect the + and Ground rails to the components. On my perfboard, there are large pads along the right and left sides, and I use these for + and Ground.

4.  Refer to your circuit schematic: Draw wires for all the other connections. Try to avoid having more than two wires connect to a pin or a component; there is a limited amount of space on a pin for wire connections.