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Step 6Build the main circuit board.
So here's where I get into that Manhattan-style board construction. I picked up some scrap copper-clad board from a local electronics surplus place (they were apparently trimmings from larger sheets). I liked that they were very thin and light meaning they'd be easy to cut. I snipped out a small square about big enough to hold the components. I figured I could cut it further if necessary. Nonetheless, I drilled a couple 3/16" holes so I could mount it with #10-32 machine screws.
Then I made some contact points. I don't own a metal punch but I do have a nibbling tool so I used that. I cut out little square contacts from another piece of copper-clad board.
The first thing I wired up was the vibration switch. I drilled a hole that was just as big as the solid copper wire. It was a tight fit and I had to tap it into place with a small hammer. At least I knew it was solidly in place. I soldered it to the board. Then I took the spring set it over the wire and marked a few dots where the spring touched along its radius. I selected four snippings of copper board to go around the wire and glued them in place, copper-side up. Then I set the spring in place and soldered one point on. I wanted to make sure everything was going well so I got out the meter and confirmed that the spring and center wire were isolated and that they could make electrical contact.
For the 555 timer I decided I'd use a socket. I never did Manhattan-style board construction before and I didn't know how much heat I'd be applying to pins (it turns out to be not much more than through-hole soldering). I had a piece of copper breadboard, reused from a former project, and I cut out an 8-pin piece. I bent the socket pins outward and flat then soldered them onto the breadboard, surface-mount style. I glued the breadboard to the main board. I set it up so pin 1 was toward the edge of the board because there were far fewer connections to make on that side.
I started with resistor R7 that goes from pins 8 to 7 on the 555. I bent the leads and cut them so they were approximately spaced correctly and soldered them on. I then added a pad a short distance from pin 6, gluing it in place. I did a similar bend with resistor R5 and soldered it to the IC pad to the new pad I just made.
I continued doing this until I had added all the components. I stopped briefly to test the capacitor-timer/light-sensor circuit and it worked fine.
Then I made some contact points. I don't own a metal punch but I do have a nibbling tool so I used that. I cut out little square contacts from another piece of copper-clad board.
The first thing I wired up was the vibration switch. I drilled a hole that was just as big as the solid copper wire. It was a tight fit and I had to tap it into place with a small hammer. At least I knew it was solidly in place. I soldered it to the board. Then I took the spring set it over the wire and marked a few dots where the spring touched along its radius. I selected four snippings of copper board to go around the wire and glued them in place, copper-side up. Then I set the spring in place and soldered one point on. I wanted to make sure everything was going well so I got out the meter and confirmed that the spring and center wire were isolated and that they could make electrical contact.
For the 555 timer I decided I'd use a socket. I never did Manhattan-style board construction before and I didn't know how much heat I'd be applying to pins (it turns out to be not much more than through-hole soldering). I had a piece of copper breadboard, reused from a former project, and I cut out an 8-pin piece. I bent the socket pins outward and flat then soldered them onto the breadboard, surface-mount style. I glued the breadboard to the main board. I set it up so pin 1 was toward the edge of the board because there were far fewer connections to make on that side.
I started with resistor R7 that goes from pins 8 to 7 on the 555. I bent the leads and cut them so they were approximately spaced correctly and soldered them on. I then added a pad a short distance from pin 6, gluing it in place. I did a similar bend with resistor R5 and soldered it to the IC pad to the new pad I just made.
I continued doing this until I had added all the components. I stopped briefly to test the capacitor-timer/light-sensor circuit and it worked fine.
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Aug 17, 2011. 6:23 PMbio88
says:
nice - but why the hot glue and then the metal squares and then spring. Agreed it looks nice but you could have omitted the squares I'd think.
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