Track Soldering

Intro: Track Soldering

Making a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) is not very difficult. Its fun if you're making it for the first time. But after making couple of PCBs one may get bored.

Like in my case, for the first time I was very excited. Then eventually PCB making was so boring. Everytime I had to design the schematic using CAD tools. Then check for errors, netlist, PCB image. Etch the PCB,drill it....
All these things take lot of time.

When you have the schematic ready on paper or on your PC. Why to again redraw it in CAD and then print PCBs?
Why not go for an alternative method which is as effective as a PCB?

Most of the times CAD tools don't have the parts required. Like if I'm using some industrial purpose IC, it is not available in the library of the tool. Then you have to create the part.

So all these things make a small project big, in terms of time.

STEP 1: What Is Track/trace Soldering

Track soldering is a method of soldering through hole components on a normal perfboard. The soldering tracks look similar to the PCB traces. But here the tracks are designed by you and not the CAD tool.

Normal perfboard can be used to get high quality soldering like PCBs using this method.

First place all the parts on the perfboard and solder them in place. Then one by one start connecting them together according to the circuit diagram(schematic).

I will explain how to do track soldering in detail with pictures in the next steps.

STEP 2: Parts Needed

1. Soldering Iron

2. Perfboard

3. A few parts like resistors,capacitors,transistors,IC,etc

4. Soldering wire

5. DMM(Digital Multimeter)

STEP 3: Lets Start Soldering

Place the parts on the perfboard according to your circuit diagram(schematic).

Once parts are placed, solder the leads to the perfboard so that they remain in position.

You can also place one component and solder and then place another component and solder, or place all the components first and then solder. Whichever is convenient for you.

Now start with any one component. I would prefer to start with an IC or a transistor first(If they exist in your schematic). Start by making tracks of solder from the pin of the IC or transistor to the part which needs to be connected.

How to do that?

Touch the tip of soldering iron to the pin of the component. Apply solder, move towards next hole on the perfboard again apply solder go on tracing the holes towards the components from the IC or transistor and connect each hole.

This will give you a clean solder track.

Finally check with a DMM if connection is done properly or not. Use the continuity option in your DMM.

Comments

[Ghloo]

Dude, what iron heat are you using in the process, please?I keep ending up with blobs on individual holed and when trying to connect them, I usually lose the perfboard copperring. Have somewhat better results with protoboard (or whatever you call the 2-sided green one).

What I am trying to achieve is a common (ground) rail, the reason being that when attaching multiple inputs / outputs, I would otherwise run out of gnd quickly. Or perhaps I will need to chain-ground multiple buttons (for instance) in series and connect them with insulated wire...

[rjawale]

Hello, use good amount of flux to avoid lumps of solder

[Ghloo]

Eh, thanks, will def try. I use that ebay flux gel for headers but actually forgot to use them for bridges.

[Powering Stuff]

I liked this very much. I will try and will surely upload the photogeaph of the circuit. I hope I will make it.

[seppev3]

Hey, great instructable!

I am plannig to use this technique to build a high frequency curcuit. I will only do the power lines this way, and for the signal wires I will use wire wrap wire. Do I need to be worried about interferance when using this techniqie ? Because the fat traces seem like quite good antennas to pick up interferance...

[rjawale]

This is not suitable for High freq. circuits.

[TropicalSpeed]

Why not?

[seppev3]

Even if I only do the power lines this way ?

[Digital Electronics Circuits Lab]

nice work

[DangerousTim]

Neat!

[rjawale]

Thanks!

[braytonlarson]

I use strip board instead of perfboard for my projects. I just cut the traces where I need with a razor blade, i find it much more economical and less messy with wiring.

[chelseabun]

I think it has some advantage as well as disadvantage too. It is really hard to cut the strip if the IC's leg is on the same line because trace line is both vertical and horizontal

[braytonlarson]

Not sure I quite understand what you mean by "horizontal and vertical", stripboard only runs one way or the other...?

[chelseabun]

As you can see in the photo below, the 7809's pin is stay in same (horizontal) line. I met this case before and it is very painful to keep its leg not shorted.

[braytonlarson]

Ah I understand now. To solve this I just constantly check for shorts throughout my project, if there is one I pull a little solder off the pin and resolder. Then I take a razor blade and slice between the pins to make sure they are separate. I realize that this may seem like too much work for some people and they would rather just use perfboard, for me I feel stripboard makes a cleaner project being able to connect things simply through the strips rather than making solder traces or using jumper wire.

[chelseabun]

I like strip board but I cut the strip very deep but can't break the strip somehow. When it cut, it's still high chance to connect 2 legs accidently (this is what I hate). Scroll down and read more

[braytonlarson]

I understand your frustration. I suppose it is every hobbiest / engineer 's choice!

[grayl]

Isn't this the case where you should turn the 7809 ninety degrees? Have the three pins on three different tracks, not the same track?

[chelseabun]

It's just an example to show you what you might meet in reality. I'm showing you stripboard's disadvantage. You can move the IC to better position but where to put other components, bla bla bla ...