Vero & Point-to-Point Construction Methods

POINT-TO-POINT GUIDE FOR BUILDING EFFECTS PEDALS

One of the benefits of point-to-point is that you can get straight to work, no marking out vero boards and cutting traces - straight down to business.  The downside is of course, that it's not as simple as just populating a board and soldering the components.  There's a lot of fiddling with component leads, and once they're properly in, they can be really hard to get out if you need to change anything or make repairs.

When I'm making layouts for point-to-point, I try and consider how much space is available for the number of connections required and how this will actually work on the board when it comes to soldering it all together.

For the purists out there, who I doubt will be reading this anyway, I realise that some may not consider building on a board true point to point - but it's really the same thing - wires join other wires, no PCB or traces to be seen.

STARTING OUT

Only add a few components at a time, much less than you would for vero or PCB, as it's very easy to get lost.  With vero / PCB you normally start with the lowest profile components and work up in size - it's near impossible to do this with point-to-point, as you basically move through the schematic joining components along the way.  

• Add parts in a logical order, regardless of size

• Do not add excess components; work in small sections at a time

• Take your time, and check your work as you go, as unsoldering leads that have been twisted together is not fun, if not impossible in some cases

• I would strongly recommend against attempting a P2P build as your first build (or even your second or possibly third).   It's not easy.

METHODS FOR CONNECTING LEADS

TWIST

Twist component leads together and solder - this provides a good solid physical connection.  So solid that sometimes you probably could do without solder (not recommended by the way).  But, this is tricky when there are multiple connections required - a big lump of twisted wire is not ideal.

DAISY CHAIN

Daisy chain component leads together - if there's a series of leads to connect, wrap one around the base of the other and fold towards the next lead and continue the pattern.

Fold and link the leads in a daisy chain and trim any excess (right-hand side)

Solder the links to finish

SEW

Sew or tie leads over a bus wire - use either a component lead or a separate piece of wire as a bus wire.  Connect components to the bus by crossing the component lead over the bus wire, and pulling it through to the other side of the board (like sewing).

Create the bus wire.  If you have the option, a heavier wire is considered by some to be better for bus wires.  i.e. the bus is thicker than the component leads.  

Feed the component lead through the board, across the bus wire and pull it through to the other side (tightly). 

Solder the joint and trim the excess

Not my neatest work, but here's a Tone Bender MKIV I made primarily using this method.  In case you're wondering, small Motorola germanium transistors for Q1 & 2, Valvo OC76 for Q3.

VERO GUIDE FOR BUILDING EFFECTS PEDALS

I know there are probably a million vero board/stripboard guides out there, but now it's a million and one.  I added this as I read a few that suggest drilling through vero boards to make cuts, or creating reversed layouts to match the board when it's flipped - this was all too much effort for me or a bit drastic in the case of drilling through the board.  The method below is the simplest I've found and requires very little thinking.

Once you've measured and cut your vero board, mark the cuts on the top side of the board using a felt-tip pen.  The tip needs to be about the same size as the holes.  Just poke it in the holes and move it about until it has clearly marked the inside of the hole.  

I recommend counting across to the required column or row every time - not counting forward from marks you have already made, as this can multiply errors across the board.  If one is wrong and you position further cuts based on a mistake, the entire board is in the bin.  

If it's a small board and you have ample room in the enclosure, sometimes it's a good idea to add extra rows/columns, to allow space around the edge of the board for mounting points, away from the circuit.   Just mark this on the board; otherwise counting rows for part placement can be painful, and this can, and in my case, usually does lead to placement errors.

Flip the board over and hold it on a slight angle in the light - the markings for cuts will become clear.

A couple of light turns of the drill bit are all it takes to cut the copper traces.  Check the cuts with a magnifying glass, and clean the board.

Next, move on to soldering the links, followed by the components from smallest to largest.  I like to do small sections at a time, not more than about ten components, in order to avoid a sea of leads sticking up in the air while trying to work.  

I nearly always put transistors and ICs in last, and where possible, check the signal flow as I work.  i.e. on a Big Muff I will solder in the transistor in the first stage, and test that it's working before moving on to the next stage.  It takes a little longer, but hopefully, less time is spent finding faults later.