Vero board beginner tips?

[uranium_jones]

Hi all... I was wondering if anyone had any tip on beginning using stripboard/vero board for someone who has never used it before. What do you use to cut sections of board to size? What about making breaks in the traces? Personally I just ordered a few of these from Tayda to try my hand at it. Most of the layouts I am getting from Guitar FX Layouts.

Is there an easy way to convert a schematic to a vero layout? Or even just software to visualize it nicely like I keep seeing on that site?

 

[peccary]

I use a utility knife with a razor blade and a metal straight edge to make a few cuts on each side and then snap it with my hands. For the breaks I use a 3/32 bit on my drill. It takes very little pressure. Don't go all the way through, just enough to make a little divot and cut the copper all the way. I'll usually take an exacto knife and scrape around it to get off the burrs and make sure there's no little sliver of copper that's still connected.

 

[BuddytheReow]

tagboard is a great resource. Heres another one, but with more unverified layouts. https://dirtboxlayouts.blogspot.com/ I have built from both of them.

Cutting is pretty straightforward: a box cutter, straightedge, and needlenose pliers (helps get a cleaner cut for me). For making cuts in the tracks I use a drill bit and my hands, meaning I twist it back and forth like I'm rolling a pencil between my fingers. I tried using a drill but accidentally went all the way through (d'oh!).

Honestly, I would pick an easier build first to do and then upgrade. This was my first stripboard build: http://tagboardeffects.blogspot.com/2013/03/mr-black-boost-tiger.html

I know it seems a bit intimidating at first but its just a few extra steps to "build" your board, meaning cuts and jumpers, before populating it like a PCB. Build a few circuits first before designing your own. There are some free programs out there or if you want to go old school you can print out a template and pencil it in.

 

[Kroars]

Hi all... I was wondering if anyone had any tip on beginning using stripboard/vero board for someone who has never used it before. What do you use to cut sections of board to size? What about making breaks in the traces? Personally I just ordered a few of these from Tayda to try my hand at it. Most of the layouts I am getting from Guitar FX Layouts.

Is there an easy way to convert a schematic to a vero layout? Or even just software to visualize it nicely like I keep seeing on that site?

Here’s a great build guide from tag board:

Greeny's Vero Build Guide

Collection of vero (stripboard) & tagboard layouts for 100s of popular guitar effects, with over 1000 verified designs. DIY your own boutique effects!

tagboardeffects.blogspot.com

They’re a great source for vero builds tons of circuits. If using a mobile to view the site, scroll to the bottom and hit the link to view web version -it’s a lot easier to use.