[sdiy] vero board and a couple other questions

[patchell]

Steve Begin wrote:

> Is there any disadvantage to using vero board aside from aesthetics?  It seems like it would be so much simpler than a PCB but I'm wondering if there is something I don't know.

    This is purely a judgement call.  When I decide how I am going to do something, I factor in how much time will it take one way vs the other.  If I am short on time and have a little extra cash, making PC boards is a lot easier.  If I have
plenty of spare time, or, I need to know right now!, I will use a breadboarding methode.  In the past, when PC boards were much more expensive, I would use a lot of vector board with T42-1 terminals...still do that quite a bit, but it does take
a lot longer for me than laying out a PC board (in total number of hours), plus, when I do a PC board, I know that the board at least matches the schematic.  If I go the breadboard methode, I will always have to debug the thing to find
mistakes.

>
>
> Also, is there any good advice anybody could give me on how to avoid capacitive coupling?  I understand that putting things too close together can be a cause of this, but how close is too close, does it depend on voltage and/or current too?
>
> Another question that I've been meaning to ask is:  What is so bad about flux anyways?  Before this board I'd never heard of 331 or 245, and to be honest I never even heard of removing flux.

    Persoanlly, for breadboarding, I prefer Kester 44 flux.  Never EVER use Kester 331 on a breadboard (IMHO).  Kester 331 is a MUST CLEAN flux, and you must clean it as soon as posible (overnight is not a good thing).  Plus, you have the
problem that you should never mix the use of 331 with any other flux, because this makes a mess.  You must clean your work thoroughly before using another type of flux (this is a two way street).  If I need to use both types of solder, I start
out with the 331, and when I am done using that flux, I completely clean the board, then use the rosin type fluxes (44, 245, etc).  Once I do this, I never use the 331 on that board again.  This is because with the chemical I am willing to use,
I don't believe it is posible to clean the rosin flux off (and don't want to take any chances).

>
>
> Yet another question, this one might be a little too big, so if it is, don't feel obliged to answer it.
> Why is it so important to isolate grounds?  I keep reading on this board about good and bad grounding practices (as well as clean and dirty ground) and I thought ground was just a point of 0v.
>
> > Steve Begin
> > Technical Support
> > PDP III 7C2-21
> > (819) 956-0458
> >
> >

--
 -Jim
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