Vero Board Type
I prefer the Vero board type 01-0014 because it has
38 rows of traces with standard .100 inch hole spacing to
accept many common electronic packages. It does not
match a breadboard exactly, but it is close enough and
offers larger sheets than breadboard strip boards. There
are also five solid traces along two edges that can be used
as power or data buses. These traces can be drilled to
accommodate larger size connectors such as .156 IDC
(insulation displacement connectors) headers.
planning for
proper Space
Having the proper amount of real estate available is the
number one consideration when planning a Vero project.
Too many Vero projects quickly turn into a crowded
nightmare because of poor planning (Figure 2). You can
also have problems from not “proving” your circuit on a
breadboard first.
This step gives you a ball park as to the space
required for your project, so helps reduce rework. Don’t
be afraid to rearrange parts if necessary. You may want to
tack a couple of pins down on items like IC sockets, then
look if it fits your plan. A good practice is to align all (or as
many) of the ICs in the same orientation; this leaves no
doubt which way an IC is to be installed. Stay away from
leaf IC sockets as they have too many intermittent
problems; only use machine IC sockets.
I always give ample room for my projects first and
foremost because you or some else may have to
troubleshoot and repair the strip board circuit. Secondly, I
like to leave extra space for what I call the ECN space.
ECN stands for engineering change notice and in my
particular line of work, it is prudent to accommodate for
this possibility up front. We might have a new variant or
an old test that could require improving; this forethought
makes changes easy to incorporate.
To help service your Vero creation, it is advisable to
create a pictorial parts layout diagram along with your
schematic. It can be a simple handdrawn figure or one
created on a CAD program.
Figure 2.
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June 2013
Wiring Vero
Typical wire used for Vero work is
solid 22 gauge. Use at least three
colors; for example, red, black, and blue
(or any other colors). I use more colors
if I need to differentiate analog from
digital signals, or for different inputs,
outputs, and voltage levels.
A good tip here is to strip one end
of the wire, place it in your first hole,
run the wire across to the target hole,
then dent the insulation with your
thumbnail above the hole. This helps
stripping the wire at the proper length
the first time, and will result in nice
tight straight wire lines.
A pair of handheld auto wire
strippers helps with large projects, plus
gives the wires a clean cut look.
I recommend never running wires
or placing components underneath the
Vero board because it’s a lot easier to
just look at the top when doing any
troubleshooting. However, this rule can
be broken to accommodate items such
as .156 headers soldered onto the ”strip
edge” which will need wire to bring the
connections to the through hole traces
underneath.
A tip here is to use the middle
solid trace (for mechanical stability).
Place the .156 header on top of the
