How can I use this "IC Board" for prototyping?

[BobbyK]

Hi,

   I was looking through some stuff I got at a yard sale here ("Flohmarkt" in German), and there is a prototyping board called an "IC board". It has copper on both sides, and there are holes at .1 in in a grid. Is there any way to use this for prototyping? The I see the benefit of copper covering one entire side, that would be great for a ground e.g., but how can I use it if it has copper on both sides? How was this intended to be used?

Photos are attached.

BTW. in case this helps,... The holes are not plated through, so the copper planes on the two sides are isolated

[michaeliv]

Hi,

My guess is that it's supposed to be etched. The bottom side is where you would solder your components + most of your circuit would be, the top side is where you would have jumper connections. You would connect the two sides through a via that you would make by plating 1 hole. The holes are unplated since you don't want vias where they don't need to be.
It's like this but instead of making the connections by soldering, you make the connections by etching the copper out : http://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/1848395763.html

Best

[savril]

Hi,

You could use it like a strip board.

Use a cutter with a ruler and make several back and forth cuts to isolate the traces. Use a continuity tester to make sure there is no copper left between the traces. That way, you can make all the traces you want.

[BobbyK]

Hi,

My guess is that it's supposed to be etched. The bottom side is where you would solder your components + most of your circuit would be, the top side is where you would have jumper connections. You would connect the two sides through a via that you would make by plating 1 hole. The holes are unplated since you don't want vias where they don't need to be.
It's like this but instead of making the connections by soldering, you make the connections by etching the copper out : http://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/1848395763.html

Best

Hmmm... I doubt it is meant for etching - If someone is willing to go through all the trouble of etching, why would they need the board pre-drilled? And all those holes would make placing your traces harder.

[BobbyK]

Hi,

You could use it like a strip board.

Use a cutter with a ruler and make several back and forth cuts to isolate the traces. Use a continuity tester to make sure there is no copper left between the traces. That way, you can make all the traces you want.

I thought about that too - just using a cutter, but then I have plenty of stripboard, so it doesn't make sense to waste time on these. I would just like to know if anyone knows why the board was designed the way it was, and how something like this would normally be used.

[Dinsdale]

This is the stupidest thing I've ever seen. China has out-done themselves.
Apparently, you can't use 4-pin devices. 

Edit: Just hit me, must be for use with a router.

[RogerRowland]

No idea how you'd use it, but Digikey list it - http://www.digikey.co.uk/product-detail/en/B3428D/B3428D-ND/354322 - and it seems to be made and sold by this company - http://www.injectorall.com/drilledcoppercladboards.htm - if that helps.

This is the stupidest thing I've ever seen. China has out-done themselves.
Apparently, you can't use 4-pin devices. 

Well, the manufacturer has a USA address, not China 

[Ian.M]

It could be very good for point to point wired RF and fast logic as you have two planes available.   Use a stripboard track cutter to remove the copper round all pins you don't want to connect to a plane.   For a more robust result you'd need a special spot cutter, with a pilot pin to cut an isolation ring around selected holes while still leaving a copper ring to solder the pin to.

[rrinker]

 I gotta say, that's an interesting board. I've seen the kind where they have groups of holes linked, breadboard fashion. Those are quite useful. I've seen ones where there are copper pads at each hole, but they are all isolated from one another, also very useful. Some of the latter have power bus traces along the edges.
 

[Ian.M]

I'd rather have tripad with a ground plane on one side with enough ground plane clearance for DIP pins inserted to their shoulder not to short,  but, assuming it isn't etched, that's two more slitting operations (x & y) to cut the tripads + it needs a spot face cutter collar on the CNC drill, so costs more to produce.

[edavid]

It really isn't very useful, which is why you found it at the flea market 

I would just use it in the normal dead bug/Manhattan way, and ignore the holes.

[Ian.M]

Its should be quite useful  as a Manhattan/dead bug board for complex mixed signal projects.  Easy access to power and  ground planes,  + you can lace down the wiring with some #2 whipping twine or coarse waxed linen thread  and a blunt needle to thread it through the holes

[BobbyK]

Thanks for all the ideas. Here is what I came up with:

1. I use one plane as the ground, and the other one for power.

2. To connect something e.g. a capacitor, from ground to power, I remove the copper around one hole with a track cutter on the top for one lead, and on the bottom for the other lead.

3. Now I solder the leads, making sure they are short enough not to touch the perimeter of the circle I cut into the copper.

4. For anything other than ground or power I use Manhattan-style glue-on little PCB pieces.

Result: This is actually really cool, and gives really good power/ground planes!!!

Example with a resistor going from power to ground is attached (not that that's useful, just experimenting)
I think I will go back to the flea market next week and see if the guy has any left, I really like the idea of using this for RF stuff.