Good Old Fashioned Veroboard

[elcomtel]

I've become accustomed to cheap products from Asia, yet I can't seem to find a cheap source of Veroboard (Stripboard).

95% of the prototyping PCB advertised as Veroboard (Stripboard) on eBay or Aliexpress is not Veroboard in the true sense if you are an old fart like me who remembers reading British editions of 'Practical Wireless' from the 70's.

Veroboard in the true sense (an old farts perspective from the 70's) is a phenolic PCB with wide parallel strips.

Stripboard is a widely used type of electronics prototyping board characterized by a 0.1 inch (2.54 mm) regular (rectangular) grid of holes, with wide parallel strips of copper cladding running in one direction all the way across one side of the board.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veroboard

What is marketed as 'Veroboard' or 'Stripboard' these days on eBay or Aliexpress coming out of Asia is really 'Perfboard' as it was known in the 70's with a solder pad at each hole.
Source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfboard

While sometimes I prefer to use 'Perfboard' there are other times I prefer to use 'Veroboard' and it's simply a matter of 'different horses for different courses'.

On eBay in particular I have noticed that true veroboard in the sense of the word is sold from the UK or Canada. The best price I have been able to find so far is three pieces of Veroboard the following size 8"x16" (205×410 mm) at $22.00 USD each (total=$66 USD) + $38.00 USD postage from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to Canberra Australia. I personally consider it quite steep to pay $38.00 USD for postage for what is simply three small sheets of laminate. Though to be honest I will concede that packaging this size Veroboard so that it travels safely probably takes some work. You can't simply source a box that fits 8"x16" (205×410 mm) Veroboard and there would be quite some effort in cutting cardboard to create a suitable package.

Source:  http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/151007417984

Having become an over indulgent western spoilt brat who expects cheap goods from Asia I find it a little confronting these days to pay $100.00 USD for three sheets of Veroboard. Though in the scheme of things if I cannot find an alternative 'cheap' Veroboard (Stripboard) I will bite the bullet an fork out $100.00 USD for the Veroboard as this is still a small amount to pay for what it is. To put it into perspective.... It is going to be quite an amount of electronics to populate three 8"x16" (205×410 mm) panels of Veroboard.

Given my geographic location (Canberra-Australia) is anyone aware where a 'low life overweight white western trash' (of European heritage) like myself can exploit some underpaid worker working in some sweatshop in a third world country that produces cheap Veroboard (Stripboard)?

I find it outrageous to pay English or Canadian workers a decent and fair wage for my Veroboard.

Seriously.....If someone could advise me where I could find a cheap supply of Veroboard (in the traditional 1970's sense) it would be highly appreciated by myself.

Many thanks in advance.

[c4757p]

The best price I have been able to find so far is three pieces of Veroboard the following size 8"x16" (205×410 mm) at $22.00 USD each (total=$66 USD) + $38.00 USD postage from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to Canberra Australia. I personally consider it quite steep to pay $38.00 USD for postage for what is simply three small sheets of laminate. Though to be honest I will concede that packaging this size Veroboard so that it travels safely probably takes some work. You can't simply source a box that fits 8"x16" (205×410 mm) Veroboard and there would be quite some effort in cutting cardboard to create a suitable package.

Cardboard? Every time I have ordered Veroboard from Canada it came in a padded envelope into which it barely fit. Maybe they pack them differently to go down under, but I doubt it.

More likely is that Canada Post charges as outrageously as the US Post Office for international shipping.

[elcomtel]

Cardboard? Every time I have ordered Veroboard from Canada it came in a padded envelope into which it barely fit. Maybe they pack them differently to go down under, but I doubt it.

More likely is that Canada Post charges as outrageously as the US Post Office for international shipping.

Wow.....Americans importing Veroboard from Canada. I thought Veroboard/Stripboard would have been manufactured in the USA. 

You are possibly quite right about Canadian Postal charges.

As I said I think $100.00 USD total (inc. shipping) for three panels of 8"x16" (205×410 mm) Veroboard is very good value considering how much electronics could fit on to so much surface area of Veroboard.

[sleemanj]

The keywords you want are "universal board" on aliexpress, or on taobao {apparently forum doesn't allow unicode characters (seriously?!), it stripped out my simplified chinese, you'll have to translate it yourself}  , mostly as you say it's all discrete pads, but I'm sure have seen a few with various bussed arrangements, such as this
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2-x-Prototype-PCB-5-10-5x10-cm-Universal-Board/967205677.html

[deth502]

not sure where your checking on ebay, but i just looked and saw quite a bit, albeit smaller, strip boards for much less. 3"x4" to 3"x10" in the area of $1 to $1.50 each in lots of 5.

and i did notice that most "strip board" from us sellers indeed has no strips. canada, uk, and i did see thailand has the real deal stuff.

[deth502]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3PCB-3-x10-3000L-Phenolic-Pitch-0-1-2-54mm-Prototype-PCB-Stripboard-Veroboard-/160800399320?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item2570735fd8

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-x-Prototyping-PCB-Circuit-Board-Stripboard-73x111mm-Horizontal-Free-Shipping-/171055354360?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27d3b191f8

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Pcs-Prototyping-PCB-Circuit-Board-Stripboard-100x50mm-/320996560158?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4abce2cd1e

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Pcs-Prototyping-PCB-Circuit-Board-Stripboard-73x111mm-Vertical-SGC09-/321025476936?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4abe9c0948

ect....

[elcomtel]

not sure where your checking on ebay, but i just looked and saw quite a bit, albeit smaller, strip boards for much less. 3"x4" to 3"x10" in the area of $1 to $1.50 each in lots of 5.

Well I was after a bulk supply of Veroboard for my workshop. I keep a small box of various PCB type prototyping boards that I raid whenever I get an idea to put a circuit together. I wanted to have several large 11.5"×19.5" (300mm×500mm) sized sheets on hand. So 3"x4" to 3"x10" sizes as you are suggesting wont do it for me.

Just for the record: I have discovered that VEROBOARD^TM Pixel Print LTD. Canada, is North America's leading supplier of stripboard/perfboard.

VEROBOARD's^TM Web Shop
http://www.veroboard.com/

VEROBOARD's^TM eBay Web Shop
http://stores.ebay.com.au/pixel-print-ltd

Even though this is the same business the prices for stripboard and postal charges is much better through their eBay shop which goes to say that if you were going to buy some stripboard you be would better off doing business with them via their eBay shop than their on-line shop.

I don't get it  . What is it with the British and the Canadians that makes them the undisputed super heavyweights of the veroboard/stripboard manufacturing industry? Even the Chinese are not interested in cloning veroboard/stripboard. Why? Don't you find this unusual? The Chinese will create identical clones of everything under the sun, yet they are not interested in producing veroboard/stripboard.

Just for your information VEROBOARD's^TM sells both Phenolic and Epoxyfiber (Fibreglass) Stripboard as the following two links demonstrate.

Phenolic Stripboard Veroboard
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/160800379022

Epoxyfiber Stripboard
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/160481307473

This only proves that I have possibly found the best supplier of Stripboard Veroboard, but I wanted to find a CHEAP supplier of Stripboard Veroboard.

Can someone point me to a CHEAP supplier of Stripboard Veroboard?

The issue is not to find a Stripboard/Veroboard supplier, but a CHEAP Stripboard/Veroboard supplier more than likely operating out of China.

I'll happily spend $200.00 USD to get my supply of Veroboard, but if I can buy the same for $100.00 or less I would prefer to do that.

[andtfoot]

I'm guessing Jaycar's ones aren't big enough, or is too expensive?

http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=HP9544

[elcomtel]

I'm guessing Jaycar's ones aren't big enough, or is too expensive?

http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=HP9544

No !!! In fact you might be right on the money as far as for me buying from Jaycar in Australia.
There are no expensive postal charges (Postage from Canada is expensive) for me if I buy from my local Jaycar store.

So your suggestion to buy my Veroboard from Jaycar is the best advice I have received so far.

So after all this, eBay and Aliexpress does not look like 'beez kneez' as far as getting a good deal on Veroboard goes.

The reason I put this question about the cost of Veroboard to this forum was to see if I could get a sensible answer. Looks like I found the answer I was looking for. Thanks !!!

[chibiace]

I usually buy the silver stripboards from tayda.

[elcomtel]

I usually buy the silver stripboards from tayda.

Thanks for that information !!!

I never heard of 'Tayda' but with Google's help I now know who they are.

The stripboard and postage from Tayda is very well priced.

Small StripBoard 94x53mm (Silver) at $0.74 each
http://www.taydaelectronics.com/checkout/cart/configure/id/2929643/

Small StripBoard 94x53mm (Copper) at $0.66 each
http://www.taydaelectronics.com/small-stripboard-94x53mm-copper.html

I'll get a couple of large stripboard panels (11.5”×19.5” or 300mm×500mm) from a Canadian supplier just to have a few large stripboard panels on hand and I'll probably grab a quantity of 50 pieces of stripboard from Tayda because they are so affordable.

Thanks for your information.

I'll also endeavor to get a few pieces of Jaycar's 95mm x 303mm Veroboard.

Thanks for all your good feedback.

[Tac Eht Xilef]

Be wary of cheap veroboard. I test-bought a few from Alibaba & DX a while ago, and they were nasty - very cheap phenolic, badly punched holes so full of rubbish that they needed to be drilled out before use, holes not in a straight line (so far out that it was nearly impossible to fit SIL headers or machined-pin sockets) wandering off the edge of the copper strip, etc.

And when I looked at the veroboard in the local Jaycar, it wasn't much better.

I'd provide pics, but it was so bad I threw it away and used some that I'd written off as crap 20 years ago and had been floating around in the bottom of my toolbox ever since...

edit: Here's a quick pic of the vero that I'd considered junk 20 years ago, but ended up using recently. Note the nice straight line of holes on the LH track - most of the rest of the board was like that, but it was still better than than the cheap chinese / Jaycar crap...

[echen1024]

Be wary of cheap veroboard. I test-bought a few from Alibaba & DX a while ago, and they were nasty - very cheap phenolic, badly punched holes so full of rubbish that they needed to be drilled out before use, holes not in a straight line (so far out that it was nearly impossible to fit SIL headers or machined-pin sockets) wandering off the edge of the copper strip, etc.

And when I looked at the veroboard in the local Jaycar, it wasn't much better.

I'd provide pics, but it was so bad I threw it away and used some that I'd written off as crap 20 years ago and had been floating around in the bottom of my toolbox ever since...

I bought some off of Amazon. Absolute shit.