Prototype Board Use

Prep

Materials

Prepare layout

Think about how to make your layout efficient.
Sketch layout.
Try out layout on prototype board.
- Place all components in their proper places and make sure they fit.
- Make sure to leave plenty of extra space, unless there are size concerns.
- Remove all components from the prototype board and solder them one by one.

Practice

If you've never soldered before, practice on a few extra holes in your prototype board before you try it with your components.

The Basics

Place the soldering iron in its stand and heat it to about 550 to 700 degrees Fahrenheit.
Put your component in a hole in your prototype board.
- For more heat-sensitive components, such as transistors, place a heat sink (alligator clips work well) on the wire between the hole and the component.
Flip over your board so the components are on the bottom and all you see is wires.
- You can use a stand to keep the prototype board in place.
- If the wires are long, it's often a good idea to cut them short (unless you want to use the wires to connect different components, as described below).
Melt some solder wire on the tip of the soldering iron.
- Be generous with how much you melt. Too little is worse than too much.
Touch the tip of the soldering iron to the component's wire.
- The solder should melt around the wire and fill the hole it's in.
As soon as there's a strong connection, remove the soldering iron tip from the wire.
- Lifting the iron up smoothly should produce a shiny, pointed finish (almost like a wrapped Hershey kiss).
- The iron should only touch the component's wire for a few seconds. If it's touching for too long, the component can overheat.

Tips

Anytime you need to melt solder on the board, start by melting some new solder on your iron. (This makes melting old solder easier.)
Put all the components in their places before starting to solder to make sure everything fits right. Then solder everything in place before connecting between components.
To connect multiple components, drag the top of the soldering iron across the already-soldered holes. You can also bend any longer wires so they connect the desired components, then solder along the longer wires.

Troubleshooting

If solder wire won't melt, make sure your solder iron is heated to at least 550 degrees. If it is, increase the temperature by 30-50 degrees and try again.
If old solder won't melt, melt more solder wire on your iron and try again.
If solder won't come off your iron, melt more solder wire on your iron and try again.
If you need to remove a component, melt each connection point and pull out the wire before the solder hardens.
If there's too much solder somewhere, melt the solder, then soak up any extra solder with the solder wick while it's still melted.