9485WK Breadboard-Prototype Design Aid
I’d like to make my design more permanent and less fragile, so am transferring my Z80 breadboard computer to prototyping board. I’m using a simple matrixboard. My first step is to lay power rails using 22swg (0.711mm diameter) tinned copper wire so that power is available close to each device. Then anchor the DIL sockets and connect them to the power. I was thinking about also evolving the design at the same time, to make it more extensible. I’m glad in the end I decided to keep life simple by simply transferring the existing circuit – there’s plenty to learn / relearn / practice – such as soldering. Lead-free solder seems trickier initially, but that may just be me being out of practice. The 22swg wire draws a lot of heat compared to the socket pins, and my iron tip needs to be fine for the pins. This makes soldering the heavy wire tricky and I have been boosting the iron temperature to cope. I can already see there would have been benefits of using a proto board with power tracks – adding the rails is tedious. Before moving on to wiring I’m adding decoupling capacitors to all the chips on the wiring side, and added the reset switch, the other passive components, and the clock module (for which I’m not using a socket as the pins are too thin), to the top side. Wiring on the reverse of the board means the I’ll have to mirror the pinouts on my schematic in my head when I’m wiring up. However, the matrixboard has row and column numbers, so I can add these as annotations to my schematic as a guide. Each pin on the schematic now has its board coordinates, which should make it easier when looking at the board from front or back. My plan had been to use a Roadrunner wiring pencil to make all the connections. This uses very fine 38swg (0.15mm diameter) wire. You wrap the wire around a pin and draw to the next pin and repeat. The wire is temporary held in place by the winding (i.e. by friction). You then solder all the connections in batches. Soldering a joint burns off the insulation. I can see would be quite productive. However, with my first attempts to use the system I found that with my large and unsteady hands, and my poor eyesight, I found this to be a real struggle. Very fiddly and frustrating. I may return to the wiring pencil at some point, but for now I am switching to heavier PVC insulated wire. I found some Wire Wrapping wire which seems good for the job. 30awg 0.25mm diameter single core wire. Lots of cutting and stripping to do, but the heavier wires are easier for me to handle and generally stay put long enough to solder, and thin enough that they don’t draw too much heat when soldering. Doing all the short runs first makes sense. For the longer runs, like the data bus which connects 5 devices, I tried different approaches… I found it easier to complete each run end-to-end, rather than completing all the run segments in a small area, and then moving on to another area. So completing all segments of D0, then all segments of D1, etc., rather than say making all the connections between the CPU and the ROM, and then moving on to connect ROM to RAM. With the long runs like the data bus, where I want two wires to connect to the same pin, I stripped two ends and poked them into the hole with the DIL socket pin and soldered them. This was easier than doing it in two steps: soldering one wire and then attempting to solder in a second wire by melting the solder a second time. To begin with the wiring was quite chaotic, but soon I tried tying the wires into trunks to organise them and this made it much easier. Once all the wiring was done I transferred all the devices from the breadboard and tried connecting it to my Mac. There was definitely some activity, but it was not working as expected. I removed all the chips and then tested all the wiring routes with a multimeter set to continuity check mode. Using the schematic as a guide I checked connections for every pin. I found several pins weren’t connected, and I looked for visual confirmation. I resoldered the problem connections and reseated all the chips. Now connecting again to the Mac and running CoolTerm it worked perfectly! The wiring work was quite fiddly, but I actually found it very enjoyable. There was something quite satisfying and calming about the precision of the work, most of the time using tweezers and a magnifier. See also: z80-breadboard-computer 8080 Arduino Arduino Nano asm80 Assembler AT28C64B BeanZee CoolTerm electrical-problems ETI FTDI JLCPCB marvin minipro MINT NE555 PCB PCW protoboard RC-circuit SIO SjASMPlus soldering UART UM245R USB Z80 * We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Prototyping boards are a valuable tool for anyone looking to create electronic circuits or projects. These boards provide a platform for assembling and testing circuits without the need for soldering or permanent connections. They come in a variety of sizes and configurations, with options for different types of components and connections. Prototyping boards are perfect for hobbyists, students, and professionals alike, allowing them to quickly and easily experiment with new designs and ideas. With their versatility and ease of use, prototyping boards are a must-have for anyone interested in electronics or engineering. The ELEGOO 32 Pcs Double Sided PCB Prototype Kit includes 32 durable glass fiber - FR4 material boards in 5 different sizes with pre-tinned plated holes for easy component soldering. The boards come with 4 mounting holes, making it convenient to install them together. 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The Smraza 101pcs Double Sided PCB Board Kit includes 31 double-sided prototype boards of 5 different sizes, header connectors, screw terminal blocks, and jumper caps. This kit is perfect for designing your own Arduino kits or electronic experiments. The header connector includes 40 pin male and female headers with a 2.54mm pitch, single row and straight connector. The screw terminal blocks are rated at 300V and 16A with a 5.08mm pitch. The kit also includes 30 standard 2.54mm pin spacing circuit board jumper caps in 6 colors. The compact paper packaging ensures a small footprint. "I found the selection of board sizes to be fantastic, and the connectors are a great bonus . They are perfect for creating slightly more permanent circuits compared to protoboard." "I wanted to learn to solder and this deal was exactly what I needed for practice. It's a perfect starter kit for beginners like me." "Me encanta trabajar con circuitos y todo lo que se trata de electricidad automotriz. 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The seller of top 1 product has received honest feedback from 2,616 consumers with an average rating of 4.9. Brian Howie is a content writer and senior industrial designer. After graduation from Westminster College, he has been engaged in product design and manufacturing for 18 years. Brian Howie has always found great pleasure in designing industrial products and sharing his ideas and experience online. I’d like to make my design more permanent and less fragile, so am transferring my Z80 breadboard computer to prototyping board. I’m using a simple matrixboard. My first step is to lay power rails using 22swg (0.711mm diameter) tinned copper wire so that power is available close to each device. Then anchor the DIL sockets and connect them to the power. I was thinking about also evolving the design at the same time, to make it more extensible. I’m glad in the end I decided to keep life simple by simply transferring the existing circuit – there’s plenty to learn / relearn / practice – such as soldering.