Thursday, 9 May 2019

pcb - How to cut the tracks of a stripboard


Since I've started electronics I'm using this kind of board for permanent projects:


enter image description here


But sometimes it's a bit annoying, especially when I need a line going from the top to bottom of the board. I've seen this kind of board:


enter image description here


My question is, how can I cut the strips?



By cutting the strip I don't mean cutting the board itself, just the copper strip. I've tried with a precision knife but I'm not sure about the method, the blade gets damaged really quickly and it's really hard to cut the copper.



Answer



There are specific tools that are designed to cut holes in this material, which is either called "stripboard" or "veroboard". These tools are basically a drill bit in a moulded handle made of plastic or wood and look something like this:


Stripboard track cutter


(photo from here)


Because it is basically a drill bit you could use any high speed steel drill bit. There are some good instruction at Instructables that show how to cut neat holes. However if you plan on using stripboard often then it is worth buying a tool with a handle, they are quite inexpensive.


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