DIY perfboard with breadboard-like layout

Good day!

I do a lot of breadboarding, sometimes it's too time consuming to draw schematics, route it in Eagle etc. I'd like to etch some perfboards with the same layout as solderless breadboard has, like this:

Image from Mailbag: Moving from breadboard to protoboard | Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories

I'd like to etch them myself, but I can't find pattern (pdf, image file) anywhere, maybe someone have such board layout?

Well here is one I laid out in Kicad but that is more holes than I would want to drill!

breadboard.pdf (10.6 KB)

Ah, that's what I was looking for, is it possible to make pads with holes in KiCad (this helps with drilling a lot when drilling by hand)?

How many rows do you want? Double power rails or single? Center power rails or not? Width of trace, diameter of pads?

I've recently been fiddling with a ULP for Eagle that generates "prototype areas" given a few starting parameters, so they're getting easy to generate...

untitled.pdf (121 KB)

Isn't that pretty much what the top 2 boards here are?
http://www.futurlec.com/ProtoBoards.shtml

Spend the $1.50, and be hours ahead of the game:

single side copper clad will cost you 75 cents
http://www.dipmicro.com/store/PCB-D08F-4-3

How many rows do you want? Double power rails or single? Center power rails or not? Width of trace, diameter of pads?
I've recently been fiddling with a ULP for Eagle that generates "prototype areas" given a few starting parameters, so they're getting easy to generate...

As far as I recall ULP is built-in into Eagle script language for automation, right? It's cool that you write such routine. Do you have plans to share it on Google code or some other source hosting? I think this is a popular demand...

The PDF you have attached looks very cool -- that's what I need.

Spend the $1.50, and be hours ahead of the game:

Such board look cool to, but shipping is expensive and takes a lot to my country, anyway I like to etch and drill :slight_smile:

Do you have plans to share it

Yes. Soon. I'll post it here too.

In fact, here's the preliminary version, attached.

protoboard.ulp (4 KB)

Thanks! I've downloaded and I'll play with it in my Eagle.

Ah yes, I overlooked that you were non-US.
Who is your source for copper-sided boards? Maybe suggest to them that they start stocking items like this for your future prokects.

My main source for parts are local suppliers, traditionally DIY electronics culture is a bit hardcore here in exUSSR. So we have a limited number of prototyping\hobby parts available locally (average breadboards costs twice than from China for example). The only style of copper perfboards is something like TQFP adapters, that's it.

So I have to deal with this myself :slight_smile: