I think you are after a board like this
http://www.dipmicro.com/store/PCB-PB1

Yes, that's exactly what I was trying to describe!  I only have one arm so anything that makes the soldering easier! :-)

Thank you!

I would like to try my hand at making my own Uno compatible circuits.  I'm trying to find a good source for the PCB.  I don't want Vero style perfboards where lines of copper run from one end of the board to the other but I also don't want boards that are simple grids of disconnected through-holes.

Does anyone know of a nice PCB that would have at least two rows of copper connected pads for the ATMega328P pins?  I'm trying to be as specific as I can but as you can tell, some of the terminology still eludes me.

Thanks for any help or suggestions,

James

Hi Lefty,

That's my problem, I don't even know what I don't know.  My background is as a software developer writing business apps that hooks up to a database.  So I guess I'm wanting to apply rules and logic as it would be applied to software development such as object oriented programming principles.

I've found several books or electronics and and the arduino architecture but I'm feeling a little overwhelmed about what I should read and understand first.  At this point, I feel that I would benefit best if I understood some of these beginning concepts like what you mentioned, understanding voltage, current, resistance, ohm's law, how they all relate and then move on to what the different components are and what function they provide.

Is there a good book/books or even a particular author that you would recommend I start with?  I've looked at the community college in my area to see if they offer any kind of beginning electronics course but I think I'm going to have to just call them as their online catalog leaves a lot to be desired.

Thank you for the great response Lefty!

Very cool!  Thank you Nick and Dan for a pretty detailed explanation, exactly what I was hoping for. 

So I guess it would be safe to assume that these steps and info would need to be repeated for each component that you add to the circuit/schematic?

James

I'm very new to electronics and have been trying to read and absorb how use Ohm's law and how to calculate voltage, current and resistance but I still have a lot of questions.  I won't ask them all at once but here's my first:

How do I determine which resistor to use in a circuit?   Do I need to know the voltage and current and what a particular LED is rated at or what a servo is rated at?  In all the examples I've seen (videos and on paper) they all just say to place a resistor between the 5v pin and the LED (or whatever).  They don't say which resistor.  So, how do I know which to use?