I'm sitting here reading 'Circuit Building for Dummies', and came across the 'Dead Bug' and 'Manhattan' methods for building prototype circuits. Thought I'd mention them, for the benefit of those who hadn't know about them. I found some examples doing a Google image search, some of which combine the Manhattan and Dead Bug methods.
In general breadboarding is much easier and more convenient, but for circuits where a continuous ground-plane is vital,
such as RF amplifiers, high-speed analog comparators, switch-mode boost/buck converters it can be the only way short
of a PCB to get a working circuit.
An example of RF circuitry (which would likely fail on a breadboard due to capacitive feedback causing unwanted oscillations!) qrpradio.com
I like that use of an annular bit to create island pads. I imagine doing things such as gluing down a VCC bus strip, or I suppose you could use a file or dremel to create a bus along one edge, or through the middle.
be80be:
Here a real time clock board I made it works is about all i can say
I've used that method several times on sea-of-bed proto-boards cut to the size the project requires. I use wire wrap wire for all the interconnections other then ground and Vcc. The main problem I've found with that is that the mechanical strength of the SIP headers soldered to the pads is not very good and the pads can and will lift after just a few insertions.
I've made the header pins stronger with glue and some fine copper wire that lets me fill the holes with solder on the backside. I have has them pull the pads two.
But it works ok
I've done very simple things using a cheap socket as sort-of breadboard/part holder. Leds plug right in as do many other components (including things my clumsy soldering might cook). Wires and bits (caps, resistors, things you don't want to or can't plug in the socket holes) solder right to the legs. A 24-pin socket can take a shorter chip and a few parts, and they can be had cheap.
