I have ESP32, DFplayer, level converter, a 5V voltage regulator and two push buttons. Should I use perfboard or stripboard? I'm veering towards perfboard but I hate to make mistakes and start all over.
I use both and which one depends on several factors. I assume you have done a breadboard solution already, so looking at that what does it look like would be the best. Either can be made to work but stripboard behaves more like a breadboard.
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Use either.
For prototypes, I generally use stripboard, cutting tracks with a Dremel burr.
For more finished projects, F4 fibreglass with plated through holes.
SRBP plain perfboard means using a lot of cross connections, perfboard with pads is a good compromise.
Now and again, I use wire-wrapping as well.
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After breadboarding a circuit, I find these to be convenient to use:
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While you can use both, I find it better to use strip board.
You can use it to mount surface mount components on the under side, with both 2 and 3 connections. For example when using surface mount decoupling capacitors, which are a lot more effective than the leaded type.
Modern integrated circuits often have their power rails on opposite sides of the chip making this easy to do. Often, older chips have the power and ground at opposing corners of the chips which doesn't help much unless you put a ground or power line just outside the chip and then you can bridge up to it with a surface mount part.
I always use a sharp scalpel to cut the tracks. You can cut on the hole, that is the normal way a spot face cutter would do. Or you can cut between the holes to get a smaller separation if you need to.
It is also simpler to fix if you screw up.
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