Hi all. Your advice here has been very much appreciated. So now, one more challenge. I have bought screw terminal proto shields. So far so good. Next project almost done. But now I know I will go through several boards and chips and take several weeks trying to connect one sensor, one level changer, and one buzzer on that prototype board. I just cannot make reliable solder bridges - which in any case is a stupid way to do it, if I may say so. I can solder fine, but I have spent 50 years avoiding solder bridges, and making them, let alone reliably, is just not something I can yet manage. Even less if I need ONE 5V or 3.3V or ground connection to go to 5 different places. I just can't do it. Any other advice? Better ways to do it? The boards I see with screw down terminals have no connected tracks - all just single, unconnected holes. Which to me is incredible. So I must be missing something really simple. What is it? Struggingly, Mike

[image] michaelwillems: Conventional wisdom, as evidenced in this forum and all over the Internet, has it that you need to make solder bridges. Without wire. In other words just connect adjacent points by a blob of solder. That’s what I’m reading everywhere, my friend. And that simply doesn’t work, for me anyway. Hence the question. Perf board with round pads is not designed to be bridged with solder. Period. The internet is full of crap. Don’t believe everything you read or see. The problem is the shield you purchased. It is the wrong board for your purposes. It is the missing traces from the Arduino connection points to pc pads that you can solder wires to. If you had those pads, you would connect wires from the Arduino pins you need to connect to their respective parts you add to the perf area. The board style you want to use to interconnect module is the type shown below, if you need field connection terminals, those can be found as well but they need pc pad connections to the Arduino pins. https://www.amazon.com/KEYESTUDIO-Prototype-Arduino-Double-Projects/dp/B07DRHG1QV/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=keyestudio+uno+proto+shield&qid=1626755763&sr=8-3 Since these boards have square pads, if you’re really set on creating traces with solder, you’ve got a better chance of doing it with this pad style. But don’t count on it, use a wire. You could bridge a pad or two but it’s wastes tons of solder, overheats the board and the components. Using solder were a wire is the obvious choice is a fools errand.

I'm going to wonder if the OP was imagining something like this. :thinking: [image] To me this looks pretty ridiculous. :crazy_face:

I'm not really trolling but I do think you are being a bit of a smartarse - and your reading is extremely limited. Any comment on this forum, or anywhere else, that says you must make bridges with solder is just idiotic, and in no way conventional wisdom. For starters, I have never, ever, seen a proto shield with pads specifically made to be bridged with solder. That would be one with very close square pads and no holes, and I suspect that any outfit that tried such a dumb move would be out of business in short order. Further, I submit that typical 0.1" doughnut pads on Arduino shields are specifically made NOT to be bridged with solder in order to save you from doing it by accident. This may go some way to explain your problem. And, specifically contrary to your comment, I imagine a competent operator would always use a bit of resistor leg for an adjacent bridge, even on a board with square pads like in reply #8, as it simply lessens the chance of error. Finally, and, at the risk of being too unhelpful, I might point out that proto shields are, by definition, devoid of tracks, so this really is something that you need to come to terms with.

No, I sell them via e-mail for ordering and paypal for payment. http://www.crossroadsfencing.com/

[image] Nick_Pyner: Finally, and, at the risk of being too unhelpful, I might point out that proto shields are, by definition, devoid of tracks, so this really is something that you need to come to terms with. But they're not, you see. The "regular" photo boards I have DO have tracks: some general purpose, and a bunch for Vcc and Gnd. These are extremely usable! [IMG_6211]

[image] LarryD: Some ideas: That's inspiring! By the way, my lightning detector box is almost done. It's for my ham radio equipment, where lightning is a real and present danger. The problem is, testing it - the only REAL test is an actual thunderstorm and it seems that 99% of them approach Ottawa, and then bend RIGHT around it on both sides. Very frustrating because testing it fully will probably take me the rest of the year! lightning-box-small.pdf (919.9 KB)

Ah well, there you go then, I forgot to say "essentially", and you can bridge the rest of the holes as you see fit.

Yup, and as you see I used wires!

If I see your pictures, your soldering iron seems to be not at the right temperature. (a lot of splashes) Essential is also the use of flux, flux may help you when solder has difficulties sticking and flowing. I use small wires that come from a monopole 250A flexible cable, they are very handy. [IMG_4292] [IMG_4291] Brass spacers from aliexpress you can use to solder the back without damaging the components on the other side.

[image] maybe try a different type of board ?

Next challenge: the proto shields

Projects General Guidance

LarryD July 25, 2021, 6:47pm 36

FYI

Don’t forget the IPA too.

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Next challenge: the proto shields

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