Shopping List: Experiments 12 Through 15
102 Chapter 3
Figure 3-24. A larger example of perforated
board with breadboard geometry.
Figure 3-25. Plain perforated board (with
no copper traces) can be used for mount-
ing components when you want to do
point-to-point wiring.Figure 3-26. A small piece of perforated
board with individual copper solder pads
to assist you in mounting components.Plywood
When you use a soldering iron, hot drops of solder tend to fall onto your
table or workbench. The solder solidifies almost instantly, can be difficult
to remove, and will leave a scar. Consider using a 2-foot square of half-inch
plywood to provide disposable protection. You can buy it precut at Home
Depot or Lowe’s.
Machine screws
To mount components behind a panel, you need small machine screws
(or “bolts”). They look nice if they have flat heads that fit flush against the
panel. I suggest stainless-steel machine screws, #4 size, in 1/2-, 5/8-, 3/4-,
and 1-inch lengths, 100 of each, plus 400 washers and 400 #4 locknuts
of the type that have nylon inserts, so that they won’t work loose. Check
McMaster-Carr for a large and reasonably priced selection.
Project boxes
A project box is just a small box (usually plastic) with a removable lid. You
mount your switches, potentiometers, and LEDs in holes that you drill
through the box, and you attach your circuit on a perforated board that
goes inside the box. Search All Electronics for “project box” or RadioShack
for “project enclosure.”
You need a box measuring approximately 6 inches long, 3 inches wide,
and 2 inches high, such as RadioShack part 270-1805. Anything similar
will do. I suggest you buy a couple other sizes as well, as they will be use-
ful in the future.