Electronics > Beginners
Copperless perfboard + wire wrap for RF prototyping?
<< < (3/7) > >>
bd139:
This does exist. In a professional environment you have “Lego bricks” for RF which are individual boxes with single functions (mixers, VCOs, filters, eval boards, test gear etc) and SMA cables to glue them together. This is large and beyond the realms of the average bank balance unless you go digging around on eBay and hamfests.
aneevuser:

--- Quote from: bd139 on September 06, 2019, 02:44:12 pm ---


So what I do:

1. Take a piece of solid single sided FR4
2. Solder all the parts to the top (and BNC connectors) keeping all the leads short.
3. Make sure it is rigid.


--- End quote ---

Maybe I'm being dimwitted, but I can't see what you've done on the solid copper board in the image - it doesn't look like it's been etched in any way, so it looks to me like a continuous conductive layer of copper. This is the side that you're soldering onto? Or is it the ground plane, and you're soldering on the other side for some reason?
aneevuser:

--- Quote from: bd139 on September 07, 2019, 08:39:01 am ---This does exist. In a professional environment you have “Lego bricks” for RF which are individual boxes with single functions (mixers, VCOs, filters, eval boards, test gear etc) and SMA cables to glue them together. This is large and beyond the realms of the average bank balance unless you go digging around on eBay and hamfests.

--- End quote ---
I guess this is the kind of stuff that Shahriar of The Signal Path often uses? If so, that's way beyond my needs (and pocket).
aneevuser:

--- Quote from: Howardlong on September 06, 2019, 01:56:54 pm ---I use these extensively for prototyping RF & mixed signal.

https://www.busboard.com/surfacemountpcbs
--- End quote ---

Presumably it's the ground plane that gives the added goodness over straight veroboard? I don't see much difference otherwise.


--- Quote ---Edit2: Apart from some baseband and LF applications where S/N is unimpotant, for most RF applications, solderless breadboard is a problem waiting to happen. Embrace and hone your soldering skills, and preferably switch to surface mount!

--- End quote ---

Hmm, surface mount. I've always been scared of soldering that. What's the benefit in the RF realm anyway? Shorter leads + possibility of a ground plane on the other side?
tggzzz:

--- Quote from: Howardlong on September 06, 2019, 01:56:54 pm ---I use these extensively for prototyping RF & mixed signal.
https://www.busboard.com/surfacemountpcbs
In particular:
https://www.busboard.com/SP3T-50x50-G
and
https://www.busboard.com/SP3-100x100-G
They have a solid copper groundplane and non-plated through holes. They also do PTH versions but I find that is a bit restrictive on layout at times, and it doesn't take more than a few seconds to run a through wire.

--- End quote ---

Precisely, in all respects.

I've used the variant with some dedicated SMD pads https://www.busboard.com/SMT3U


--- Quote ---Edit: I wouldn't ever use wire wrap for RF, wire wrap is an antenna.

Edit2: Apart from some baseband and LF applications where S/N is unimpotant, for most RF applications, solderless breadboard is a problem waiting to happen. Embrace and hone your soldering skills, and preferably switch to surface mount!

--- End quote ---

Precisely, in all respects.

Solderless breadboards are the work of the devil; you always end up spending more time/brainpower debugging the breadboard than debugging your circuit.

As for wirewrap, the OP might like to consider the standard construction of microwave filters and compare them with wirewrap pins. He will find the pins are stubs that will act as capacitors at certain frequencies. And don't forget that every mm of wire/pin is ~1nH; that adds up with modern digital circuits and with linear RF.
Navigation
Message Index
Next page
Previous page
There was an error while thanking
Thanking...

Go to full version
Powered by SMFPacks Advanced Attachments Uploader Mod