Glue on solder pads / islands / mounting points for PCB component mounting?

[Chris Wilson]

I have seen some Practical Wireless (a UK based magazine) articles showing a PCB construction technique using glued on copper pads on either ground plane (plated) PCB boards, or plain board. You then solder the components onto an island which you glue on in a suitable position on the board. Some of these are home made, chopped off a donor single sided plated board as strips, then the strips chopped into squares or rectangles to suit, but some seem commercially made with a neat border around the copper pad. Anyone know where to get these commercially made ones  from please? Ta!

[joelby]

How about these? http://www.qrpme.com/?p=product&id=MES

[Chris Wilson]

joelby: Thanks, those are the things, wonder if there's a UK source rather than me getting them from the US?Thanks very much for that, greatly appreciated!

[nanofrog]

Are you talking about Manhattan-Style construction?

If so, there are punches available that you'd be able to make your own from unetched PCB material.

[JackOfVA]

You can also use a core drill and cut isolated round pads into PCB stock. I used to use Manhattan style construction with small chips of PCB material (sometimes I punched them out with a hand punch) but I've switched to mostly using a core drill. 

The particular core drills I use are diamond tipped but are not particularly expensive. 5, 7 and 8 mm diameter.

I have a web page with photos of various prototype construction techniques including core drills. http://www.cliftonlaboratories.com/Prototyping.htm

[Fraser]

After reading this thread and links from the detailed supplier web site, I saw that diamond tipped coring bits can be used to make these little pads.

A 5mm external core bit seems appropriate but 6mm is available as well.

Look here:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/120965196614?var=420088278571&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

You can cut out pads or just remove the copper to form pads on the PCB.

Details here:

http://www.qrpme.com/docs/NJ%20Pad%20Cutter.pdf

Fraser

[vk3yedotcom]

Are you talking about Manhattan-Style construction?

If so, there are punches available that you'd be able to make your own from unetched PCB material.

I don't bother with a punch.  Instead I cut the circuit board into thin strips 5 - 10mm wide (either hacksaw or score deeply then snap with pliers or vice) and use tin snips or hobby shears to cut out the squares.  Use too big a bit and the bits cut off get twisted.

If you don't insist on making each connection to a pad and mainly use the squares for inputs, outputs and where mechanical stability is needed not many pads will be required.  Works especially well when many parts are grounded.

Another approach is to not use pads at all.  Eg by using a hacksaw with mitrebox to saw 5mm islands on a bit of blank board.  The main drawback of this is you don't have a continuous ground that you can solder parts to but the results are arguably neater (especially if stages are sequential and there aren't too many feedback loops or multiple inputs/outputs between stages etc).