I've watched this group for some months, and remember the hey-day of QRP-L and Manhattan construction when I was first getting into Amateur Radio. Recently re-licensed, I've been building back up my junk box and beginning to play a little. Chiefly I've started with old-fashioned proto-boards and the K3NG keyer. Digital is an easier way to begin building. IMO.
I'm watching with great interest the revival/review of Manhattan building on this list. Thank you!
I notice economics of building have changed somewhat. It's harder to stockpile a variety of parts without the variety-packs NorCal & others occasionally put together. SMT's can be a bargain, though, including variety-packs from ebay. Copper boards are not free, but custom PCB printing is dirt cheap, sometimes cheaper than the raw boards.
Ugly/Manhattan are classic (and sometimes beautiful-- but not when I do it!) modes of building. "Limerick" as in the current-ish run of GQRP Sudden receivers () and Chuck's Muppet seem related as ways to evolve Manhattan.
But I find really interesting pre-printed proto-boards designed to be flexible and easy to build on. For $5 for a handful (shipped!) they seem like no-lose propositions.
The first I found was the W7RLF Protoboard:
This has great big pads for soldering to like Manhattan, spaced closely enough that perhaps SMD components could be used to connect them, too. But it seems really oriented to discrete components mounted in Limerick/Manhattan style. It has a full solid ground plane with the diamond shape pads connecting to it. I haven't yet wrapped my head around an easy way to use DIP IC's with this board (besides adding "sleds"), but the capacity to use header pins on the edges is a nice touch. This could be a nice board for an all-discrete build.
Next I found the the Makerverse Protoboard:
This seems to be well suited for a mix of SMD's, IC's, and other through-hole components. Its "ground plane" is really a tight grid: I don't know how that will work for RF applications: whether it might be tight enough to act as a solid, or whether it might offer a lot of unwanted capacitance.
Today I discovered the (6-8 year-old!) ElectronicEel protoboard:
With the ground plane option, this seems to combine a solid ground plane with a little nicer (more ample for mature eyes!) spacing than the Makerverse board.
Someday I need to learn KiCad or something and roll my own. A solid ground plane seems fundamental. I like the headers on the edges. I would love to add dedicated pads for BNC (and SMA), Barrel/power-pole DC connectors, and maybe PCB-mounted Pot's/switches. Maybe a power bus or two. Maybe some longer pads specifically for DIP IC's going down the middle like a traditional protoboard.
A board like this seems like it could take away some of the fiddliest bits of home-brewing.
With digital VFO's and $5 CPU's where one can program practically bare metal with high-level languages like Python, this seems like a great time to be a home-builder. Custom PCB's that are delivered for less than the cost of a couple gallons of gas is amazing. Custom PCB's that are flexible prototyping boards seem ideal for the experimenter.
What proto boards have you found or do you like? Or, dare I dream, what KiCad maestro might feel inspired to roll the "ultimate" 2025 QRP home-brewers protoboard?
73 de Todd W2TEF
Todd W2TEF
