Does anyone know where I can pick up DIP8 breakouts?
I’m looking to make a simple PWM with a 555 and don’t want to bother etching boards or ordering them, and I’m all stuck up and want it to look more professional than stripboard.
I’m not even sure if I’m searching for the right thing by using the term breakout through google. I keep getting results for SOIC to DIP8 converters / adapters.
I’m giving expander / expansion / socket a go.
It’d be even better if there was a terminal block on the board.
Usually I think of breakout boards as boards used to adapt something difficult to connect to (SMD devices, etc) to a footprint that can easily be added to a prototype breadboard. As a DIP8 is already very easy to do this with, I think you’re not looking for quite the right thing. All you’d have is an 8-pin DIP going to 8 pads.
I think what you want is some kind of generic 555 timer board. Maybe something with spots for the usual capacitor and/or resistor, and maybe a driver transistor if you want to drive a load with it.
I think it really depends on the specific application of what you want the driver board to do.
You can also search some of the electronics kit places for generic timer kits. For example, here is one with a 555, some pots for adjustment, a relay, and a terminal block: http://www.apogeekits.com/interval_timer_555.htm … there should be lots of sources for similar kits.
Thanks for the reply and taking a bit of time to look around.
I’m sure I’ve seen DIP8 boards that are like the ones you described, pins to pads. As there are only a few components needed, I wouldn’t mind just having the thru hole pads from the pins, and I could then fly the external components over the chip without having to resort to a full ‘flying garden’ look.
I think I’ll probably end up etching my own boards.
I’ve always used the Press & Peel transfer paper, with VERY mixed results. I’ll go with some sensitized FR4 next time and do the mask in the PCB express (since I’m used to using that and still confused by Eagle). How easy is it to gauge the exposure times now if I have some information on the UV output of the lamp? I don’t want to spend ages playing around with exposure times and getting wonky results.
The Press & Peel method was all over the place. I’d scrub the boards clean with wool, rinse every finger print off them with acetone. Dry them, not touch the surfaces with my fingers, then tried a whole load of different settings on the iron and lengths of time. I even tried mounting the board and film between two ceramic tiles, putting it on the oven’s hotplate and then putting a brick on top of the tiles to squash it perfectly flat and into contact. I’d get one come out nearly perfect when I did no real preparation, then another entirely fail when I’d done all that. A mixed bag of peanuts indeed!
From Maplin’s sensitized board page;
“Etch the board in a bath of ferric chloride and after rinsing, expose the PCB in the UV box for a further 10 minutes.”
I don’t see the point of a second exposure to UV after etching and rinsing the board. I get excellent results with photo-etch and don’t do it. They might mean putting it back into the developer for 10 minutes, that will remove the resist. I simply rub the board with a piece of kitchen towel moistened in IPA.
leon_heller:
I don’t see the point of a second exposure to UV after etching and rinsing the board. I get excellent results with photo-etch and don’t do it. They might mean putting it back into the developer for 10 minutes, that will remove the resist. I simply rub the board with a piece of kitchen towel moistened in IPA.
Think you’re right, I managed to forget about the remaining resist.
