When building electronic circuits, enthusiasts and engineers often need to prototype on something before committing to a custom printed circuit board (PCB) design. The three most common prototyping boards are stripboard, perfboard, and breadboard. But what exactly is the difference between them and when should you use each one? This guide will explain the key differences and help you choose the right option for your project.

Overview Comparison

Here is a high-level overview comparing stripboard, perfboard, and breadboard:

Now let’s explore each of these prototyping boards in more detail.

Stripboard

Stripboard (also known as Veroboard) consists of a thin, insulating fibreglass board with copper strips running across one side. The strips are spaced at standard 0.1″ pitch, and there are usually 24 or more strips across a typical board.

Stripboard gets its name from the copper strips that run across the board. These provide an easy way to make electrical connections without any soldering. Components can simply be pushed into the board to straddle a copper strip. The strips connect rows of holes together in one direction.

Some key benefits of stripboard include:

• Inexpensive – Stripboard is an affordable prototyping option. Boards are available in various sizes for just a few dollars.
• Easy to solder complex circuits – The copper strips provide a convenient distribution bus to wire up circuits by soldering components between strips. Through-hole components can be securely mechanically anchored to the board.
• Semi-permanent – Circuits assembled on stripboard are more permanent than breadboards since components are soldered in place. But the board itself can be reused.

Stripboard is a good choice when you want to create a semi-permanent prototype of a complex circuit cheaply without designing a custom PCB. It may also be suitable for short production runs once the design is finalized. Stripboard allows relatively easy changes too if modifications are needed subsequently.

PCB Transfers

An advantage of stripboard is the ability to transfer the layout to a custom PCB fairly easily. Once the circuit is working on stripboard, the layout can be replicated by drawing the PCB layout to match the placement of strips and breaks. Most PCB design software has stripboard layouts templates built-in to assist the transfer.

Perfboard

Perfboard, as the name suggests, contains a matrix of small holes plated with copper – similar to the perforations used to facilitate board separation on a finished PCB. This allows wires and component leads to be poked through and soldered to construct a circuit.

Unlike stripboard, there are no copper tracks connecting the holes on perfboard. Instead, you must manually make all the connections with wire between components. This allows fully custom layouts.

Some key characteristics and benefits of perfboard:

• Flexible layout – With no predefined tracks, you can place components anywhere in your own desired layout. Routing wires point-to-point is easy.
• Low-volume production – Perfboard allows reasonably straightforward assembly of simple verified circuit designs for small production runs.
• Easy soldering – Through-hole components and wires can be securely soldered to the copper pads around each hole.

Perfboard is a better choice than stripboard for small scale manufacture of simple boards once prototyped, as placement is more flexible. It may also suit experimental circuits where connections need to evolve incrementally.

Pros vs Cons vs Stripboard

Comparing perfboard and stripboard:

• Perfboard layouts are more flexible than stripboard
• Stripboard makes basic linear circuits quicker to assemble without wiring
• Perfboard requires all connectivity to be manually wired
• Perfboard does not provide mechanical anchorage for surface mount components

So in summary, perfboard supports more customization but stripboard is simpler for basic linear track layouts.

Breadboard

Breadboard (also known as plugboard) is used for creating temporary prototypes. It contains a perforated plastic board, with an array of metal spring clips under the holes. Components are plugged into the holes, and the clips make electrical connections without any soldering.

The spring clips are arranged underneath in rows, connected horizontally, with splits between rows running vertically across the board. This breaks the rows into short 5-hole strips. Typically there is also a vertical ditch bisecting the board into left and right sections.

Key attributes of breadboards:

• No soldering – Components push directly into the holes for instant connections and prototyping
• Temporary circuits – It’s quick to plug components in, but they also pull out easily later for reconfiguration
• Test layouts and experiment – Easily add, remove or shuffle parts to rapidly test circuit ideas

Given the temporary nature, breadboard is most suited to initial experimentation with circuit ideas, verifying component combinations, testing modules in different layouts, and similar tasks for quick prototyping.

Complex or high frequency designs may suffer performance issues on breadboard due to resistance/capacitance of the contacts. The loose mechanical anchorage can also cause problems. So verified layouts tend to migrate to more secure stripboard or perfboard for robustness.

Mini Protoboards

For installing small breadboard prototypes into semi-permanent products rather than strip/perf, mini protoboards are available. These have standard breadboard hole spacing but secure mechanical mounting and solderable pads/traces on the underside.

Additional Comparison Points

Beyond the core characteristics already covered, here are some other considerations when selecting between stripboard, perfboard and breadboard:

Ease of Use

• Breadboard is the quickest to prototype on initially
• Stripboard allows faster assembly than perfboard for linear tracks
• Perfboard most time consuming to assemble from scratch

Connectivity

• Breadboard has split sections with vertical disconnects midway
• Stripboard provides horizontal connectivity along continuous tracks
• Perfboard requires manual wiring of all connectivity

Mechanical Stability

• Breadboard provides the least secure component anchorage
• Stripboard components anchored by solder connections
• Perfboard anchors via solder but may use adhesive too

Reconfigurability

• Breadboard is designed for convenient rework and layout changes
• Stripboard allows some layout tweaks but best for semi-permanent
• Perfboard can be changed but reworking is more difficult

Appearance

• Breadboard typically has colored clips, symbols, markings to assist
• Stripboard and perfboard just have a grid of holes with no annotations

Hopefully this gives you a better understanding of how to differentiate stripboard, perfboard and breadboard prototypes boards. To summarize:

• Use breadboards for initial temporary prototyping
• Stripboard suits semi-permanent medium complexity boards
• Perfboard fits simpler custom layouts or low-volume production

There are also various other specialized prototyping boards, but these are the most ubiquitous.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key differences between stripboard and perfboard?

The main differences are:

• Stripboard has predefined copper tracks connecting rows of holes
• Perfboard has an array of holes but requires manual connectivity
• Stripboard allows easier prototyping of linear circuits
• Perfboard supports fully custom component placement

Is stripboard the same as Veroboard?

Yes – stripboard and Veroboard are different names for the same type of prototyping board.

Can I use perfboard to make multiple copies of a working circuit?

Yes, perfboard allows reasonably straightforward small-scale production once a reliable circuit design is finalized. The assembled boards can replicate stripboard prototypes, for example.

When should I transition from breadboard to stripboard?

It’s best to transfer a circuit from breadboard once the design is functionally proven and you need a more rugged, permanent prototype for further testing or practical usage.

What are breadboard jumper wires and why are they used?

Breadboard jumper wires have rigid tips on the ends that fit securely into the board holes. They allow solid connectivity between non-adjacent rows on the breadboard which have breaks between the spring clips underneath.