A Figurative Battle Royale in Stompbox Prototyping

Let’s discuss perfboard versus PCB versus stripboard (a.k.a. Veroboard) when you’re ready to transfer a stompbox circuit design — which should done on breadboard since it is reusable and easy to modify — to something more permanent to be enclosed in an effects pedal. (If you’ve got the parts to spare it’s a good idea to leave your design on the breadboard for visual reference and in order to take measurements with a digital multimeter if the permanent design requires troubleshooting.)

PCB Versus Perfboard

Nowadays the majority of stompboxes and amplifiers are assembled on printed circuit boards (PCBs), which are a piece of fiberboard or plastic on which all components are connected by internal conductive traces — you simply solder the components into their holes and the connections are good to go. If you’ve ever bought a stompbox kit, chances are it came with a PCB and a bag of parts, which is a quick and easy way to build an effects pedal.

The real benefit of using perfboard in our context is that you’ll develop a greater understanding of how circuits come together and work and you’ll make turning a simple schematic into a working circuit in future designs much, much easier. Perfboard consists of tiny, copper-lined holes in rows and, when designing circuits using perfboard, you’ll manually manually make all the circuit’s connections on the back of the board. Yes, perfboard is slower and more tedious than using a (so to speak) ready-made PCB, but the understanding you’ll gain by doing everything yourself will be invaluable in your subsequent stompbox designs.

Perfboard Versus Stripboard (Veroboard)

Stripboard, another alternative to PCB,  is similar to your average breadboard in that all the holes in a row are already connected. Designing a stompbox circuit with stripboard is also a great way to gain knowledge regarding the way circuits work during design. However, perfboard is more desirable than stripboard for novice stompbox builders because it’s considerably easier to find and a little more demanding and time-consuming, which will lead to a more thorough understanding of stompbox design that will lodge itself in the back of your brain as you build your next effects pedal.

Note that the preferability of perfboard over stripboard or PCB is aimed at novice pedal builders who may not have an established grasp of/experience in circuitry. When it comes to newbie stompbox designers, perfboard is the hands down winner of the figurative battle royale in stompbox prototyping due to the greater understanding of circuit designs it affords.