Stripboard current

What is the maximum current for stripboard?

A stripboard can carry about 2 to 3 Amps on a single strip. It is difficult to say exactly what the current rating could be as lots of different companies have manufactured stripboard and Veroboard. This means there are differences in what is produced. Especially some of the Chinese manufacturers where there looks a lot less copper on the tracks.

A slight change in the thickness of the copper makes a large difference in the current-carrying capabilities.

Theoretically, it’s all about the area of the copper so how wide the strip is and how thick the copper is. You can work out if you can measure the exact thickness of the copper.

The same way as you can with wire. The thicker the wire the more current it will carry.

In addition, remember what is quoted and what it actually is may not be the same.

If you have even the slightest interest in things stripboard-related then check out my post, Stripboards – the complete guide. I’m sure you’ll pick up at least one tip to save you time or money!

Everything you need to know about Stripboards

Hints and tips on the best way to use this underestimated way to build circuits fast.

What happens if too much current flows?

Obviously, copper tracks have resistance. As more current flows through a track, it will generate heat. Too much and it could burn the track out. You’ve probably seen this on printed circuit boards where fine tracks and circuit malfunctions have caused tracks to burn away.

Can you use mains voltage on stripboard?

This question often gets asked and although technically the answer is yes, the answer I would give is no. It can cause too many problems if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Technically the specifications say that the mains voltage of 240V is capable on a standard stripboard.

In practice, it’s not a very good thing to do. For one reason it has become a general practice that if mains is used on a PCB along with low voltage, then the mains area should be marked and away from the other areas. You can’t really do this on stripboard.

I have to admit that I have used mains on a stripboard. It was for a little project years ago that I still occasionally use. It was for a triac mains controller. The board only had mains voltages on it and was housed in a project box.

I’ve also used a small piece of stripboard to use a PCB mounting transformer. otherwise I would have had to make a custom PCB. In this case, the stripboard only had the transformer on it with two wires going to the mains winding and two for the secondary with a couple of holes drilled to mount the stripboard inside a project case.

In general use though it’s not good practice.

Information

Since its introduction, there have been many different sizes and types of Stripboards. Check out my article to find the most suitable Stripboard for your requirements.

Mains voltage and prototyping

A lot of the time a stripboard layout is a prototype that is lying around on a bench. This is not a good environment to have a live board kicking around, especially if you’re working on it and connecting power, disconnecting power to solder and then reconnecting it to mains again. You’re just asking for problems.

Forget and make a mistake and touch the board or try to solder a live circuit. You can get away with it with low-voltage circuits but not with live mains.

Stripboard and Veroboard Templates

Download these files and print them off.

Using higher current on stripboard

If you want to use a circuit with a high current on a stripboard, perhaps a power supply or a power amplifier, there are a few things that you can do to help.

People have spread solder on the back of the tracks. This increases the thickness, which will help, however, if I’m going to do something to help. I solder tinned copper wire along the back of the strip.

The thicker the better and you can fit and solder quite thick wire on the back of the stripboard tracks.

solder tinned copper wire to the track to increase Stripboard current

You can also use two tracks next to each other and solder a piece of tinned copper wire to each or use an even thicker wire that bridges the two tracks.

If you are a beginner at soldering check out my post Learn how to solder – a beginner’s guide.

Obviously using tinned copper wire means that the current will be shared between the copper track and the wire.

Using this method of soldering tinned copper wire means you can significantly increase the amount of current that the stripboard tracks can carry. This can in most cases make it a better way than designing a PCB.

Final thoughts on stripboard current

If you are in any doubt about whether the current on your stripboard will cause problems you can always put a multimeter in circuit to measure the current flow. If it’s more than an Amp, I would solder tinned copper wire on the track just to be on the same side.

Everything you need to know about Stripboards

Hints and tips on the best way to use this underestimated way to build circuits fast.

“Hi, I’m Graham Moore and I’ve been building electronic projects since I was 12. I had a fascination for old radios and taking them to pieces but when my Nan bought me an electric soldering iron, I realised with a few components I could build stuff.

Learning to solder opened up many doors for me as electronics also became a career. I hope you get as much from it as i did”.