Electronics Breadboarding

James M Sandbrook of
Wairakei Place, Tokoroa.

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Any true electronics enthusiast will be into some form of Breadboarding, in other words circuit building.

There are many advantages to using the Breadboarding technique and one is simple experimentation.

I have seen many versions of breadboards, and they can be very simple such as a few nails nailed into a board and then the wires soldiered to or even wrapped (Wire Wrap) around the nails to make a circuit, to very complicated professional Breadboarding apparatus. Sometimes screws are used as the posts and wires wrapped around the screws. Back in the 1950’s etc they used conductive posts and wires were wrapped around them to make the circuits, they called this Wire Wrap.

It has been said that the name came from electronic enthusiasts grabbing the breadboard from the kitchen, tacking in some nails and from that making a crude circuit from this.

In general Breadboarding is solder-less connections of wires and electronic components to make an experimental circuit to test and see if it works.

Above in Image 1 we see many wires and components plugged into a board made of plastic that has many holes in it for this purpose. Once the circuit is up and running the multimeter and other testing equipment can be used to see how the circuit is working and also to check for faults.

I was very fortunate to come across the Jameco Wish-Maker-II in the 1990’s and have modified it for my own purposes. Instead of just the board it had a power supply (- & +), logic probes, Frequency Counter and Signal Generator, 8 LED Driver, 8 bits data switch, Pulse generator, Pulse Switch, and so on. Excellent for making temporary circuits and prototyping.

Image 1

When you get an idea for a circuit or have a circuit you want to try out, all you need is a breadboard and the parts, plug it all together, add power after double checking everything, and turn it on to see if it works.

Breadboarding is a fast and exciting way to create your work in a simple manner to see if it works as you want, and also you can take existing circuits and modify them in using this method.

If your prototype was a success and a good idea it could go from the breadboard stage to being used in the electronics industry for the purpose you invented it to be used.

Someone could tell you of an issue, you could duplicate it on a Breadboard and then test and analyse the circuit, hopefully duplicating the issue that they are having.

Like real life you can come up with an amazing idea, put it into action and find out that through something that you had not through of it doesn’t work. Building on a breadboard gives us the chance to try the idea out, make the prototype in our own time, apply voltage and see if it act as we expected it to.

If you have a new Integrated Circuit or design that you want to try out Breadboarding is the way to go, no time consuming soldering on a printed circuit board with a project that you are not even sure will work as you expect it to do.

Breadboarding is also an excellent way to teach Electronics.

All your students, or a student, can have the same breadboard that you have and you can add parts and they can copy you while you explain what you are doing, what you are trying to achieve, and what the outcome should be, and they can ask questions as you go and also take notes.

Happy Breadboarding!

All the best from

James M Sandbrook.

25th 0of March, 2021.

You got to love this Use a Real Bread-Board for Prototyping Your Circuit.

Breadboarding and Prototyping Circuits by Walt Kester.

Breadboarding Basics.

The Complete Guide to Breadboards.

How to Breadboarding.

For Beginners.

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