RM2B

Learning how to build circuits on a BREADBOARD!

What is a Breadboard?

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A Breadboard is a device used to connect circuits without SOLDERING the parts together

Why is it called a “BREADBOARD”?

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In the early years, just after the great depression, families kept everything! In fact, it was in these years that we started to buy bread that was sliced . Prior to that, all bread was bought as a whole loaf. Instead of throwing out the “BREADBOARDS” people kept them and as the experimentation with electronics started, breadboards were used to help wire or “CONNECT” all the parts of a circuit together. Obviously, the name stuck!

Why do we need BREADBOARDS?

With Breadboards no SOLDERING is required to build and TEST a circuit!

Without a Breadboard, we would have to solder everything together even to test a circuit.

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Battery 5 10 _ 9 volt Battery +

So how does the BREADBOARD work?

When you want to connect two parts together ‘you place the legs of the parts in the same VERTICAL ROW. X

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In the circuit to the right, you can see that the resistor is connected to the negative side of the battery by being plugged into holes in the same VERTICAL ROW.

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9 volt Battery + 1 5 10

Likewise, The other side of the resistor is connected to the negative lead of the LED and those two legs are in the same VERTICAL ROW also! In the next slide, you will see the connection patterns of the breadboard illustrated a little further.

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The HORIZONTAL CONNECTED Blocks at the TOP and BOTTOM of the breadboard are called the BUSS STRIP and they connect all the way across the board as shown.

The horizontal darkened squares represent the “BUSS STRIP X A B C D E 1 5 10 15 20 Divider J I F G H Y 1 5 10 Shown Here 15 20 Row 5 shows vertical board connections .

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The VERTICAL CONNECTONS connect like the pattern shown in darkened VERTICAL blocks.

The BUSS STRIPS are generally used to connect GROUND at the bottom of the board and POSITIVE at the top of the board.

The horizontal darkened squares represent the “BUSS STRIP X A B C D E 1 5 10 15 20 Divider J I F G H Y 1 5 10 15 20 .

” X A B C D E F G H J I Y Row 5 shows vertical board connections .

There are generally quite a few POSITIVE and GROUND connections in most circuits, so this arrangement of BUSS STRIPS can make BREADBOARDING easier!

The divider shown in the diagram on the left is used to separate the two halves of the circuit board so that Integrated Circuits can be placed across the center, as shown in the right diagram.

X A B C D E The horizontal darkened squares represent the “BUSS STRIP 1 5 10 15 20 Divider I J F G H Y 1 5 10 15 20 Row 5 shows vertical board connections .

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The VERTICAL holes on the lower side of the board ARE NOT connected to the VERTICAL holes on the upper side of the board.

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