CHAPTER 12 ■ SOLDERLESS PROTOTYPING
I always try out a new part or module design using a solderless breadboard. Although I often begin by
thinking that I’m fairly certain how a circuit is going to be built, a number of improvements are subsequently
made because it’s so easy to try variations on the breadboard.
Even after soldering together a final circuit, my original prototypes usually sit intact on their
solderless breadboards. As long as I have spare parts (and spare breadboards), I retain the original for later
experiments, debugging, or brainstorming.
Connecting with Holes
Technically, the holes in a breadboard are called tie points. When a wire is pushed into a hole, it makes
contact with a solid metal strip underneath (see Figure 12-2). When another wire is pushed into a hole on
the same strip, the wires are connected. The metal strip acts as a connecting pipe that allows electricity to
flow from one wire to the other.
Figure 12-1. 840 tie-point solderless breadboard with base and three binding posts