To mount components such as speakers, you need screws and nuts. The parts
lists in our project chapters tell you what size screws and nuts to get; we’re
betting you have some of these in that leftover cake tin in your garage gather-
ing dust, but you can buy what you need for pennies in any hardware store.We find that 6-32 screws fit many mounting holes.Holding down wires..............................................................................
Wire clips are very useful for organizing wires that you affix to your project
container. These generally have an adhesive backing on the base that you use
to attach them to a surface. Then you slip the wires into the clip, and they are
nicely held in place. (We use RadioShack part #287-1668.)Cable ties can also be useful when you want to run wires along something
without a flat surface, like a wooden dowel.Breadboard Basics .........................................................................................
A breadboardis a rectangular plastic box filled with holes, which have contacts
in which you can insert electronic components and wires. A breadboard is what
you use to string together a temporary version of your circuit. You don’t have to
solder wires or anything else; instead, you poke your components and wires into
the little contact holes arranged in rows and connected by lines of metal; then
you can connect your components together with wires to form your circuit.The nice thing about breadboards is that you can change your mind and
replace or rearrange components as you like. You typically create an elec-
tronics project on a breadboard to make sure that everything works. If it’s a
project you wish to save, you can create a more permanent version. We use
breadboarded versions of circuits exclusively in this book.If you want to create a permanent version of your circuit, you need to create
a soldered or printed circuit board; see the sidebar, “Printed circuit boards,”
to find out how to go about that.There are a few different sizes of breadboards, some of which are shown
in Figure 3-10. You can link breadboards to make a larger circuit, like the
one shown in Figure 3-11. See Chapter 4 for more about how to build a
breadboard.54 Part I: Project Prep