CHAPTER 12
Solderless Prototyping
Sandwich, the line-following robot, has a fairly simple circuit. Even so, at least 30 or 40 electrical connections
need to be made. Consider what you have planned for your ultimate robot and you’ll see that alligator clips
are not going to be sufficient. In this chapter, you’ll learn about a popular technology for experimenting.
Needing A Better Way
When designing a robot circuit, mistakes will be made. Also, most builders throw in some new items with
each creation in an endeavor to advance their knowledge. These two factors necessitate some sort of test
phase, which is called prototyping. This is the time to try things before committing to a final design.
For electronic circuits, something is needed to allow easy switching of parts and rearrangement of wires
to encourage experimentation. The prototyping technology should be inexpensive, stable, and accept the
same components as the final device.
All in all, a few alligator clips are acceptable for temporary connections to either batteries or
measurement equipment. Beyond that, engineers look to more stable methods of making connections.
Solderless Breadboards
The solderless breadboard (see Figure 12-1) is a great prototyping solution. As the name implies, a
solderless breadboard doesn’t require any soldering. Wires and components are simply pushed into holes
on the board to connect them together. No mess; no fuss. You can us the holes, wires, and components over
and over again.