Breadboard
A breadboard is a reusable, solderless construction base for electronic prototyping and testing. It features a grid of holes connected to internal spring clips that allow components and wires to be inserted and rearranged easily, making it a valuable tool for students and engineers to build temporary circuits without soldering. The historical name "breadboard" comes from early electronics enthusiasts who used wooden boards with nails to hold their circuits together, much like one might slice bread.
The trough in the middle separates the breadboard into two areas that are not interconnected. the trough is design to fit standard DIP (Dual In-line Packages) components such as integrated circuits, microcontrollers, chips, etc.,.
Breadboard Internal Diagram
● Internal Connections: Underneath the plastic surface are rows of metal spring clips.
● Terminal Strips: These are divided into numbered rows (1-30) by a central ravine.
● Power Rails (+, -): The outside columns, marked with red and blue (or black) lines, are power rails used to distribute power to the circuit.
● Component Rows: The rows of holes in the center are for placing components and connecting them to each other.
The two rows marked (+) and (-) along the top of the breadboard are for the power source. All holes in the (+) row are connected and all the holes in the (-) row are connected. The same is true for the bottom two rows but they are not connected to the top rows.
The lettered rows marked with (a,b,c,d,e) and in the numbered columns are connected and all the holes in the (-) row are connected. The same is true for the bottom two rows but they are not connected to the top rows.