How do you use a breadboard?

[Hiwatt25]

I bought a breadboard a couple of years ago but have never used it.  Now that I've got several builds under my belt I'm finding it might be quicker to start using it BEFORE I etch a board and mount the components.

Thing is, I don't know how to use it exactly.  Here's a picture of mine.


What confuses me are the red and blue lines above and below the two sets of component holes.  What are they used for?  Can I ignore them?

Also, are the holes connected vertically or horizontally?  Should I get a different breadboard or will this do the trick?  I would think that it would be quick to breadboard stuff with low part counts especially fuzz faces and the like. 

Oh and this is the last question.  Does Mouser sell pre bent jumper wire?  I searched jumper on their site but didn't find anything.  Seems those would be helpful.

Thanks in advance.

[db]

The red and blue lines signify buss bars and where the line breaks is where the buss stops.  So if you want a 9V and gnd buss right across the breadboard, you have to insert links to bridge the gap.  Typically you would connect the power terminals to one or more of the buss bars. 

As far as the other holes go, they are all connected vertically i.e. A1,B1,C1,D1 and E1 are common.  F1..J1 are common but separate from A1..E1.  The rows 1, 2, 3 to 64 are all separate.

The idea of the middle section (the bit without the holes) is to provide a 0.3" bridge to separate the two sides of a dual-in-line IC.

You can get pre-stripped and bent colour coded jumpers to use with these - I got a box from Maplin.

[GibsonGM]

Search Google for 'electronics breadboard supplies" or something like that - jumpers are available    I make my own, but some like to buy them.

Your package has like 3 breadboard 'modules' as shown...each one lies between each set of red/blue lines.   The red/blue lines mean the holes just below them go left to right.  They're typically used to bring power across the board.   The rest of the holes go up/down and are continuous for 5 holes. They are separated by that channel going left/right across the board.  Take 2 pieces of wire and stick them in a row of holes - test for continuity with your multimeter.  Then move 1 wire a row away...check again, no continuity.   

You place a part into a hole, and its other leg goes into another hole within easy reach.   Then, any connections to the part can go on the proper row.   It's very much like Vero board.  You have to play with it to understand the connections. 

I don't have the terminals up top of mine, only the white boards.  I'd assume you connect your power supply to them.  Check for continuity between them and the red/blue rows - you might have to actually connect them to those terminals. 

Messing around is about the only way to get the hang of it, Hiwatt!  It's very simple once you've put something together.  I did a Big Muff Pi on mine, it wasn't too bad!  Search "breadboard" in the forum for more info and/or pix....

[sfr]

All the breadboards I've had, the terminals up top were not connected - you could screw a wire(s) into it (insert in the hole in the side, screw down the coloured part until the wire is held securely) and insert the wire where it was needed on the board.  Then you could connect your power supply by plugging banana plugs into the top of the terminals. 

If you're not sure how it's connected, the easiest way to see is to stick wires into the holes and probe with your multimeter and see what's connected and what's not.

[Hiwatt25]

Very cool! Thanks everyone.  I'll start fiddling with it this evening and try to put something together.  I just needed a little primer before I got started.  Hopefully I won't smoke any components.

Thanks again!

[mac]

I've posted this photos sometime ago. It's a breadboarded Tonebender MKII using 2n388.
It's is not shown in the photos but I have jacks and a dc wired to easily plug the guitar, the amp and 9V.
In less than 10min you may have your project ready to rock. And tweaking is easy. Of course sometimes a little noise and rf will be present, and maybe some breadboard capacitance, but nothing to worry about.

mac