Breadboarding Strategies

[Kipper4]

"Why does it take you so long Pops" to make an effect.

Breadboard Strategies. Is just one good reason.

So now when breadboarding new projects in development and previous designs, plaguerised designs etc.

I take my time to try and confirm and pick parts from the numerous breadboard boxs.

Check they are placed correctly. Pinouts etc

For example the current project is a qaud stage vibe/phaser style project.
(no surprise there given my recent history with such projects, I'm sure I will move on in time)

1. Input buffer jfet
Place and confirm values.
Break out the test box and amp and confirm it works before tackling the next section.
This way any problems or potential problems are sorted before I move on to the next section.

What are your breadboard tips and strategies?

[balkanizeyou]

when doing a complicated, big build, I try to keep everything neat. By that I mean trimming the jumpers' length to fit (like in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ver-Av8vr1Q ), cutting the components' legs so they just stand barely over the breadboard (you can see that in the linked video, too).
For example, here's a part of the preamp I have laying on my breadboard


why do that? First of all, it helps you see all the connections immediately, which is not that easy with long jumper wires hanging from the BB and the components standing way above the breadboard. Also the long legs of components tend to short against each other when you're tinkering

[deadastronaut]

hi rich, when breading a large schemo i use a highlighter pen

to check of each node....makes breading 99% successful..

always use a true bypass breadboard....to compare effect/bypass..

use a pedal psu.     for real world test results...

use 9mm pots with pcb lugs cut off...

drink whiskey....

[samhay]

0. Before getting anything out, look at the schematic and think about what is happening in each stage and anticipate what you should be able to see, hear, feel if you probe it at a certain point.
1. Learn the common pinouts on your favourite ICs and transitors and learn how to read the colour codes on resistors.
2. Double-check the pinouts on your favourite transistors.

3. Spend the time to make a useful breakout box - maybe with switchable power and signal bypass and convenient supply and audio pins, jacks, alligator clips, ...

4. Make sure you have the supply hooked up the right way round and leave your DMM someplace handy.

5. When you then finally start building the next space shuttle control panel on the breadboard, put it together in stages and check each stage works (does it pass audio, make an LED blink, engage the landing gear, do what you expect...?) so that you can trouble shoot as you go.

Tidiness is overrated, but having breakout bits for pots is handy (links to much bigger version).


Edit. 6. Don't use solid core wire for breadboard jumper wires. It will break, you won't notice, and then spend much time trying to work out why the circuit doesn't work anymore.
These are cheap and when they break, you notice -

"breadboard jumper wires"

Edit. 7. Beware cheap breadboards. The sockets come loose and make intermittent/no connection. Like broken jumper wire, this leads to much annoying trouble shooting.

[duck_arse]

in sections: make it a mess, make sure it works, then pull it up and relay it real nice and all square, move to the next section.

do the same circuit fragments (phase shift osc, in my sleep) over and over until you have a favoured way of arranging the parts. have a stack of BB parts, like balkers says, bent neat flat AND hairpinned, so they don't have to go round the world to get to the next tie point.

avoid sh!tty breadboards. mine has tie points so loose I think the resistor lead might fall out, but at the other end the tie is so hard/stiff that pushing the lead will bend it. pulling the part out usually lifts the board, causes swears, and again bends the legs.

and I use solid core wire, pulled from some old stereo amp. many colours, none of those fancy end-muffs I see. I used just purple solid core for about 20 years, but got bored with the rats nestings.

[amptramp]

I have done my time with breadboards.  Never again.  Component leads either won't go in or the leads are loose.  Feedback can become a nightmare.  Intermittents are worse.  I use prototyping boards with power leads that fit under the IC's and connected pad holes for the IC leads:



So you have to do a layout and solder stuff, so what?  Once the circuit works, you don't have to transfer it to any other medium, you just put the board in a box and you have a product.

[deadastronaut]

cool, but i like the  instant tweakability.......or tweaks that go on for months in my case

[Ben Lyman]

Awesome thread, keep 'em coming, I need all the help I can get!

Next to my big project BB, I keep a mini BB with my DMM leads plugged into it about 5 spaces apart.
Every component gets rammed in there for a quick read before AND after it goes into the project

[R.G.]

Here are a few I've found helpful.

http://www.geofex.com/article_folders/protostyles/proto_styles.htm

http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/deadbug/deadbug.htm

http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/remove_IC/remvdip.htm

http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/howto.pdf

http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/plasticbox.htm

http://www.geofex.com/article_folders/fxbus/fxbus.htm

http://www.geofex.com/FX_images/solder_block.gif

http://www.geofex.com/FX_images/tubev1.jpg

A huge step forward is to buy a roll of wire-wrap wire, 30ga solid, silver plated copper with a strippable plastic insulation and a stripper on the plastic box that holds the spool. Very, very useful for making add/subtract traces on existing PCBs, or just doing all the wiring on a perfboard.

[bluebunny]

or tweaks that go on for months in my case

Yeah, but time goes at a different speed in space. Months for astronauts is somewhat different for us earthbound bunnies. 

Sent from my GT-N8010 using Tapatalk

[Kipper4]

Great stuff.
Ideas and resources.
Clearly there's still room for improvement in my methodology.
I will say the 9mm pot stash is a real time saver.
You all can just keep on adding stuff.
I'm sure it will be of use to new and old.
Rich

[Rixen]

having a breadboard with a 'front panel' helps...

for unfamiliar ic's a label with pinouts stuck on top of the package helps..

[Kipper4]

my dpdt breadboard switch



I also have a Spdt

[R.G.]

having a breadboard with a 'front panel' helps...

Yep. Here's where I was in 1998.

http://www.geofex.com/FX_images/protofx5.gif

[Rixen]

that's not my real workbench by the way. I don't have flowers printed on my real workbench... 

[R.G.]

It would be OK if it did. Us flower children from the 60s like that.   

[deadastronaut]

whilst searching for some 'breadboard friendly' dpdt's i came across this old thread...and rich's switch....great idea,.

but aren't there any ready made breadboard dpdt's that 'straddle the breadboard gap'?

seems they don't exist going by my search ...i may be wrong, often am....enlighten me.

cheers...

my dpdt breadboard switch



I also have a Spdt

[nocentelli]

I end up replacing the actual breadboard every year or so due to worn/intermittent/dubious contacts, but I've got lots of mini breakout boxes to house in/out, DC jack and bypass switch, and several other smaller ones for expression jacks, second output for stereo fx, other switches etc. These can just be easily blu-tacked down next to the appropriate portion of the circuit. I also have a couple of boxes of pots (now spanning pretty much all values and tapers) that I have recycled from other projects that all have three solid core wires connected: These are also just tacked down next to the board. I find that when I mount pots, switches, jacks etc directly to the board, it is easy to knock components and create an unnoticed short or misconnection when adjusting them. I also suspect that my boards were wearing out quicker when I was jamming e.g. fat-lead 1N4001s and pcb-mount pots directly into the breadboard holes.

[deadastronaut]

yeah i hear ya man about knocking bits etc...

i'm building a 3 strip (same as yours) but 3 large breadboard...for extra space for larger projects.

was just wondering if there were such a manufactured dpdt that spans the breadboard gap....hmmmmm....

[garcho]

Here's one:

DPDT DIP switch

I realize you're in Europe the UK, and probably don't want to order from the US, that was just the first one I found. There are dual DPDT switches as well. Maybe the magic word you didn't use was "DIP", a.k.a. straddling the breadboard. I typed in DPDT DIP switch and got some good results. I never thought to look for these before, I'll have to order some myself!