Buying a breadboard....

Caferacernoc · January 30, 2008, 12:41:32 PM

How many test points is a good amount? I have been making your usual dirt boxes and plan on moving towards more complex projects like tube preamps. Thanks.

gez · January 30, 2008, 12:52:34 PM

Not sure what you meant by 'test points', but the last three breadboards I bought were huge (well, the largest they sell). If you buy small, you'll regret it in the long run.

MikeH · January 30, 2008, 01:03:30 PM

Get the biggest damn one you can find! I'm on my 3rd now (each one has been bigger than the last) and It's still getting cramped. Bigger is better.

Caferacernoc · January 30, 2008, 01:05:04 PM

Well, on Parts Express they call them test points:

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=321-092

Caferacernoc · January 30, 2008, 01:10:39 PM

So, like the $40 model over the $15 one. I figured that would be the case. Thanks.

gez · January 30, 2008, 02:12:12 PM

This is the size I tend to use:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=2002&C=Froogle&U=2002&T=Product&MA=Advanced%20Solderless%20Breadboard%20System%20(Breadboard%20AD-12)

Although I buy them from Rapid.

jpm83 · January 30, 2008, 05:27:24 PM

What can you do with 840 contact points?

Janne

jpm83 · January 30, 2008, 05:29:57 PM

I mean this kind of board on this page.http://www.futurlec.com/Breadboards.shtml

Janne

Paul Perry (Frostwave) · January 30, 2008, 05:30:47 PM

How practical is a standard breadboard for tube preamps?
You will have to mount the board in a case that has a tube socket mounted on it, plus some way to connect the tube socket tags to the breadboard.

gez · January 30, 2008, 05:58:31 PM

Paul, if you're going to state the obvious and make us all look like fools...well, that's not playing cricket, is it!

earthtonesaudio · January 30, 2008, 07:38:43 PM

One thing to keep in mind is that the connection points will eventually wear out. Plus, the big ones are expensive and often have stuff I personally don't need (the screw-down power terminals for example) I need a bigger one, and I'm going to go with a couple of these, or something similar:

From some preliminary browsing, it seems 2 or 3 of these is still cheaper than one big one.

oldrocker · January 30, 2008, 09:31:26 PM

Just buy another breadboard if you need more. If need a larger breadboard I just but another one and hook them together.

kd · January 30, 2008, 10:40:20 PM

If you're talking about building tube amps, I don't think I would do it on a breadboard. Voltages in tube amps can be up around 500 vdc, I don't know if the breadboard would safely hold up to that. If it were me, I'd build a chassis for experimentation with both 9 pin and octal sockets on it. Get a piece of blank G10 Garolite and put either turrets or eyelets on it and have at it. It's easy to solder or de-solder turrets or eyelets to change components. The turrets may be a little easier when using alligator clip jumpers.

Ken

John Lyons · January 31, 2008, 11:32:21 AM

+1 tube stuff is a bad idea on a standard breadboard. Not a good idea!

John

DougH · January 31, 2008, 12:13:41 PM

I used an aluminum cake pan as an "experimenting platform" for tube amp circuits. Mounted a couple transformers on it, tube sockets and drilled a bunch of holes on the front for pots, switches, etc. Settled on a fairly "standard" power supply for trying different things with. I used terminal strips, just mounted a couple rows in parallel for preamp and power amp circuitry. It's reasonably safe and you are only slowed down by how fast you can drain caps and solder/desolder.

I played with this thing so much I didn't build an amp for 3 years. I took a bunch of notes of my experiments in a lab notebook. It was pretty addicting. I had to take it apart so I would build something...

earthtonesaudio · January 31, 2008, 07:10:58 PM

Well if you go back to the root of the term "breadboard," you could just do what they did in the old days and take an old cutting board, drill holes for brass screws, and then attach leads to the screws. You could go a little fancier by using machine screws and nuts to hold wires in place instead of soldering.

yano · January 31, 2008, 08:16:55 PM

I bought the breadboard this size from Small Bear, and I built a 6 channel mono mixer on it, with room to spare. Its sweet to be able to have the two rows of ICs

Quote from: Caferacernoc on January 30, 2008, 01:05:04 PM
Well, on Parts Express they call them test points:

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=321-092

yano · January 31, 2008, 08:18:09 PM

Quote from: earthtonesaudio on January 31, 2008, 07:10:58 PM
Well if you go back to the root of the term "breadboard," you could just do what they did in the old days and take an old cutting board, drill holes for brass screws, and then attach leads to the screws. You could go a little fancier by using machine screws and nuts to hold wires in place instead of soldering.

I always build my speaker crossovers this way, easy to tweak

Caferacernoc · February 01, 2008, 11:10:43 AM

Ok, so breadboard is not so good for tube stuff. I can see that now. I still want a breadboard for regular stompbox experimenting. And I get the inpression that the small ones are useless for anything more complex than a bazz fuss, which I can already make straight on perf, so I still need a "big" one to play around with Run Off Groove type amp sim stuff.
Thanks for all the input!

DougH · February 01, 2008, 11:29:51 AM

Quote from: earthtonesaudio on January 31, 2008, 07:10:58 PM
Well if you go back to the root of the term "breadboard," you could just do what they did in the old days and take an old cutting board, drill holes for brass screws, and then attach leads to the screws. You could go a little fancier by using machine screws and nuts to hold wires in place instead of soldering.

First time I modded an amp (beyond subbing components on the PCB) I drove 2 rows of copper nails into a piece of 1x2. Made a great "poor man's tagboard".

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Buying a breadboard....