Breadboard Connections

A breadboard, or a solderless breadboard, is used to make temporary circuits because they require no soldering.

The connections on a breadboard are fairly simple. The rows in the middle (labelled a-j) are connected horizontally, but not across the divider in the middle. For example, a pin placed in b10 would be connected to a pin in d10, but not a pin in h10. Along the outside, the power strips, which are labelled red for positive and blue for negative, are connected vertically (even across the spaces between groups of 5).

This diagram is twice the size of the breadboards that we have. Imagine this diagram cut down the middle, and that can be applied to the breadboards we have. On our breadboards, the entire vertical strip is connected without the gap in connection illustrated in the diagram above.

Placing a pin in a breadboard

When you place a pin in the breadboard, first grab a pin from the electrical drawer. They come connected, so there will be multiple pins together. Use a needle-nose pliers to break off a single pin. The pins get inserted into the breadboard with the long side into the breadboard, and the short side sticking out. From there, you can attach wires with female ends or various other things to make your circuit.