how to safely remove arduino nano from breadboard?

Hi,

I did some prototyping with arduino nano in breadboard. And then after i done with the design, I was gonna implement it in a printed pcb so i need to remove the nano from breadboard. And this is when the disaster happened. :frowning:

The board is kinda hard to pull by hand, so i use a long-thin screwdriver in the gutter to pull the nano up (just like i did many times to dip ICs with no problem). And successfully detached the nano from breadboard and also broke the tantalum under the nano in the process. So my question is:

  • How do you usually remove the nano board from breadboard safely? And
  • The tantalum i broke is 4.7uF smd. I can't find any 4.7uF tantalum in nearby shops, but i have electrolyte caps rated 4.7uF 16v. Can i use it for replacement?

Thank you.
Gemul

I simply rock it length wise back and forth while exerting some upward movement never had an issue...same applies for the MKR boards and mini's etc.

You could use an electrolytic cap but usually the tolerance is not as good so you might get some unwanted behaviour.

Have scrounged tant's off scrap PCB's before now maybe that's an option ?

It's important to avoid putting pressure on the USB jack on the board while you're pulling on it. They are fairly easy to break off the board.

Another thing to be careful about is to ease up as the board comes loose from the breadboard. If you are pulling on it with a lot of force and it comes loose, one end usually comes out before the other and the last pins in the breadboard get bent.

If you are soldering the header pins on your boards yourself, be careful to get them nice and straight. If they are a bit out of alignment, it makes the board more difficult to remove from the breadboard.