Recently, I have received my first breadboard (a WBU-502) and the package contained a shiny alumunium plate (called a grounding plate on the back of the package), of the same size as the breadboard, that is completely detached from the breadboard itself.
The breadboard bottom is just a covered sticky layer, and I am confused about how the aluminium plate is supposed to help grounding the circuit? Also, is the breadboard any different in terms of accumulating static charge etc. from a common perforated board? Thanks!
Then I suppose it's of no use for Arduino circuits, because I power the breadboard by Arduino's 5V and GND pins, which have their own potentials, right? :-?
Nope. The ground plane is not about connectivity. It is about controlling stray signals that can create unwanted results... noise... spurious spikes... etc. It depends on the type of circuit you are building. High frequency circuits almost demand some sort of ground plane to get expected results.
Got it. This plate should be somehow connected to ground, and the breadboard should be positioned over the plate (but unconnected to the plate itself).
So, this will help to get rid of some unwanted noises... Good, because I have bought the breadboard for trying out high frequency circuits indeed, thanks for the reply!
But is it okay to just plug the aluminium plate into the breadboard ground rail then (which is connected to the Arduino GND pin)?
But is it okay to just plug the aluminium plate into the breadboard ground rail then (which is connected to the Arduino GND pin)?
That will work. There is a limit to how high a frequency you can use effectivly with a solderless breadboard. At VHF and UHF RF frequences it is a poor choice.