I got some pins to solder onto my 16x2 lcd. However, the pins do NOT fit the breadboard at all. Is there a way to thin the pins so it fits.
I do have two solderless breadboards and it does fit one of them, but it's half the size and I really wanted to work with the big one.
Thanks for the help
What pins are you using.
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I'm not sure, but here's an image for reference.
Those fit in all my bread boards.
I do try to use them only in the outer most holes.
If you are trying to push more than 3 pins at once you will have to use some effort.
Can it be a breadboard problem? I mean the breadboard work fine, these pins just can't enter them for some reason. And it's not the pins problem either, because they enter on my smaller breadboard.
I forced as hard as I could, if I force them harder something is going to give.
ctmartinez1992:
Can it be a breadboard problem? I mean the breadboard work fine, these pins just can't enter them for some reason. And it's not the pins problem either, because they enter on my smaller breadboard.I forced as hard as I could, if I force them harder something is going to give.
On some cheap breadboards, the sockets aren't well aligned and the pins can stop at the top of the internal metal socket, not quite going in.
Try cutting one pin from the strip, then inserting the long end while wriggling it around slightly. That might align the sockets if you're lucky.
You can also try loosening the holes a little. Use a single pin, insert in to each hole and wiggle it about a bit. Always works for me.
MartynC:
You can also try loosening the holes a little. Use a single pin, insert in to each hole and wiggle it about a bit. Always works for me.
Take a look at the reply from earlier, immediately before your's. 
Something is not adding up here. Post a photo of your breadboard taken directly above the breadboard about 10" to 12" away, closeup. I have several LCDs with those pins and they plug right into my breadboard. All breadboards conform to a standard hole size. You are doing something wrong. Explain exactly HOW you tried to insert the pins. (and I do mean EXACTLY).
you got a bad breadboard.
I bought quite a few of the MB102 breadboards and find a lot of them are bad (misaligned as someone mentioned). I think these are production rejects. If you bought from ebay, you can get your money back.
Not worth wasting your time trying to use those bad boards. Misaligned hole is just the beginning, even if you are able to push the components in, the contacts internally are not very good. I wasted quite a bit of time troubleshooting why my circuit is intermittent when it is wired in breadboard but works fine if not.
This particular one, are all good. I got 3.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/252089248158?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
It used to be $0.99 each free shipping from china (and I receive exactly 1 week after I ordered), but now ships from US with $1.50 shipping.
Guys, I have some really old (From the late 1970s....) RadioShack breadboards that won't work with headers.
They were not designed for wires this large. The square openings in the plastic are simply not large enough to allow the header pins to be pushed in.
The breadboards made these days have much larger holes in the plastic.
I've attached a photo of both types for people to see.
--- bill
bperrybap:
Guys, I have some really old (From the late 1970s....) RadioShack breadboards that won't work with headers.
They were not designed for wires this large. The square openings in the plastic are simply not large enough to allow the header pins to be pushed in.The breadboards made these days have much larger holes in the plastic.
I've attached a photo of both types for people to see.--- bill
Well then the answer is clear, isn't it? Buy some modern larger breadboards.
OldSteve:
Well then the answer is clear, isn't it? Buy some modern larger breadboards.
Well, not quite.
While the newer breadboards do have larger openings in the plastic to accommodate larger wires and header pins, the quality of the internal "socket" metal inside the breadboards varies considerably between boards.
So some boards don't work very will with small/thin wires and many of them will have issues after using header pins because the internal socket metal doesn't spring back tightly any more after being stretched for the header pins.
Just something to keep in mind: Using headers in a bread board is hard on the internal socket and after using a header, the holes used may not work very well if at all with small gauge wires like 1/8 watt resistors.
--- bill
bperrybap:
Well, not quite.
While the newer breadboards do have larger openings in the plastic to accommodate larger wires and header pins, the quality of the internal "socket" metal inside the breadboards varies considerably between boards.So some boards don't work very will with small/thin wires and many of them will have issues after using header pins because the internal socket metal doesn't spring back tightly any more after being stretched for the header pins.
Just something to keep in mind: Using headers in a bread board is hard on the internal socket and after using a header, the holes used may not work very well if at all with small gauge wires like 1/8 watt resistors.
--- bill
Sorry, reading your last post, I thought you were the OP, hence my answer.
If the holes are too small for a given pin size, to only option is to use a breadboard with bigger holes. That seems to be just common sense to me.
I'm not sure if the OP wants to hear this but if the holes in the plastic ARE large enough BUT the metal clips inside seem to be blocking the hole because they are not lined up, it IS possible to rework a breadboard by removing the back and inspecting , removing and reworking the clips that are inside. They are spring metal and they can be bent back to the correct position if they don't line up. This process begins with a visual inspection with a magnifying glass and a single header pin used to test the hole/clip. The process ends with a continuity check of each of the holes in each row. Tedious , yes , but done correctly only takes an hour or so.
raschemmel:
I'm not sure if the OP wants to hear this but if the holes in the plastic ARE large enough BUT the metal clips inside seem to be blocking the hole because they are not lined up, it IS possible to rework a breadboard by removing the back and inspecting....
I've had to realign the metal clips before. However, I did it by using a very pointed pick and didn't have to remove the back. I stuck it in the hole and wiggled it until it went in the clips and then moved it around a bit to realign them.
I usually have a bag of cut component leads. One might
use them instead of the 100mil pins.
Dwight
raschemmel:
I'm not sure if the OP wants to hear this but if the holes in the plastic ARE large enough BUT the metal clips inside seem to be blocking the hole because they are not lined up, it IS possible to rework a breadboard by removing the back and inspecting , removing and reworking the clips that are inside. They are spring metal and they can be bent back to the correct position if they don't line up. This process begins with a visual inspection with a magnifying glass and a single header pin used to test the hole/clip. The process ends with a continuity check of each of the holes in each row. Tedious , yes , but done correctly only takes an hour or so.
Good idea if it's badly misaligned.
So far, I've been lucky and got away with either jiggling them into place with a single pin, or always inserting pins on a slight angle, with the couple of bad ones I've had.
Don't tell anyone I told you this but sometimes I steal clips from an old breadboard to replace bad ones in another breadboard. I've also used Radioshack electronic cleaner to resurect a 30 year old large breadboard with the banana jack terminals.
OldSteve:
Take a look at the reply from earlier, immediately before your's.
I need new glasses....
