One more "small" hint might well be to shorten the leads on the components used on a bread-board... Doing so will make it much easier to make secure and "Short-circuit" proof connections. What I do is keep a basic set of components that I only use for breadboarding. Doing so prevents "accidental" loss of sensitive components. It also makes it MUCH easier to see what you really have wired on the breadboard. One More thing... Neatness counts too, as far as making accurate wiring and being able to draw what you really have, in preparation for your "Final PCB"
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