This may be a silly question, I'm considering sticking a mini self adhesive breadboard to the circuitry on top of my Arduino to save space. Is that going to cause any problems, overheating, ect? Besides covering the LEDs. Thanks for any input!
Nope, as long as you don't need to use the header pins.
You could also use the Arduino upside down and stick the breadboard on the bottom.
Hi, You could also hold it in place and make it easy to connect stuff to by using a Protoshield, like this:
http://yourduino.com/sunshop2/index.php?l=product_detail&p=93
DISCLAIMER: Mentioned stuff from my own shop...
I've just bought one of those. I don't think it is a spacesaver, and sticking it directly to your Arduino board is inevitably a messy solution. If height is really that much of a problem, you might consider a proto shield with the components on the under side.
Take a look at the offerings on this site. Online Custom Laser Cutting Service - Used By Apple - FREE Sample
There are other bits by a firm called oomlout which is a small UK based arduino supplier. There Arduino starter kit contains a base board which takes both the Uno and a small bread board.
Mark
Oomlout link for the above here - http://www.oomlout.co.uk/prototyping-bundle-for-arduino-ardp-p-186.html I am sure I've seen the design for the "acrylic backing board" on ponoko.
Mark
Nick_Pyner:
I've just bought one of those. I don't think it is a spacesaver, and sticking it directly to your Arduino board is inevitably a messy solution. If height is really that much of a problem, you might consider a proto shield with the components on the under side.
If height is an issue, get one of the protoboards that don't have the headers soldered on the board, along with male header pins, and F-F jumper cables. For example, in Terry's store:
- protoboard, just the pc board: http://yourduino.com/sunshop2/index.php?l=product_detail&p=96
- male header pins: http://yourduino.com/sunshop2/index.php?l=product_detail&p=241
- F-F jumper cables: http://yourduino.com/sunshop2/index.php?l=product_detail&p=185
Then you use the male header pins to attach the protoboard to the Arduino. If possible shorten the legs so you just barely clear the USB adapter. First develop on a breadboard, using the remaining male pins soldered in one end of the F-F cable making it a M-F cable. When you like the design, then move it to the prototype board, soldering the connections directly to the board. I imagine you could solder the components upside down to save a little more space.
The other boards mention look ok, but you are trading width for height, which might be a problem, depending on what size you have to fit the board in.
You can make it even smaller, by eliminating the development board altogether, and making your own system. That is beyond my current skill level, but if you need to slim down that is the way. If you don't need all 20 pins, you can go with other chips with fewer pins.
Further to yours, Michael, the pic below shows a short shield attached with ordinary pinrows. The LCD board is attached to the board just using the hookup wire threaded through, the objective being that it be no higher than the flat header. The limiting resistors are on the underside, as is the LED. It turned out that I had more height available than I thought, otherwise the LED would have been horizontal.
Nickoly
Nick_Pyner:
Further to yours, Michael, the pic below shows a short shield attached with ordinary pinrows. The LCD board is attached to the board just using the hookup wire threaded through, the objective being that it be no higher than the flat header. The limiting resistors are on the underside, as is the LED. It turned out that I had more height available than I thought, otherwise the LED would have been horizontal.Nickoly
Looking at that, it occurs to me that if you needed even less height, you could de-solder the headers on the Mega and use shorter pins, but if you are going to do this, you probably should be starting with a bare board, and not use the development system. You might have to de-solder the ICSP pins as well.
I wish the Uno and Mega had switch to using the now standard micro USB connector (or even the mini connector) instead of the USB B connector, which forces a minimum height for for full sized boards. It looks fixed in the newer boards (Due, Esplora, and Leonardo).
Yes. My first Arduino was the Australian EtherTen. It uses the micro USB connector, as do all Freetronics clones. Needless to say, the Etherten also comes with an RJ45 Ethernet jack. The short proto board shown above is designed to clear the RJ45 with standard pins.
Nick_Pyner:
Yes. My first Arduino was the Australian EtherTen. It uses the micro USB connector, as do all Freetronics clones. Needless to say, the Etherten also comes with an RJ45 Ethernet jack. The short proto board shown above is designed to clear the RJ45 with standard pins.
Nice work with the shield 