Time for a new breadbord design?

Other Hardware General Electronics
1

Hello fellow Arduino fans, I'm a final year electrical engineering student finishing up my last few semesters and have really enjoyed prototyping a few products and projects using just an Arduino, a breadboard and random sensors. I was thinking of collating a bunch of breadboard peeves and baking a fresh breadboard with my friends for manufacture as a side project before I leave school. I have always felt that the breadboard's form and functions can be improved pretty easily to give a slightly (if not entirely) improved base for prototyping. If you have any input/ideas/complaints about the current breadboard, leave it in the comments below!

Here's what I got so far:
*Access points for multimeter (on the back of the board perhaps, or along the side?)
*Crocodile clip access points (along the sides of the board)
*Modular assembly of multiple boards (in 3 dimensions!)
*Something for cable management (hahaha)
*Maybe some guiding lines for intuitive understanding of the conducting strips within the breadboard for newbies
*Designated I/O pins
*In-built power lines
*Mountable on a variety of micro-controllers (especially the Arduino of course)

Will keep ya'll posted on the design updates across this semester.
peace. out with the moldy bread! its fine time for some fresh loaves <3

2

If you have time for that in final year you're not studying hard enough :wink:

3

You are talking about this, a solderless breadboard ?

It does have power rails.
For crocodile clips (or multimeter), simply insert single header pins inverted into the breadboard at an appropriate point.
Multiple breadboards can be fixed together using the built mounting lugs.
I can't imagine a 3 dimensional construction using breadboards. The components may fall out. The same with turning the board over to use the proposed measurement points on the back.

The main problem I have with breadboards is the reliability of the connections, not its fundamental design. Maybe that is where you should focus your efforts in the contact design or the contact plating material.

4

Some things that might interest you:
https://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=445951.msg3089723#msg3089723

http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=436498.0

https://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=445951.msg3132629#msg3132629

https://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=445951.msg3160567#msg3160567

https://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=445951.msg3386049#msg3386049

https://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=445951.msg3292724#msg3292724

https://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=445951.msg3402425#msg3402425

http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=381469.0

5

Most of your ideas would serve to diminish rather than expand the function of a breadboard.

*Access points for multimeter (on the back of the board perhaps, or along the side?)

With .1 spacing, what would you use? A post sticking up? A BARE METAL post? Don't you think it would be easy to short to adjacent rows? I think it would be a better solution to create a test lead for that.

*Crocodile clip access points (along the sides of the board)

Again, Alligator clips are big, plus you confine any usable pins for it to particular rows, which doesn't work well in the real world.

*Modular assembly of multiple boards (in 3 dimensions!)

They make small, medium, and large, and even multiples of each mounted on the same backing board, along with banana lugs. 3D might sound cool, but how are you going to check connections on the lower board?

*Something for cable management (hahaha)

Not a whole lot you can do other than use the correct length wires and be neat about laying it out on the board

*Maybe some guiding lines for intuitive understanding of the conducting strips within the breadboard for newbies

Don't really think that is necessary. Most power rails already are marked, and even indicated if not continuous. Rows are rows, columns don't matter.

*Designated I/O pins

For what particular thing? What if I don't use that particular thing? My I/O pins are different than yours. You cannot make a one-size-fits all in this respect. With an open breadboard, any uC I/O can be wired to the breadboard as easily as the next, and without limiting what has to go where

*In-built power lines

Done already. Combination banana screw lugs.

*Mountable on a variety of micro-controllers (especially the Arduino of course)

Most uC's that are small enough to put on a breadboard already ARE breadboard friendly. The few that are not have adapter boards in order to do this if that's what you want. An Uno or Mega isn't breadboard friendly because there wouldn't be much breadboard left, but that has been addressed too. Just mount the Uno in between a couple breadboards

I'm not saying to NOT try, but I'm saying you better be VERY clever about it. Maybe it would be better to make a test lead adapter board, where you could properly space out test points/posts with a elevated ground bar for attaching all the neg alligator leads. It would attach to the breadboard with standard wiring. You could even put another mini usb connector for when you need a second 5v supply.

6

Launched a new breadboard design called the PlusBoard on Kickstarter and it has been really popular! You can support it here if you like the idea! It deals with some of the things we discussed: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/310280880/plusboard-an-a-prototyping-experience-for-makers

7

Hi,
Make it any colour,BUT NOT BLACK or DARK BLUE.
Look at your video and see how bad it is to see stuff on it.

Tom.. :slight_smile: