Sick of my breadboard! quality breadboard recommendations please.

[Robert Hill]

GRRRRRRR!

I'm so fed up with my rubbish breadboard. I never know whether there is an issue with my circuit or arduino code or components or wires but usually its the connections in the breadboard that are at fault. I've just spent ages trying to get some RF transmitters to work and eventually how did I do it? wiggling the arduino around in the breadboard holes a bit!

Anyway, rant aside (maybe it will help some other frustrated electronics dabblers not to feel alone with their annoyance?)

Could anyone recommend a good quality breadboard from a good supplier (unless a good one can be got from ebay?) I want to put it on my Christmas list and free my self from the evil breadboard I have currently.

recommendations greatfully received.

 

[kellys_eye]

Get one from Rapid or Farnell.

If it cr@ps out on you then get a replacement under warranty.

 

[BobK]

Breadboards have too much stray capacitance for RF work. Use stripboard, and keep everything compact.

Bob

 

[davenn]

. I've just spent ages trying to get some RF transmitters to work and eventually how did I do it?

As BobK said they are not good for RF
DO NOT use breadboards for RF work

did I make that clear enough ?


Dave

 

[Cannonball]

Robert

I am sorry that you are having trouble with your breadboard. I have several of them and I LUV them. I also have had that problem, but I do what you did to make them work. I am careful when I am building a circuit. I make sure the wire ends are clean. If they are dull I scrape them clean and when I plug them into the circuit connections I make sure that they are completely in.

I have built a colpitts oscillator that operates in vhf frequencies. When you get up to rf frequencies you do have to be more careful about wire lengths and good connections. Have fun!

 

[Audioguru]

I gave up using a solderless breadboard 42 years ago and have used a compact and soldered stripboard ever since.
Most of my many projects at work were custom and only one prototype was made and sold as the finished item.
They looked like a pcb. Here is my FM transmitter:

 

[Harald Kapp]

They looked like a pcb.

Nice and tidy work

 

[kellys_eye]

They looked like a pcb.

I've seen stripboard that has the exact same copper strip layout as standard breadboard designed for those who wish to simply 'copy over' their stripboard layout to a more permanent form (soldered).

More recently I've taken to using coper plane perfboard - individual component lands on one side, solid copper plane on the other. This allows for extremely high density project layouts if you use the top plane as a ground (most connections on designs are ground anyway) and a small hand held drill bit to make clearance for leads that aren't grounded.

Here's a pic of a NE612-based receiver with crystal filter, BFO, AGC and audio amp built onto a board measuring 3" x 2" (incomplete at that stage) to show how dense they can be made.

 

[Robert Hill]

Thanks for the replies.

Did you guys just go straight to stripboard as the prototype/design/mock up and not use breadboards at all?

I guess i'm not quite good enough to get things right first time, but as you all suggest with RF the breadboard causes issues so i'll ditch it in this case and get soldering.

 

[kellys_eye]

I'd rather use Manhattan construction than a protoboard!

For RF work I use copper clad board with small 'lands' (I make mine by punching out mini circles using a hole punch and 0.2mm copper clad material then glueing the 'dots' around where needed).

Sometimes I can't even bother transferring the prototypes to 'real' pcbs and just box them up!

 

[BobK]

The big problem with breadboards and RF is that, even if you do get the circuit working, you cannot transfer it as is to a permanent build using stripboard or pcboard because the capacitance will not be the same.

Bob

 

[Cannonball]

Don't give up on breadboards yet. They still work on most circuits.

Besides it is easier to correct a mistake on a breadboard than if it is soldered into a circuit board.

Stick with it. It will pay off especially while you are learning.