Solderless Breadboards

Thread Starter

Metalfan1185

Joined Sep 12, 2008
170
I dont have a question for this post...Instead is a General Comment that I would like to share..

I remember when I was young(er....im 24 now)...My dad brought me to a radio shack and bought me the "Experimenter 300" from ARCHER. This solderless breadboard is great, and I still have that same board many years later (about 8 years) and use it all the time.

The reason why I use it all the time is because it seems now that the majority (if not all) of these boards come from China. I purchased many, and I am constantly disappointed in the quality of these boards. And there is nothing worse than building a huge circuit that doesn't work, and then you have to probe line by line to find the bad "hole"...

I wish I had more of these boards from ARCHER, but unfortunately they are a thing of the past. I have 2, and I will keep them until they don't conduct anymore lol:D

I cant really explain it, when you add components to these old boards they grab the leads better and contact resistance isn't really ever a problem. Some of the boards i've bought off of ebay and elsewhere, you wonder if the leg of what you've added is even connected at all. On top of that, they feel flimsy and just crappy all over.




Just something to share...

Oh, and thanks for all your help with all of my questions and idea from time to time. You guys are great!!!

-Josh Nolan
Metalfan1185
 

Bernard

Joined Aug 7, 2008
5,784
I had a mystery with an el-chepo, circuit eratic- moved it down a few spaces and worked fine, culprit was high resistance leakage between row. Removed sticky backing- problem gone.
 

Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,415
What gauge of wire are you using?

I've noticed the same problem to a lesser degree. I like the basic layout of the newer boards better though.
 

ELECTRONERD

Joined May 26, 2009
1,147
I've had some fugacious experiences with breadboards myself, but usually they work pretty well. I happened to come across a old breadboard at a hamfest that was still in nice condition; and it has been the best breadboard I've had so far.

Designers in the past have encountered more situations in which the materials they need are limited or not available. Thus, they have to design around those obstacles. I've noticed that past designs are really ingenious and perform exceedingly well. Nowadays, people are just in it for the "mulah" and try to make money making products that they can get away with.

I guess this all narrows down to one veritable fact: People just don't make things like they used to.

Austin
 

jgessling

Joined Jul 31, 2009
82
Sigh... I use an older 3M breadboard and have had no trouble. Bought it at the local flea market a couple years ago. I had no idea that these things could be trouble. I'm now kicking myself for not buying a similar one I saw a couple weeks ago. I guess I figured they were all fine, silly me.
 

Thread Starter

Metalfan1185

Joined Sep 12, 2008
170
What gauge of wire are you using?

I've noticed the same problem to a lesser degree. I like the basic layout of the newer boards better though.
im unsure of the gage...The thinnest i use is the wire from cat 5 Network cables, and the thickest would be phone wire (tends to be a little thicker)
 

Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,415
Some of these units are defined for 22gauge wire, I use 24 gauge myself, specially bought for the purpose.
 

R!f@@

Joined Apr 2, 2009
9,918
We are all in the same boat.
Recent breadboards sucks. I'd Rather prototype on a vero board.

One thing I like to share is that I'm on the verge of making a better breadboard to what ever one's need and it will be better than buying one from ebay.
If you guys like to know, tell me.
I can post it once it's done.

Rifaa
 

AllVol

Joined Nov 22, 2005
55
Well, I'll tell you one thing about those breadboards. They don't work very well after being subjected to regular insertion of 1n400x's, or TIP31's, or 7805's , most relays or Romex wire. Tends to make them hard to use after a while.
 

hobbyist

Joined Aug 10, 2008
892
Yeh,,,Really,,, I know what ya mean,
I have a heck of a time trying to put 12-2 wire in them,

and the 2N305's, that;s when I use a bigger hammer, finally get them in though, they don't budge.

Come to think of it they don't come back out either,

and they say modular, reusable , Hahhh.....
 

SgtWookie

Joined Jul 17, 2007
22,230
I have an older 3M model 345 breadboard. I think I paid about $80 for it as new old stock, maybe 9 years ago. It has 4,520 tie points.

You can feel free to buy the cheap breadboards that sell for $10, $20 or whatever that are imported from China - but in this case, you get what you pay for.

If your breadboard is junk, you don't have much hope of getting your circuit to work right in the first place.

This supplier still sells the 3M boards:
http://elexp.com/bb_sb01.htm
I have never ordered from them, but they want $96 for the same board that I have.

If you prefer to order from an authorized supplier (always a good idea) Allied Electric has the same board I have for <$126:
http://www.alliedelec.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?SKU=6183304&MPN=922345

However, this board is maximum overkill for a casual hobbyist, particularly if one's bent is microcontrollers.

This would be a good choice for most hobbyist uses:
http://www.alliedelec.com/search/productdetail.aspx?SKU=6183302
 

retched

Joined Dec 5, 2009
5,207
I have ordered from Electronics Express regularly. Happy with their speed and service. They have positive and negative price points, they are a good company to compare to.

Some of the items beat others prices by 30 to 50%. For instance they have PIC16C622A for $1.25us. Microchip sells them for $1.83. and most resellers for around $2.50. I ordered their branded breadboard and it is of great quality, The spring blade points allow for easy component inserting and have good holding strength and no conductivity problems throughout the entire unit.

I have found the quality exponentially higher than other boards at the same price.

http://www.elexp.com/bb_104.htm. I have the one of the center ones. (Fig. I) Good value for $19.50.

http://www.elexp.com/bb_b272.htm
The powered version is also nice to for starters. Gives for up to 1amp at 5v to design with. +15 and -15 variable power also. For logic level and control stuff, it is a good way to start your shop.

They also have 3m strips to build your own setup.
http://www.elexp.com/bb_sb10.htm
 
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