Five Cheap Breadboard Prototyping Tips And Tricks – List #2

Following the heels of our List #1 of breadboarding tips, here’s another one. These tips were found by scrounging the web and user contributed – so a big thank you to those who shared to make breadboarding/debugging life easier for all of us. Lets start:

1. SDcard breakout with headers

Joby tipped us on this instructable by Kroden – using a 7 pin single male row header coupled with a dual row male header, you can have your own $2 sdcard reader. This tip also allows you to swap sdcards.

2. Twist Ties as Jumpers

Drew D submitted this simple tip. If you are desperately in need of a jumper wire, use the one that comes with your bread. This give us all the more reason to save those twist ties.

3. LED Straws as diffusers

This is an Instructable tip from Coffeebot, tipped by Nate. Ever blind your eyes from LED lights? This quick tip requires nothing but a few straws and a pair of scissors. Tested on 5mm leds.

4. Masking tape breadboard reference

Neil submitted this awesome debugging tip.This allows you to probe your circuit without going back to the schematic and also make a few notes.Very nice!

You can label the tape, and it covers up all the unused tie points (good for clarity). It also makes it easier to exchange parts, because it’s obvious what holes you’re using.

5. Makeshift breadboard multimeter probes

The_don125 tips about using 1/4 watt resistors as multimeter probes on your breadboard,instead of jabbing your blunt multimeter probes into your breadboard.

We would love to see you submit more tips. Comment below if you like the tips featured here or have any other suggestions.