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Prototype Board

A prototype board, also called a 'breadboard' is the quickest and cheapest way to set up a circuit. The picture shows one type of prototype board.

Underneath the rows of holes, sets of metal clips connect together the components used in the circuit. The next photograph shows the back view of the board.

Metal clips

When you push the leg of a component through a hole in the prototype board, it is gripped by a metal clip. This clip runs beneath all the holes in that row on the board. When two components are plugged into the same row, the clip grips them both and makes an electrical connection between them.

Advantages

• quick to assemble;
• no health and safety issues about soldering;
• cheap, because components can be re-used.

Disadvantages

• not mechanically robust;
• relatively bulky
• final component layout can be difficult to relate to the circuit diagram.