How Does a Breadboard Work?

Breadboards simplify electronic circuits, giving enthusiasts and professionals the tools they need to create prototypes and test circuits easily. But how does a breadboard work? Let’s look at the inside of a breadboard and build our own basic circuit in the process.

How Does a Breadboard Work?

To learn how a breadboard works, you’ll need to understand its parts, what they do, and how the connections work inside. So, let’s dive in so that you can figure out how to use a breadboard all by yourself.

Inside an Electronics Breadboard

The outer appearance of an electronics breadboard can be a little confusing at first. The small connector holes on the top of a breadboard come in two different varieties: power rails and terminals. Two power rails run up each side of the breadboard as columns, one for positive and one for negative, and each point along these columns is connected.

Terminals are a little different. Rather than running up the breadboard as columns, they run across it as rows. There is usually a gap in the middle of these rows that aren’t connected, effectively doubling the number of available terminal rails.

How to Use a Breadboard’s Power Rails

As their name suggests, power rails are generally used to connect the breadboard to a power supply. This can be a battery, USB cable, or any other power supply suitable for the components you are working with.

Power rails are easy to use, but they come with some limitations. As the whole power rail is connected, most breadboards can only use two separate power supplies, creating a challenge for complex projects. Therefore, it’s best to stick to a single power supply for the first breadboard project you start on. This means that you only have to worry about two connections.

Read More: How Does a Breadboard Work? – MakeUseOf