[qrp-l.org] Solderless Breadboard Ideas

[n9jxy at att.net]

If you're like me, you've got several of those solderless breadboards laying 
around that you've acquired over the years, but don't use them much. I've 
found that a breadboard works great for organizing parts when you're 
building something. It holds the parts up so they can easily be seen and 
accessed, and holds them securely. Sometimes, I'll follow the schematic and 
put the parts in rows, so I can easily grab what I need as I go, and 
sometimes I'll cover the board with masking tape, grouping like components 
together, circling & labeling them on the tape with an ultra fine marker. I 
also build all my toroids and stand them up on the board, after bringing 
their leads together & cutting them the same length. When using the method 
of covering the board with tape, it's easier to poke the holes through the 
tape with something other than the component leads, but it's not any 
trouble. When building a large project, you can organize the parts for each 
section on their own breadboard.

Something else a breadboard comes in handy for is identifying components 
with something like an M Cubed Semiconductor Analyzer. You can connect the 
tester's leads to cut-off component leads and plug them into the breadboard, 
then the board gives you a solid surface to work from, so you can quickly 
push components in & pull them out as you test them. Also it saves wear & 
tear on the tester's clips.

Denny    N9JXY