The art of using breadboard

Question

I am making a circuit for converting analog to digital signals using an ADC0808. This IC has 28 pins, and my circuit also includes a 555 timer and some LEDs to display the output. The high number of connections makes breadboard wiring clumsy, tangled and irritating. I have not found a proper resource yet to teach me how to manage a breadboard for such large circuits.

Are there any resources or examples available that may help teach me how to manage breadboard-based projects with relatively complicated wiring?

Answer 1

Breadboarded circuits - both push-in and soldered can be made quite neatly if the components are sensibly laid out.

Figure 1. A large breadboard with neat layout and wiring. Source.

Figure 2. A simpler example from How to use a breadboard.

I strongly recommend that you buy a jumper wire kit.

Figure 3. A jumper wire kit in colour-coded sizes, stripped and preformed. Image: Farnell.

I purchased a kit that used the resistor colour code for the short lead lengths. Jump 1 row was un-insulated, red = jump 2, orange = jump 3, yellow = 4, etc. This is really handy as you can count the rows and pick the correct jumper by colour so easily. A reel of solid-cored wire can be used to make custom lengths.

Answer 2

A breadboard is not for rigorous testing of a circuit - and you should expect to have a tangled mess when prototyping a design, especially if you are using pre-made jumper wires and not your own stripped down wires. Once you have confirmed operation, then you move onto a stripboard (if you want to) or a PCB for better testing.

There is no one perfect way to use breadboards, but in general, you should make use of the power rails, as well as the rows that are inter-connected, such that you reduce the number of jumpers needed.