PCB mount breadboard? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: John Coloccia
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 18, 2015, 08:50:42 pm
content: I thought this was the best place to ask this. I'm looking for a solderless breadboard with throug hole pins on the backside for mounting to a PCB. Basically, a lot of what I do has some similarities in that there are major "blocks" that sort of fit together to make a product, and some stuff is common to most of my products. Instead of dealing with all sorts of flying wires, pots and switches all the time, I'd like to design a PCB for each major architecture I have, and that will have enough flexibility that I'll be able to prototype whatever I want pretty quickly. I DO still need some breadboards, though, and my idea is to have breadboard strategically placed on the board and pre-wired in a sensible configuration for the work I do.Does anyone make such a thing? Has anyone ever done something similar and they might like to share what they've done?

author: T3sl4co1l
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 19, 2015, 10:00:33 am
content: Do you mean that the solderless breadboard (I assume is what you mean) has pin connections to the PCB it's mounted on??I don't think there is such a thing, but you can do:- PCB with pad-per-hole proto area, or rows-of-contacts, or... whatever format (requires soldered connections)- Socket headers (usually limited to 0.025" square pin headers)- IC sockets, etc. (usually compatible with thinner pins -- IC pins, component leads, hookup wires)- Socket pins, socket headers (e.g., Mill-Max machined pins and sockets) -- these can have low profiles (nearly flush with the board; the spring contact sits in a holder pin, which gets soldered into an oversize pad hole), or are available as inserted pins (solder tail) or headers (ditto but in a plastic retainer).Offhand, I don't think there's such a thing as PC mounted spring contact rows, like as used in solderless breadboards; but with these options, maybe you can cook up something suitable for not too obscene a price.Anything you can do to save pins, organize connections -- will help save cost, at the expense of generality. If it's modular, maybe you can standardize all the connections, so the modules can be plugged into a backplane or motherboard. Some of the modules will have unused pins, they just use whichever ones are needed for the function. If it's about permutations and routing, you could leave the signal connections open to plugboards, IC sockets (you can still get male IC header plugs, that fit into DIP sockets/headers, and have solder terminals or socket pins that can be used to add wire crossings or components or whatever) or stuff like that.And, as I'm sure you already know, regular solderless breadboards can be mounted to bare PCB areas, or chassis panels, with screws or double-stick tape.Tim

author: John Coloccia
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 19, 2015, 01:38:53 pm
content: Well, after much looking, I did find that 3M DOES make such a thing, but I can't get any information on it other than a very fuzzy scan of a brochure, and there isn't enough information on there to actually design it into anything. I have a call out to the local tech rep in my area, but I'm not hopeful that he'll be able to get me the information. I'm really kind of scratching my head at how lousy the 3M website is.