The best brand of the breadboard - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: Jasonbit
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2020, 02:21:19 am
content: Hello guys,I am newbie on electronics but I've been learning electronics for a few years now. I always bought breadboards from ebay, but it always has a poor quality. I recently discovered this brand:http://busboard.com/.I have seen good reviews on this product. But since they are still expensive I would like to know your opinion about them.Note: I'm a newbie, but I intend to invest in good material.Thank you

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2020, 02:53:23 am
content: the "3M" boards are generally highly regarded. They can be obtained from Assembly Specialist.Some recent discussion on breadboards:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/global-specialties-solderless-breadboards/msg3162886/#msg3162886https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/3m-breadboards-for-cheap/https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/who-made-the-high-quality-breadboard/And a youtube review:https://youtu.be/XKQJhe9n_ugThe BB830 also has received good reviews - notably from Ben Eater who uses them in his discrete CPU kits. Be wary of fakes.

author: Doctorandus_P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2020, 04:01:37 am
content: Quality of breadboards from Ali / Ebay / China varies a lot,and there is no easy way to distinguish quality.Once I bought a few transparent breadboards, Quality of them is very reasonable, but I still dislike them strongly because the transparent part, together with the relief for the holes makes it hard to distinguish details of wires and other small parts on them.These days I do not use breadboards much anymore, but spending some extra money on a few decent quality breadboards is a good investment in my book.

author: Peabody
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2020, 04:35:50 am
content: I have two of the Busboard breadboards, and they are quite good. I think Amazon has the best price at the moment - $7.90 or so. I know you can get breadboards at 1/3 that price from the Far East, but for me this is one of those times when it's important to get something that works. A breadboard with marginal contacts will cause no end of trouble. I bought my Busboards after seeing that review video, and after wasting a lot of time on flaky ones from Ebay.

author: alank2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2020, 08:48:00 pm
content: My two favorites:https://www.jameco.com/z/WBU-202-R-830-Point-Solderless-Breadboard-6-5-x-2-125-_20723.htmlhttps://www.jameco.com/z/WBU-301-R-400-Point-Solderless-Breadboard-3-3-Lx2-1-W_20601.htmlThey are "wish" or "wisher" brand. Components push in and pull out easily, but always have a great connection.

author: rcjoy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2020, 08:59:13 pm
content: The 3M breadboard is likely one of the best. My current one has worked flawlessly for over 30 years.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2020, 09:08:28 pm
content: Considerhttps://entertaininghacks.wordpress.com/2020/07/22/prototyping-circuits-easy-cheap-fast-reliable-techniques/Not what you are looking for, but it will save you a lot of time and money in the medium term.

author: drussell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2020, 10:06:50 pm
content: Quote from: Peabody on September 08, 2020, 04:35:50 amI'm not sure what would be most easily available in Brazil, but from personal experience over many decades I can say that both Wish and Busboard are good for the price. Most of mine are the Wish 3 and 4 row mounted on a metal plate with four binding posts at the upper right, purchased at various different times over the years, with various random branding in the upper left depending on the era, and also have a few made by Busboard.As for price, you can usually get the multi-row ones in the style I'm talking about for basically the same price as the bare individual breadboards and you get a bonus backplate and binding posts. They look similar to these examples ($27 and $36 respectively):

author: Jasonbit
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 09, 2020, 05:32:56 pm
content: Hello,I like this article:https://entertaininghacks.wordpress.com/2020/07/22/prototyping-circuits-easy-cheap-fast-reliable-techniques/I became a fan of the technique Manhattan. Maybe in near future I can build a CNC to do plates (PCB) in copper. Because thus I will can made directly on plate without having to resort to hand tools. Something like this:I was read about breadboards Jameco. But I didn't know the segment product in brand 3M.I am tempted to buy from the brand BusBoardThe models BB830 and BB1460.To make assemblies in a learning phase the breadboard is better(I think). It allows quick assembly and use of components in other projects. But when you finished learning and tests a particular circuit and want to move on to the testing phase, the Manhattan technique will be a good option. Because I was always reluctant to move to a plate (PCB) like these before I have tottaly guaranty which all works good: (easyeda.com, PCBWay or jlcpcb.com).Firstly because it's expensive, secondly if I need to fix some part of the circuit, during the phase debugging it is will very complicated.I do very projects directly in breadboard. Sometimes I need to leave a circuit mounted on the breadboard for months (as it would take a lot of work to disassemble and reassemble). Is this healthy for breadboard contacts (they will not lose strength)?Thanks you all for your advices

author: drussell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 09, 2020, 06:14:13 pm
content: Quote from: Jasonbit on September 09, 2020, 05:32:56 pmLOL... Only months, you say?I have projectsin use, inside cases even, that are still in breadboard form, and have been fordecadesawaiting that "someday, I'll solder up a permanent one" moment, but still work fine.As for the breadboards themselves? Yeah, if they are at least half decent quality, they don't really care if you leave something "normal" in them, like connecting wires or a DIP IC, although you do kind of wreck the holes a bit when you shove big things like TO-220 leads or big, fat, high wattage resistor leads into them. With most, like the Wishboard ones though, you can even peel off the back foamy and pull out damaged contacts and squeeze them back together to increase clamping if you want to after horrible abuse.I've had to replace several of the individual row boards on the metal backplates after some brilliant stunts like doing mains-connected projects with un-optoisolated TRIACs shorting out, blowing up entire rows of 7400 series logic, usually taking out the parallel port I/O card in the attached PC or something also, leaving very crispy, melted Wishboards with evaporated springies and black sooty, scortchy skidmarks on top.Oh, yeah!... Fun times!!

author: Jasonbit
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 10, 2020, 02:22:07 am
content: Quote from: drussell on September 09, 2020, 06:14:13 pmOkay, this really overflow my expectationsI found a new method to build pcb to debugging:What kind tool he uses on this moment?https://youtu.be/blalAktxFoI?t=226ThanksOn description I found the answer. But I don't want build my own tool. I want buy a. ()

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 10, 2020, 07:22:05 pm
content: I think you can use drill bits for cutting holes in glass. You would need the hollow saw type.https://www.amazon.com/glass-drill-bits/s?k=glass+drill+bits

author: Doctorandus_P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 11, 2020, 04:02:35 am
content: In addition tho the breadboard itself...How you handle them is also important.A common mistake is to pull wired resistors from the paper tape and put them in the breadboard. Never do that. Part of the glue will stick to the end of the resistor leads and will be transfered into the breadboard.Those long resistor wires are designed to be cut to size, and are too long for breadboards also. In my experience 15 to 20mm long works best.

author: drussell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 11, 2020, 11:49:42 am
content: Quote from: Doctorandus_P on September 11, 2020, 04:02:35 amWell, that depends on how far you're trying to "jump" with the resistor.Certainly if you want to keep the leads long, either cut off just the tiny bit that is in the tape instead of pulling them out, or at least thoroughly clean off the goo if you do actually need it to stay full length for some reason.You definitely don't want to repeatedly put goo into your breadboard holes.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 11, 2020, 02:58:22 pm
content: You can cut arbitrary size and shape islands in copperclad board. There are many techniques from scratching to a dremel drill with a spherical dentists but.Alternatively use tinsnips or a hacksaw to chop up copperclad into suitable islands, then superglue those onto the main pcbThere are examples in the reference I posted earlier in the thread.

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 11, 2020, 07:42:15 pm
content: Quote from: tggzzz on September 11, 2020, 02:58:22 pmYou'll learn quickly if your choice of superglue is the right choice... the glue I used gave off a noxious odor when heated up by a soldering iron.I think pretty much any adhesive will work. It doesn't have to be very strong. The next time I make a Manhattan style board I'll try a "school glue stick" to see how well that works.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 11, 2020, 07:47:50 pm
content: Quote from: ledtester on September 11, 2020, 07:42:15 pmI wouldn't argue with that. Experiment, and use the technique that best suits yourself.The key point is to avoid solderless breadboards wasting your time and dispiriting you. Let's fight the circuit, not apoorimplementation

author: Jwillis
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 11, 2020, 09:09:52 pm
content: Its a lot about construction . The more expensive boards tend to use Nickel plated Phosphor Bronze which is more resistant to corrosion , deformation and high thermal capability . Its the same material use light switches and receptacles .Cheap boards tend to use nickel plated steel which can deform with use. They work OK ,but don't expect them to last.When to use a bread board and when not to use a bread board is dependant on circumstances . Low power they are fine but don't expect to use them for high power . Cheaper boards can handle maybe up to 10 amps before they start to burn. And because of inherent capacitance between rails can lead to problems with high frequencies . So other techniques may be required .I like to screw the bread boards down to a piece of plywood so I can keep everything stabilized that may be connected to it. Like power wires , heat sinks and other PCBs . I can mark on the plywood every function of every piece and can add extra power rails as required . I can come back after months , power up know where I left off instantly .

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 11, 2020, 09:17:02 pm
content: Even if they get all that right, the basic physics of constructions on solderless breadboards screw you.

author: drussell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 11, 2020, 10:42:23 pm
content: Quote from: Jwillis on September 11, 2020, 09:09:52 pmHuh... So if a cheap one will handle 10A, what do you consider "high power" for a breadboard?!

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 11, 2020, 11:21:44 pm
content: Quote from: Jwillis on September 11, 2020, 09:09:52 pmYes - a mother breadboard!I've used small cafeteria trays made of ABS plastic -- like the ones airlines used when they included a meal on your flight -- for my mother breadboards. Used inverted so the raised lip keeps the main surface off the table. ABS is easy to drill, and most of the time I would just secure daughter boards with wire twist ties. Makes it easy to accommodate whatever random modules you have in your application.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 12, 2020, 07:43:18 am
content: Quote from: drussell on September 11, 2020, 10:42:23 pmQuite!You can also run into the road without looking

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 12, 2020, 07:53:55 am
content: Quote from: Jasonbit on September 10, 2020, 02:22:07 am

author: drussell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2020, 11:25:14 am
content: I just happened across this Ben Eater video snippet that compares el-cheap-o breadboard contacts to BusBoard brand contacts and thought I would link it here for future reference:https://youtu.be/fCbAafKLqC8?t=75He also has a short written explanation of the same thing at:https://eater.net/breadboards

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2020, 11:42:30 am
content: In my experience, all breadboards worked reasonably OK, from the most expensive 3M I have, to the cheapest no name. Sure, the 3M one feels better in quality and when inserting parts, and has some extra banana plugs for power, but also was way more expensive than the no name ones, so in the end it's up to the end user's pocket.None so far were unusable.Last two times I bought only no name, in packages of 5, because there is a tendency to leave a circuit stay on the breadboard forever, so the breadboards became consumables, as a PCB should be.

author: drussell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2020, 11:49:12 am
content: Quote from: RoGeorge on September 15, 2020, 11:42:30 amI've seen some terrible ones. Even the old Radio Shack white ones didn't last very long.Spending the extra couple dollars for something the level of Wish or BusBoard is a really good idea, the 3M ones are overkill. They're generally extremely expensive and I'm not sure they're actually much better than something like a BusBoard.If you look at Ben's comparison of the contacts in the video above, you'll see why some of those el-cheap-o ones reallyareterrible.

author: drussell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2020, 11:52:12 am
content: Quote from: RoGeorge on September 15, 2020, 11:42:30 amOh, I definitely have that same problem (or perhaps, disease?) as I noted above:Quote from: drussell on September 09, 2020, 06:14:13 pm

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2020, 12:45:57 pm
content: You made me curious, so I checked the order page. Last time (2018) I bought "5pcs/lot Breadboard 830 Point Solderless PCB Bread Board MB-102 MB102 Test Develop DIY" for US $14.05 / lot, so less than $3/pcs. They were just fine, maybe I was lucky.The pic is from the order, and the breadboards were indeed looking exactly like in the pics (with the plastic slightly translucent). I don't like and avoid the ones with matte white plastic and no markings. The good ones are also slightly heavier than the very cheap unmarked breadboards.

author: drussell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2020, 03:05:04 pm
content: Quote from: RoGeorge on September 15, 2020, 12:45:57 pm"Fine," as they worked once, for one project? I don't consider that "fine" for a breadboard.Have you actually pulled a contact out and compared it to a decent quality one?Ben's video shows very clearly what I've seen personally before... Some of them are absolute shit!

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2020, 04:47:49 pm
content: I have two Radio Shack breadboards from the mid-eighties. I'm almost certain they are from the same manufacturer as the 3M brand, The only difference is the paint and the label. More recent boards from Radio Shack are clearly of cheaper construction.

author: drussell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2020, 05:54:42 pm
content: Quote from: rdl on September 15, 2020, 04:47:49 pmI'm talking about the Radio Shack ones from the 80s. They were crap.I only ever had one of the small ones and one of the long ones. They were absolute garbage compared to the Wish ones once I learned about the local Active Electronics store and bought something usable. You can't even get into the back of those ones to fix/replace a contact strip.

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2020, 08:49:22 pm
content: For the folks in the US, I have been using the Microcenter in-house brand called Inland and it is satisfactory for my needs. It is cheap enough that it becomes a throwaway in case of failure.https://www.microcenter.com/product/486584/inland-830-tie-points-solderless-breadboard

author: Electro Fan
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2020, 09:42:29 pm
content: +1 for Micro Center

author: drussell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 16, 2020, 04:11:04 am
content: Quote from: Electro Fan on September 15, 2020, 09:42:29 pmHuh...Those might be OK, I suppose, but it is rare to find any that are actually halfway-decent below the $6-7 threshold... Usually at the $5 price point you're justwayover-paying for a cheap crap board, or I suppose you somehow you got a really good deal on an actual usable strip.... Everything I've ever seen below the current-adjusted-exchange-rate suggests that if you pay less than about $7 you're probably getting absolute shit.Please post up-close pics of an actual contact to back up your claims, guys....Most of those budget $1-5 breadboards are absolute shit, so I'd love to see some that were actually worthy, useful parts on the cheap!!!!!Do tell.... !!I'll order at least 50 pcs if you can show me they're not complete crap like most of those are!Those $5 ones you could probably buy for $1 ea if they're those generic crap ones....

author: Electro Fan
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 16, 2020, 05:36:09 am
content: Quote from: drussell on September 16, 2020, 04:11:04 amUh, if you need at least 50 pcs the savings might add up, but don't take anyone's word for it...Just buy one:https://www.microcenter.com/product/486584/inland-830-tie-points-solderless-breadboardTry it for up to 30 days, if you don't like it Micro Center will refund the purchase price:https://www.microcenter.com/site/customer-support/return-policy.aspx?ekw=return_policy&rd=1To be square, I'm not saying you will love the Inland breadboard (my +1 was for Micro Center) - but it's been my experience that Micro Center is a great place to buy lots of products (especially computers, peripherals, and accessories) - in part because if you have any qualms about what you purchased they will refund your purchase. (Computers and some products have a 15 day return policy.) If you happen to find yourself within driving distance to one of their stores you will likely enjoy the shopping experience. They also sell online through their web store but that would require you to deal with shipping.FWIW, while their current price on Arduino boards seems pretty high (which is kind of the antithesis of most Micro Center pricing) I have been at one of their stores when Arduino Unos were on sale for about $7 each; I didn't buy 50 pcs but I stocked up and have never had any issues with the boards. Point being that maybe it's not good to judge a book by it's cover and maybe it's not 100% guaranteed that you can judge a breadboard because someplace sells some make and model you aren't familiar with for $2 less than you are accustomed to believing is the threshold between"halfway-decent"and"absolute ----".So if for any reason you really think you might need 50 breadboards, you could potentially start with one and see how it goes.YMMV

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 16, 2020, 08:21:13 am
content: And all the uncertainties about poor quality as simple and easy to avoid. Don't use solderless breadboards, use reliable techniques I've mentioned before.

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 17, 2020, 01:34:43 am
content: Quote from: drussell on September 16, 2020, 04:11:04 amWell, I speak of my own experience with various brands, take it or leave it. The Inland boards have been serving me well for years, with some having pins inserted for months and not losing the spring action. Others having a reasonable amount of insertions across the numerous projects around. I also rarely see the typical issue where the spring leaf gets in the way of an insertion. Are they perfect? Far from it, but they won't break the bank. Also, I tend to treat my boards well by soldering thinner jumper wires on thicker pin parts (TO-3, TO-220, TO-263) and not putting more that one pin on a single place.As tgzzz mentioned, there are other techniques that warrant better reliability but none beat the convenience.

author: tigrou
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2025, 12:39:55 am
content: I really do not recommend ELEGOO breadboards. Got one of them in a kit (the kit itself is nice by the way), but the breadboard is terrible (Muriel).Very hard to insert some pins (especially power side). If you need to insert something like a Arduino nano, good luck. And if you manage to do so you will need a lever to take it out. Ridiculous.

author: Jasonbit
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 09, 2025, 11:58:13 pm
content: Thank you for your feedback.But you had bad luck with this version of the product(?) Where did you buy this kit?What do you mean with this word "Muriel"?

author: kite31
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 10, 2025, 02:35:43 am
content: Quote from: Jasonbit on September 09, 2025, 11:58:13 pmFor the long version, watch the movie "Muriel's Wedding".Short version is its famous line, "You're terrible, Muriel".

author: tatel
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 10, 2025, 09:20:22 am
content: Don't know what you can get in Brazil, but there are a couple threads that could serve you well:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/breadboards-462504/msg5929844/#msg5929844https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/proskit-breadboards/msg5285377/#msg5285377I have to say, that K&H breadboard endured a lot of insertions and continues to work fine. Wishers from TME are OK too, but i didn't used these so much yet. But the cheap ones from ebay, ali, etc, are lesser quality, and some clearly had bad contacts even brand new. Don't know about bussboards but I think you can get them from digikey.I'm pretty sure tggzzz is right, so, should I need to deal with anything except DC/low frequencies, I would be taking his advice. But, for DC/low frequencies, I think nothing beats a good breadboard for easy, fast work.So, my advice is: get some good breadboards from a reputable seller to use them with DC/low frequency projects, and take tggzzz's advice for anything else.Good luck

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 10, 2025, 09:53:22 am
content: Quote from: tatel on September 10, 2025, 09:20:22 amThere's an old engineering saying: "amplifiers oscillate, oscillators won't".An example of that - based on an idea from TAoE X-chapters - is shown here:https://entertaininghacks.wordpress.com/2024/03/16/practical-traps-with-a-one-transistor-audio-amplifier-solderless-breadboards-and-oscilloscopes/TL;DR: thecircuitdecides what is "low frequency", not your signal.That is true whatever construction technique you use; physics rulezAll techniques have their limitations. Know what they are and use an appropriatecombinationof techniques for your current project.

author: MathWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 10, 2025, 10:58:20 pm
content: Quote from: tigrou on April 23, 2025, 12:39:55 amI got some of those off Amazon, and overall I like them. I find inserting those pre-paid jumper cables a bit hard, but for resistors and IC's they seem ok.In the past I also bought some similar named ones, like Elenco or some other clone name of them. They are pretty good.But yeah I have about 1/2 a dozen or more from ebay over the years that I really don't like. I never tried to mod them tho, I should.

author: Zielsziek
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 11, 2025, 12:30:24 pm
content: This is my (now old) Wisher breadboard. The exact model is WBP-306. I am very happy with it. It has survived 6 years of being tossed around, being moved from university to home for every summer break and my various projects. I did not find a particular reason to dish out the money for a 3M board as I would rather use a protoboard whenever I feel like having a more "serious" prototype. I agree with everything that has been said here.P.S so far this is my most inappropriate project done on a breadboard, a curve tracer. And it works ( although with severe noise intrusion for obvious reasons).

author: armandine2
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 11, 2025, 01:11:01 pm
content: ..I have the K&H board as well umpteen of Ben Eater recommended 8-bit computer ones