How to Use a Breadboard

Contributors: M-Short, Joel_E_B

Purchasing a Breadboard

A great way to start using breadboards is to purchase one as part of a kit. The Sparkfun Inventor's Kit includes everything you need to complete 16 different circuits.

SparkFun Inventor's Kit - v4.1

KIT-15267

The fourth edition of our popular SIK, fully reworked from the ground up for a better learning experience! V4.1 now has the a…

Retired

Breadboards

We've also listed a few basic stand-alone breadboards in different sizes for your projects.

Breadboard - Classic

PRT-00112

Your first exposure to electrical engineering - the bread board. Who knew it would bring so much frustration? This is your …

$10.95

Breadboard - Translucent Self-Adhesive (Clear)

PRT-09567

**Description**: Ever wonder what goes on inside these things? Well this clear bread board might enlighten. Beyond the cl…

$5.50

Breadboard - Mini Modular (Red)

PRT-12044

This red Mini Breadboard is a great way to prototype your small projects! With 170 tie points there's just enough room to bui…

$4.50

STEMTera (Black)

DEV-14082

The STEMTera is an innovation in breadboard history. It is the first breadboard with an Arduino-compatible hardware suite bui…

Retired

Jumper Wires

Looking for ways to connect easily to your boards and ICs on a breadboard? Check out the following jumper wires.

Jumper Wire Kit - 140pcs

PRT-00124

This is a time saving kit of 140 jumper wires - cut, stripped, and pre-bent for your prototyping pleasure.

$6.50

IC Hook with Pigtail

CAB-09741

These are good quality IC test hooks with a male connection wire. Instead of a single hook, these have two hooks that are cap…

$5.50

Alligator Clip with Pigtail (10 Pack)

CAB-14303

This is a 10-pack of wires that are pre-terminated with an alligator clip on one end and a male header on the other.

$7.50

IC Hook Test Leads

CAB-00501

These are various leaded cables for attaching to multimeters, power supplies, oscilloscopes, function generators, etc. 5 pair…

$9.95

Jumper Wires Premium 6" M/F Pack of 10

PRT-09140

This is a SparkFun exclusive! These are 155mm long, 26 AWG jumper wires terminated as male to female. Use these to jumper fro…

$4.50

Jumper Wires Premium 6" M/M Pack of 10

PRT-08431

This is a SparkFun exclusive! These are 155mm long, 26 AWG jumpers with male connectors on both ends. Use these to jumper fro…

$4.50

Jumper Wires Premium 6" F/F Pack of 10

PRT-08430

This is a SparkFun exclusive! These are 155mm long, 26 AWG jumpers with female connectors on both ends. Use these to jumper f…

$4.50

Solderable Breadboards and Protoboards

When you are finished prototyping on a breadboard, you can solder the circuit to a PCB for a more secure connection.

SparkFun Solder-able Breadboard

PRT-12070

This is the SparkFun Solderable Breadboard. A bare PCB that is the exact size as our regular breadboard with the same connect…

$5.50

SparkFun Solder-able Breadboard - Mini

PRT-12702

This is the Mini SparkFun Solder-able Breadboard. A bare PCB that is the exact size as our mini modular breadboards with the …

$3.50

SparkFun Solder-able Breadboard - Large

PRT-12699

This is the Large SparkFun Solder-able Breadboard. A bare PCB that is the exact size as our full-size breadboard with the sam…

$9.95

SparkFun ProtoShield Kit

DEV-13820

The SparkFun ProtoShield Kit lets you customize your own Arduino shield using whatever circuit you can come up with and then …

$12.50

Interested in learning more foundational topics?

See our Engineering Essentials page for a full list of cornerstone topics surrounding electrical engineering.

Take me there!