Explore the Breadboard - AgTech

1. Notice the different rows along the breadboard and the gap that separates them.

2. Observe that one row on half the board is marked red, the other half is marked in black, and midway down there is a blue row. The color of the rows is somewhat arbitrary and used primarily as an instructional guide.  Red, however, is typically used to indicate positive.  On the opposite side, the black row indicates negative or GND. Positive and negative are not on the same side of the board. The blue row helps instructors to guide students to where they are to connect the resistor and LED.

STEM Connections

Breadboards are an essential tool for engineers when they are designing electrical systems. There are many rows on the breadboard, which allows easy connection between various components by plugging them into a row. A row is made of 5 holes connected inside the breadboard by metal. Plugging two components into holes in the same row connects those two components together; it is like making those two components hold hands. Plugging these same two components into holes in different rows does not connect those two components. Unlike the Arduino board, the breadboard cannot be directly connected to a power source.

At the Thinkabit Lab, we engage students in a discussion about why they needed to hold hands to complete the circuit, as follows:

1. Ask students “How many of you did not want to hold hands when we did the human circuit activity?”

2. Pick one student to use as an example. Grab a piece of metal and ask the class what would happen if instead of holding hands, you both held on to the piece of metal. They should tell you that the battery will still work since metal is conductive.

3. Try it out with the student to prove that this does indeed work.

4. Then explain, “This is what a breadboard does. Under each row of 5 holes on the breadboard is a little piece of metal. If you insert one wire in on one side and another wire in on the other side, it’s like those wires are holding hands through another piece of metal.

5. Why do we use a breadboard? Because wires don’t have hands and we need a way for them to stay connected without holding or twisting them together. The other way we could do this is by soldering them together, which is when you melt metal together, but that is a more permanent connection while this is a temporary connection.

Breadboard is not colored

1. Use a red, black, and blue permanent marker to highlight three separate rows.

2. Marking the breadboard with red, black, and blue makes it easier to give instructions and to match with red and black wires. 

Wires or components are not going into the hole

1. The metal on the wires and components may be bent; straighten the wire.

2. Try a different hole in the same row.