A solderless breadboard allows rapid, reversible circuit assembly for prototyping before committing to a soldered board

A solderless prototyping board (‘breadboard’) uses a grid of spring-contact holes connected in rows and columns underneath: components and wire pushed into the same row share a connection. This allows circuits to be built, tested, modified, and torn down without any soldering. Rule #19 instructs: ‘Always leave your original breadboard design intact and functional until you can prove that the soldered-up version works.’ Transferring to a permanent circuit board requires re-soldering everything but produces a stable, roadworthy circuit. The power buses run horizontally at top and bottom; component connections run vertically in the middle.

Examples

Insert 74C14 chip into breadboard center; connect power buses; wire 100kΩ resistor from pin 2 to pin 1; connect 0.1μF capacitor from pin 1 to ground bus; connect output from pin 2 to audio jack tip. Test with amp before replacing the resistor with a pot.

Assessment

Why should you keep the breadboard version working while building the soldered version? What is the main disadvantage of a breadboard compared to a soldered circuit board for performance?