Dean Huster
Well-Known Member
It's a shame that folks other than moderators cannot post comments to the Theory or Project articles. Often, some important information or good hints are left out of the original article and the comments could be a big help to readers new to the subject.
For instance, in Theory under "Breadboards", there was one error that needed to be corrected regarding the internal wiring of the power supply busses. The article said that the busses were split into two equal-length strips. This is dependent upon the board manufacturer. Here in the U.S., E&L brand boards have the busses split as described but the Global Specialties boards do not and have full-length busses. Most breadboards can be disassembled so that you can break those supply busses any way you want, in case you happen to like having six independent busses down the strip.
Also, as an addendum to that same article, it would be good to note some advantages of certain brands. for instance, while Asian boards may be inexpensive to purchase, most don't wear well and have a lousy warranty. On the other hand, the U.S. E&L and Global Specialties brands (both are subsidiaries of Interplex Electronics) have LIFETIME UNLIMITED warranties. If you spring the contacts because you shove too many 2-watt resistors into the breadboarding holes; if you wired an IC backward or overdissipated a resistor and melted an area of the board; if the board is intermittent; if the board is getting loaded with broken pieces of hookup wire .... those two companies will replace those boards with identical new ones, no questions asked. They may be a bit more expensive to purchase, but you're getting a lifetime value when you purchase them.
Dean
For instance, in Theory under "Breadboards", there was one error that needed to be corrected regarding the internal wiring of the power supply busses. The article said that the busses were split into two equal-length strips. This is dependent upon the board manufacturer. Here in the U.S., E&L brand boards have the busses split as described but the Global Specialties boards do not and have full-length busses. Most breadboards can be disassembled so that you can break those supply busses any way you want, in case you happen to like having six independent busses down the strip.
Also, as an addendum to that same article, it would be good to note some advantages of certain brands. for instance, while Asian boards may be inexpensive to purchase, most don't wear well and have a lousy warranty. On the other hand, the U.S. E&L and Global Specialties brands (both are subsidiaries of Interplex Electronics) have LIFETIME UNLIMITED warranties. If you spring the contacts because you shove too many 2-watt resistors into the breadboarding holes; if you wired an IC backward or overdissipated a resistor and melted an area of the board; if the board is intermittent; if the board is getting loaded with broken pieces of hookup wire .... those two companies will replace those boards with identical new ones, no questions asked. They may be a bit more expensive to purchase, but you're getting a lifetime value when you purchase them.
Dean
