Protoboard (Breadboard) Guide
Version April 2011
Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Portland State University
Copyright © 2008-2011 Portland State University
Protoboard Guide
ECE – Portland State University
a b c
d e
f
g h
i
j
+ – 1
1
5
5
10
10
15
15
20
20
+ –
Figure 2: Internal protoboard wiring
• The left and right halves of the protoboard
are independent (no internal connection).
• The vertical rail lines along the sides are
independent from the grid in the center.
• Within the grid, each row is independent
from any other row.
• The five holes of each half-row are wired
together.
• Warning: Excessively large voltages or
currents can damage the protoboard!
Figure 1: Typical protoboard unit
1
Protoboard Guide
ECE – Portland State University
EXAMPLE:
The cathode (negative) lead
is on the flat side of the LED
housing.
R
V
+
–
+
Flat side
LED
-
Cathode
Anode
Schematic
LED Leads
The round component is the LED.
+V
The color banded component is
the resistor.
–
The wire leads of the LED and
resistor are inserted into the holes
of the protoboard.
+
Ground
The bright red lines are insulated
connection wires.
Sample Circuit Connection
+V
+
–
Ground
Alternative Connection
2
There are many ways to connect a
circuit on a protoboard. Usually, a
simple and neat setup is preferred
for easier tracing and debugging.