Breadboard

Also see: Stripboard | PCB | Types of Circuit Board

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Breadboard, photograph © Rapid Electronics
Small Breadboard
Photograph © Rapid Electronics
Uses of Breadboard
A breadboard is used to make up temporary circuits for testing or to try out an idea. No soldering is required so it is easy to change connections and replace components. Parts will not be damaged so they will be available to re-use afterwards.

Almost all the Electronics Club projects started life on a breadboard to check that the circuit worked as intended.

The photograph shows a typical small breadboard which is suitable for beginners building simple circuits with one or two ICs (chips). Larger sizes are available and you may wish to buy one of these to start with.
Connections on Breadboard
Breadboards have many tiny sockets (called 'holes') arranged on a 0.1" grid. The leads of most components can be pushed straight into the holes. ICs are inserted across the central gap with their notch or dot to the left.

Wire links can be made with single-core plastic-coated wire of 0.6mm diameter (the standard size). Stranded wire is not suitable because it will crumple when pushed into a hole and it may damage the board if strands break off.

The diagram shows how the breadboard holes are connected: Connections on breadboard

The top and bottom rows are linked horizontally all the way across as shown by the red and black lines on the diagram. The power supply is connected to these rows, + at the top and 0V (zero volts) at the bottom.

I suggest using the upper row of the bottom pair for 0V, then you can use the lower row for the negative supply with circuits requiring a dual supply (e.g. +9V, 0V, -9V).

The other holes are linked vertically in blocks of 5 with no link across the centre as shown by the blue lines on the diagram. Notice how there are separate blocks of connections to each pin of ICs.

Large Breaboards
On larger breadboards there may be a break halfway along the top and bottom power supply rows. It is a good idea to link across the gap before you start to build a circuit, otherwise you may forget and part of your circuit will have no power!
Building a Circuit on Breadboard
Converting a circuit diagram to a breadboard layout is not straightforward because the arrangement of components on breadboard will look quite different from the circuit diagram.

When putting parts on breadboard you must concentrate on their connections, not their positions on the circuit diagram. The IC (chip) is a good starting point so place it in the centre of the breadboard and work round it pin by pin, putting in all the connections and components for each pin in turn.

555 monostable circuit diagram
Monostable Circuit Diagram
The best way to explain this is by example, so the process of building this 555 timer circuit on breadboard is listed step-by-step below.

The circuit is a monostable which means it will turn on the LED for about 5 seconds when the 'trigger' button is pressed. The time period is determined by R1 and C1 and you may wish to try changing their values. R1 should be in the range 1kohm to 1Mohm.

Time Period, T = 1.1 × R1 × C1

For further information please see 555 monostable.

IC pin numbers
IC pin numbers
IC pins are numbered anti-clockwise around the IC starting near the notch or dot. The diagram shows the numbering for 8-pin and 14-pin ICs, but the principle is the same for all sizes.


Components without suitable leads
Soldering leads onto switches Some components such as switches and variable resistors do not have suitable leads of their own so you must solder some on yourself. Use single-core plastic-coated wire of 0.6mm diameter (the standard size). Stranded wire is not suitable because it will crumple when pushed into a hole and it may damage the board if strands break off.


Building the example circuit
Begin by carefully insert the 555 IC in the centre of the breadboard with its notch or dot to the left.

Then deal with each pin of the 555:
Monostable Circuit on Breadboard
Monostable Circuit on Breadboard

1. Connect a wire (black) to 0V.
2. Connect the 10k resistor to +9V.
Connect a push switch to 0V (you will need to solder leads onto the switch)
3. Connect the 470 resistor to an used block of 5 holes, then...
Connect an LED (any colour) from that block to 0V (short lead to 0V).
4. Connect a wire (red) to +9V.
5. Connect the 0.01µF capacitor to 0V.
You will probably find that its leads are too short to connect directly, so put in a wire link to an unused block of holes and connect to that.
6. Connect the 100µF capacitor to 0V (+ lead to pin 6).
Connect a wire (blue) to pin 7.
7. Connect 47k resistor to +9V.
Check: there should be a wire already connected to pin 6.
8. Connect a wire (red) to +9V.

Finally...

* Check all the connections carefully.
* Check that parts are the correct way round (LED and 100µF capacitor).
* Check that no leads are touching (unless they connect to the same block).
* Connect the breadboard to a 9V supply and press the push switch to test the circuit.

If your circuit does not work disconnect (or switch off) the power supply and very carefully re-check every connection against the circu

vini ppt2

Total posts: 1

by Lisa Zyga

The future of battery power could be in your juice bottle—or your bladder. Recent breakthroughs in battery technology have put us on a track that sounded ridiculous ten years ago: creating batteries out of organic and biodegradable materials that last longer than metallic batteries and can recharge in no time.

One of the latest innovations is the "sugar battery," the brainchild of St. Louis University's Shelley Minteer. It runs on plant sap, apple juice, and noncarbonated soda and lasts four times as long as a lithium ion battery.

"The batteries that we developed are biodegradable, contain no heavy/precious metals, and come from renewable resources—we can grow both more fuel and more enzymes (catalysts)," Minteer says. She predicts commercial use in three to five years.

There's also NEC's Organic Radical Battery (ORB), which uses an organic-radical polymer (a plastic gel) to create a thin, flexible battery that charges in 30 seconds. Since ORBs use the same structure as lithium ion batteries, existing cell-phone and laptop designs could be easily retrofitted.

Other alternatives under investigation include nano-size viruses, electronreleasing microorganisms, and biodegradable acids (such as methane sulphonic acid, used in Plurion's redox battery). The much-hyped urineactivated battery from the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Singapore actually works with any bio-fluid to run cheap medical diagnostic tests.

Sara Bradford, a battery analyst for Frost & Sullivan, says that lithium ion batteries are still the most powerful option, but biodegradable batteries will likely be a mid- to long-term solution.

"Biodegradable batteries could initially be used as a hybrid power source together with the more traditional batteries," Bradford .........Green Cell eco-friendly battery design – can’t we all just standardize our rechargeable batteries?

By James Allan Brady on Friday, Feb 29th 2008 2 Comments

Worth Reading?

+4 [4 votes]

Introduction

Its just a concept, but it’s a damned good one offering up a way to significantly decrease the number of batteries thrown away each year. The basic idea is that we get all the device manufacturers to start using one (or two) standardized batteries.

The batteries would have the same voltage, size, and all that other stuff. Then, they’d be sold/exchanged at vending machines.

The upside of this design is that if you couldn’t charge it yourself, you could just exchange it for a charged one, and, all your gadgets would use the same battery, meaning when your phone became more important than your laptop you could swap the two and keep talking. So it would save the environment, up the convenience of the whole mobile power situation, and since the batteries would likely be cycled out every so often, it would likely decrease the number of exploding batteries.

[via gizmodo]

Eco Gadgets: Roll Charger – Chinese health toy-inspired ecofriendly battery charger

Anupam | Apr 30 2009

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Eco Factor: Charger converts mechanical energy into electricity.

In Chinese tradition balls have been used as health and fitness toys for centuries. Rolling two balls in one’s hand stimulates acupuncture points and loosens bones and muscles making you feel relaxed and fresh. Keeping conventions aside, product designer Jiang Qian has developed a concept charger that utilizes the mechanical energy generated in the balls and converts it into electricity.

vini ppt1

Solar Outdoor Pool Heater
By Anita (EnviroGadget Writer) on March 16th, 2010

The Solar Pool Heater by Hammacher Schlemmer is a simple device to heat the water of an above ground pool without incurring any energy bill costs.
The Solar Pool Heater is designed to be attached to a pump-operated filtering system, it takes the water from this and passes it through its 6 meters (20 feet) of coiled black piping. This piping is housed into the device to make the heater only measure 58.5 cm x 58.5 cm x 25.5 cm (23 in. x 23 in. x 10 in.). It is this black piping that heats the water, exposed to the sun this piping heats up in the sunlight, warming the water that is passing through it effectively. this warmed water is then fed back into your pool.
Obviously this type of heating will not make a drastic change in temperature of a pool, but it will help take away the chill. It is estimated that the pool heating system increases the temperature of a 6,000 gallon (2271 liter) pool by 5º F (around 3º C) in 10 days. Up to 4 of these heaters can be connected to the one pool at once to speed up the heating process. By only using the heat from the sun there is no long tern running costs for this heater, though obviously it will be ineffective on cold cloudy days.
The Solar Pool Heater comes with all the hardware and accessories needed to connect it to your above ground pool and its pump-operated filtering system. It also comes with a protective cover to protect the heater while it is in storage over the cooler months.
The solar pool heater retails for $199.95 plus shipping.

The Paperfix Stapleless Stapler is a great way to bind together small amounts of paperwork without the need for staples or paperclips. This helps to reduce the amount of metal being processed for use in staples and other such bindings.
The Paperfix Stapleless Stapler is able to safely fix around 4 sheets of paper together. It achieves this through a system of cutting and folding which causes the sheets of paper to interlock. By applying pressure to the device, just as you would a normal stapler or hole punch, the sheets of paper become interlocked. Though they can come apart more easily than if they were stapled, the pages will remain together well enough for general household or office use. Additionally you can make it more secure by using an additional punch to the side as well as in the corner of the paperwork without affecting the ability to read the pages.
The benefits of not using staples are many. Firstly you save on the amount of metal being processed for such office equipment, it has been estimated that around 200 tons of staples were used in the UK throughout a year. Secondly you will never find you have run out of staples, the stapler is ready for use at all times. Thirdly due to the lack of metal the pages can be easily put through a shredder without any hassle of removing staples. Fourthly there is no chance of your accidentally putting a staple into your hand or finger, anyone who has achieved this or has concerns due to small children will know that is a great advantage!
The negatives though are that only a limited amount of paper can be secured together, 6 pages would really be a maximum. Also as they can come apart more easily there will be times when the system simply is not secure enough. However, as these circumstances are usually in the minority it seems worthwhile having one of these alongside a regular stapler to help you cut down on your staple usage at the very least.
The Paperfix Stapleless Stapler is available for just £3.99.
Small scale recharging
Orange released a new recharge station at the Glastonbury Festival. This amazing concept and prototype uses solar and wind power to provide renewable energy to recharge multiple devices. This is a grea idea for outdoor activities like festivals, or disaster relief. It can provide enough energy to recharge a hundred cell phones an hour! Users lock their phone into a locker like charging station then their phones will charge up using both wind and solar power. Check it out here!
June 24, 2008 | Filed Under Gadgets, Solar Power, Wind Power
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Solar Powered Recharger with the Solio Hybrid 1000

This great solar powered gadget charger is simply amazing, whether you are hiking in the woods or sitting at home, this little gizmo will recharge your cell phone, psp, pda, ipod, or just about anything, all without any toxic emissions. One fully charged Solio Hybrid 1000 will fully charge a cell phone, provide around 10+ hours of music on your ipod or mp3 player. 1 hour of sunshine will power your cell phone for 14 minutes of talking, or 40 minutes of music. This solar powered charger will save your skin, leave it sitting in the sun throughout the day and use it to charge your iphone or other gadgets at night! Enjoy it here, check it out!