Breadboard Basics and a Few Tips

I love seeing the different working techniques of makers and their reasoning behind them. In this Ben Eater video, he runs through the ways he prototypes circuits on a solderless breadboard.

He describes why he likes to keep it loose when first trying out a circuit (to not let all of the fussy measuring and jumper-wire cutting get in the way of his creativity). And then he shows, once he’s decided on a circuit, how he tightens things up with measuring, cutting, and installing neater jumpers.

In the process, Ben describes why he doesn’t always use an auto-stripping wire cutter and how he accurately measures and cuts wire lengths. He also explains why he doesn’t use bending tools, preferring to let experience show him where to properly bend his leads.