The humble electronic breadboard is where projects are born, and sometimes it takes multiple projects to make a dream come true. For times like these, Outboard Electronics Reference BreadboardA crowdfunding project by Ian Dunn of Volt Industries could be a solution.
The Overboard Electronics Reference Breadboard and Power Supply has space for four full size breadboards strung together in the center of the FR4-PCB. With this number of breadboards, I can build very complex projects using my favorite microcontroller, the Raspberry Pi Pico W, or solder another of his Z80-based microcomputers. But it’s not just a big PCB with a breadboard, it has some nice features.
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On the top of the PCB is a variable DC power supply that can be fed between 6 and 24 volts and stepped down to exactly the required voltage thanks to a potentiometer. In the event of a power problem, the built-in 500mA self-resetting fuse will hit. The power supply connects to a rail on the breadboard and from there can be connected to other rails using jumper wires.
Around the board are a series of electronics reference tables and pinouts for popular boards such as the Raspberry Pi 4, Raspberry Pi Pico, and Arduino Nano. There’s also a venerable 555 timer, resistor color codes, and Ohm’s law schematics.
This level of quick reference is sublime. I can’t count the number of times he mistook a 1K resistor for a 10K, forgetting the 555’s pinout.
Ian Dunn and Bolt Industries are familiar with these pages. Previously Dunn created his Pico 87. This is an 87-key mechanical keyboard that uses a Raspberry Pi Pico as the controller.
from $25 For the basic pledge (no breadboard) there is also the option of a full kit $45 pledge. Please note that crowdfunding a project does not guarantee that you will receive a finished product. You believe in the project and want it to succeed. You are not purchasing a retail product.
