Have you ever been bothered about whether to prototype a circuit on a breadboard or a protoboard? Then, read to the end to know what exactly to do whenever you need to prototype.

Introduction

We always see different people, even experts, use the words protoboard and breadboard interchangeably, and it's just difficult at times to ascertain which board has been referenced in the context of the discussion. Meanwhile, It's general knowledge that some prototyping boards are solderless while the rest are solderable. Hence, throughout this article, we'll refer to the solderable board as a protoboard and the solderless board as a breadboard.

By the end of this article, you will know for sure what board is best for prototyping at any stage of your project.

What is a protoboard?

As the name implies, a protoboard is just a regular, ready-made Printed Circuit Board predesigned for prototyping electronic circuits. They come with drilled holes and a surface copper layer, allowing electronic components to be arranged and soldered as desired. Protoboards are also popularly known as Perfboard (i.e., perforated board), stripboard, and veroboard, either of those names can still refer to the same board.

Protoboards can also be used to implement a circuit design for permanent use, especially when there's no need to replicate the circuit. Since the components arranged on them are firmly soldered, they're rugged enough to withstand some level of pressure.

What Makes up the Protoboard?

Like any other PCB board, the protoboard's main body is made of an insulator, often fiberglass, with a layer of copper (usually one-sided). This copper layer makes the interconnection of components on the protoboard possible. And for every perforation on the protoboard, there are always pads around it that ensure components stay soldered to the board.

Types of Protoboards

Since this article regarded protoboards as Veroboard, we'll look at different common Veroboard types available in the electronics market. They include:

·       Stripboard: The stripboard has parallel copper strips running from one end of the board to the other. This implies that components connected to the board can share a common node without linking them with any external conductor as long as they are connected on the same strip.

·       Matrix board: Each hole on the Matrix board is surrounded by individual copper pads, with no strip or linkage between holes. It only makes sense that whenever you use a matrix board, the connection between components is achieved by linking the pins to be connected with solder or an external conductor (jumper wires).

·      Tripad board: As the name suggests, on a Tripad board, every successive three holes have a common copper strip. In other words, you can get three different components to share a single node without any external connection.

 A Tripod board

Properties of Protoboards

As an electronic engineer or hardware design enthusiast, there are fundamental properties of a prototype board you should know. They include:

·      Hole Grid and Size: The distance between two successive holes on a protoboard is 2.54mm (0.1 inches), while the diameter is 1.02mm. Most components are designed to be compatible with this size, and they can easily fit into any protoboard without any manipulation.

·      Reusability: Components used on a protoboard cannot be easily removed after they have been soldered, and in some cases, trying to desolder a component while attempting to fix an issue can damage the component and the copper traces on the board. This is in contrast to a breadboard, which allows easy placement and removal of components without causing any damage to the board or the component.

·      Ease of use: To successfully use a protoboard to prototype an electronic circuit, you must have a strong background in electronics and be able to solder with some skill.

·      Availability: A protoboard saves you the stress of manually etching a copper board or spending extra cost and time trying to get a board manufactured. It is inexpensive and readily available in any electronic store, making it ideal for project prototyping and also for permanently implementing a one-time permanent project.

What is a Breadboard

Unlike the protoboard, the breadboard is another platform for prototyping your electronic circuit. As mentioned earlier, components are directly inserted into its hole, and there's no need for soldering to connect a circuit.

What Makes up the Breadboard?

If you think breadboard sounds weird as the name of an electronic component, then that makes the two of us. But then, the breadboard earned its name because of its striking resemblance to an ancient breadboard used for cutting bread. On the surface, it has grid holes arranged in rows and columns. The main body is made of plastic, which provides insulation to the conductors (metal strips and power rails) embedded in it. The base is usually covered with another layer of insulator, which prevents the conductive strip from falling off.

Types of Breadboards

Breadboards generally come in different sizes. Many are designed to be usable by different components, while others are specially designed for a specific purpose. A good example of this is the Prototype shield for microcontrollers.

When selecting a breadboard, you should consider the number of components to be mounted on it and the power that the setup will draw. These will determine the size of the board that is perfect for the job and how you'll implement the connection.

A mini breadboard

Properties of Breadboards

Although a breadboard is just a prototyping board, its properties partially differ from those of the earlier discussed prototype board. Here are some of the unique properties of the breadboard:

·     Hole Grid and Size: Like any common protoboard, the distance between two successive holes is 2.54mm (0.1 inches), which is the perfect dimension for most resistors, capacitors, transistors, and even ICs.

·    Reusability: Breadboards allow easy placement and removal of components without damaging the board or the component. Although components inserted into breadboards are firmly held in place by the conductive rails, the grip is not as firm as when the component is soldered to a board.

·     Ease of use: To use a breadboard for prototyping, you only need a good background in electronics and absolutely zero knowledge of soldering.

·     Availability: Breadboards are generally available in every electronic store and are generally inexpensive to purchase.          

Protoboard vs Breadboard: A comprhensive comparison

From all the points discussed, it's safe to conclude that the breadboard is perfect for prototyping a project in its early phase when you are uncertain about the system's behavior. The breadboard affords you the luxury of quickly making corrections and adjustments to the setup as required. But in a scenario where you are sure of the circuit's implementation and expected response, you can proceed with prototyping on your protoboard.