Circuit Construction Techniques

A breadboard is a fundamental prototyping tool used in electronics and electrical engineering. It provides a way to build and test electronic circuits quickly and without the need for soldering. Breadboards are commonly used by beginners and professionals alike for experimenting with circuit designs, testing components, and creating prototypes. 

Best way to learn, is to try the circuit video on the right. More information

• Science Buddies - How to use a breadboard for electronics and circuits

• Circuit Cloud - How to use a breadboard

• Sparkfun - How to use a breadboard

It is important to use conventions. Use black for ground and red for positive. Unfortunately, sometimes you may not have the correct colour wire when you want to create a prototype circuit.

Soldering is a process used in electronics to join two or more metal components together by melting and flowing a filler metal into the joint. The filler metal, known as solder, has a lower melting point than the workpieces, typically made of metals like copper or brass. Soldering creates a permanent and electrically conductive connection between the joined components.

Practising soldering is essential for developing the skills needed for electronic projects. 

1. You can start with creating a cube with resistors

2. Create a more complex shape in groups using wires, resistors etc (This is good practise to learn to solder wire).

3. Add resistors to Veroboard. 

A PCB, or Printed Circuit Board, is a flat board made of insulating material (usually fiberglass or a similar material) on which electronic components are mounted and interconnected using conductive traces, pads, and other features etched or printed onto the surface of the board. PCBs serve as the foundation for assembling and connecting various electronic components to create functional electronic circuits.

At NCEA Level 1, students may use pre-made PCB's but in NCEA Level 2 and  Level 3 , PCB design and manufacturing is a valuable technique for students to explore and use.