How to Use a Breadboard for Electronics and

Circuits
Many electronics projects use something called a breadboard. What is a breadboard, and how
do you use it? This tutorial video will give you a basic introduction to breadboards and explain
how to use them in beginner electronics projects; you can also read more details and see more
examples in the text sections.

Introduction
What is a breadboard?

A breadboard is a rectangular plastic board with a bunch of tiny holes in it. These holes let you
easily insert electronic components to prototype (meaning to build and test an early version of)
an electronic circuit, like this one with a battery, switch, resistor, and an LED (light-emitting
diode). To learn more about individual electronic components, see our Electronics Primer.
The connections are not permanent, so it is easy to remove a component if you make a mistake,
or just start over and do a new project. This makes breadboards great for beginners who are new
to electronics. You can use breadboards to make all sorts of fun electronics projects, from
different types of robots or an electronic drum set, to an electronic rain detector to help conserve
water in a garden, just to name a few.
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age Credit: Ben Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies
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Finio, Science Buddies / Science
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Credit: Ben Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies
Where does the name "breadboard" come from?

You might be wondering what any of this has to do with bread. The term breadboard comes
from the early days of electronics, when people would literally drive nails or screws into wooden
boards on which they cut bread in order to connect their circuits. Luckily, since you probably do
not want to ruin all your cutting boards for the sake of an electronics project, today there are
better options.
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age Credit: Ben Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies
Are there different kinds of breadboards?

Modern breadboards are made from plastic, and come in all shapes, sizes, and even different
colors. While larger and smaller sizes are available, the most common sizes you will probably
see are "full-size," "half-size," and "mini" breadboards. Most breadboards also come with tabs
and notches on the sides that allow you to snap multiple boards together. However, a single half-
sized breadboard is sufficient for many beginner-level projects.
 Image Credit: Ben
Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies
What is a "solderless" breadboard?

Technically, these breadboards are called solderless breadboards because they do not require
soldering to make connections. Soldering (pronounced SAW-der-ing) is a method where
electronic components are joined together by melting a special type of metal called solder.
Electronic components can be soldered directly together, but more commonly they are soldered
onto printed circuit boards (PCBs). PCBs are what you will see if you take the cover off many
electronic devices, like a computer or cell phone. Frequently, engineers will use solderless
breadboards to prototype and test a circuit before building the final, permanent design on a PCB.
This image shows the same circuit (battery, switch, resistor, and LED) built three different ways:
on a solderless breadboard (left), with the components soldered directly together (middle), and
on a printed circuit board (right):
 Image Credit: Ben Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies

Soldering is a great technique to learn if you are interested in electronics, but the connections are
much more permanent and it requires purchasing some tools to get started. The rest of this
tutorial will focus on solderless breadboards, but you can read our soldering tutorial to learn
more about soldering.

Which electronic parts are compatible with breadboards?

So, how do electronic components fit into a breadboard? Many electronic components have long
metal legs called leads (pronounced "leeds"). Sometimes, shorter metal legs are referred to
as pins instead. Almost all components with leads will work with a breadboard (to learn more
about these components and which types work with a breadboard, see the Advanced section).
 Image Credit: Ben Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies

Breadboards are designed so you can push these leads into the holes. They will be held in place
snugly enough that they will not fall out (even if you turn the breadboard upside-down), but
lightly enough that you can easily pull on them to remove them.
 Image Credit: Ben
Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies
Do I need any tools to use a breadboard?

You do not need any special tools to use a solderless breadboard. However, many electronic
components are very tiny, and you may find them difficult to handle. A pair of miniature needle
nose pliers or tweezers may make it easier to pick up small components.

What is inside a breadboard?

The leads can fit into the breadboard because the inside of a breadboard is made up of rows of
tiny metal clips. This is what the clips look like when they are removed from a breadboard.
 Image Credit: Ben Finio, Science Buddies / Science
Buddies

When you press a component's lead into a breadboard hole, one of these clips grabs onto it.

Image Credit: Ben Finio, Science Buddies / Science

Buddies

Some breadboards are actually made of transparent plastic, so you can see the clips inside.
 Image Credit: Ben
Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies

Most breadboards have a backing layer that prevents the metal clips from falling out. The
backing is typically a layer of sticky, double-sided tape covered by a protective layer of paper. If
you want to permanently "stick" the breadboard to something (for example, a robot), you just
need to peel off the paper layer to expose the sticky tape underneath. In this picture, the
breadboard on the right has had its backing removed completely (so you can see all the metal
clips). The breadboard on the left still has its sticky backing, with one corner of the paper layer
peeled up.

Image Credit: Ben

Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies

Breadboard labels: rows, columns, and buses

What do the letters and numbers on a breadboard mean?

Most breadboards have some numbers, letters, and plus and minus signs written on them. What
does all that mean? While their exact appearance might vary from breadboard to breadboard, the
general purpose is always the same. These labels help you locate certain holes on the breadboard
so you can follow directions when building a circuit. If you have ever used a spreadsheet
program like Microsoft Excel® or Google Sheets™, the concept is exactly the same. Row
numbers and column letters help you identify individual holes in the breadboard, just like cells in
a spreadsheet. For example, all of the highlighted holes are in "column C."

Image Credit: Ben Finio, Science Buddies /

Science Buddies

All of the highlighted holes are in "row 12."

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Science Buddies

"Hole C12" is where column C intersects row 12.

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Science Buddies
What do the colored lines and plus and minus signs mean?

What about the long strips on the side of the breadboard, highlighted in yellow here?
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Science Buddies

These strips are typically marked by red and blue (or red and black) lines, with plus (+) and
minus (-) signs, respectively. They are called the buses, also referred to as rails, and are typically
used to supply electrical power to your circuit when you connect them to a battery pack or other
external power supply. You may hear the buses referred to by different names; for
example, power bus, positive bus, and voltage bus all refer to the one next to the red line with the
plus (+) sign. Similarly, negative bus and ground bus both refer to one next to the blue (or black)
line with the minus (-) sign. Sound confusing? Use this table to help you remember—there are
different ways to refer to the buses, but they all mean the same thing. Do not worry if you see
them referred to by different names in different places (for example, in different Science Buddies
projects or other places on the internet). Sometimes you might hear "power buses" (or rails) used
to refer to both of the buses (or rails) together, not just the positive one.
 Positive Negative

Power Ground

Plus sign (+) Minus sign (-)

Red Blue or black

Note that there is no physical difference between the positive and negative buses, and using them
is not a requirement. The labels just make it easier to organize your circuit, similar to color-
coding your wires.

How are the holes connected?

Remember that the inside of the breadboard is made up of sets of five metal clips. This means
that each set of five holes forming a half-row (columns A–E or columns F–J) is electrically
connected. For example, that means hole A1 is electrically connected to holes B1, C1, D1, and
E1. It is not connected to hole A2, because that hole is in a different row, with a separate set of
metal clips. It is also not connected to holes F1, G1, H1, I1, or J1, because they are on the other
"half" of the breadboard—the clips are not connected across the gap in the middle (to learn about
the gap in the middle of the breadboard, see the Advanced section). Unlike all the main
breadboard rows, which are connected in sets of five holes, the buses typically run the entire
length of the breadboard (but there are some exceptions). This image shows which holes are
electrically connected in a typical half-sized breadboard, highlighted in yellow lines.
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Science Buddies

Buses on opposite sides of the breadboard are not connected to each other. Typically, to make
power and ground available on both sides of the breadboard, you would connect the buses with
jumper wires, like this. Make sure to connect positive to positive and negative to negative (see
the section on buses if you need a reminder about which color is which).
 Image Credit: Ben Finio, Science
Buddies / Science Buddies
Are all breadboards labeled the same way?

Note that exact configurations might vary from breadboard to breadboard. For example, some
breadboards have the labels printed in "landscape" orientation instead of "portrait" orientation.
Some breadboards have the buses broken in half along the length of the breadboard (useful if you
need to supply your circuit with two different voltage levels). Most "mini" breadboards do not
have buses or labels printed on them at all.
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There may be small differences in how the buses are labeled from breadboard to breadboard.
Some breadboards only have the colored lines and no plus (+) or minus (-) signs. Some
breadboards have the positive buses on the left and the negative buses on the right, and on other
breadboards, this is reversed. Regardless of how they are labeled and the left⁄right positions, the
function of the buses remains the same.
 Image Credit: Ben
Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies

Using a breadboard
What is a breadboard diagram?

A breadboard diagram is a computer-generated drawing of a circuit on a breadboard. Unlike

a circuit diagram or a schematic (which use symbols to represent electronic components; see
the Advanced section to learn more), breadboard diagrams make it easy for beginners to follow
instructions to build a circuit because they are designed to look like the "real thing." For
example, this diagram (made with a free program called Fritzing) shows a basic circuit with a
battery pack, an LED, a resistor, and a pushbutton, which looks very similar to the physical
circuit:
 Image Credit: Ben Finio, Science Buddies

/ Science Buddies Image Credit: Ben

Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies
Sometimes, breadboard diagrams might be accompanied by (or replaced with) written directions
that tell you where to put each component on the breadboard. For example, the directions for this
circuit might say:

1. Connect the battery pack's red lead to the power bus.

2. Connect the battery pack's black lead to the ground bus.
3. Connect the resistor from hole B12 to the ground bus.
4. Insert the pushbutton's four pins into holes E10, F10, E12, and F12.
5. Insert the LED's long lead into the power bus, and the short lead into hole J10.

This information can also be formatted as a table:

Component Picture Symbol Location

Red lead
to (+)
Battery bus
pack Black
I Ima lead to
mage Credit: Ben Finio, ge Credit (-) bus
Science Buddies / Science
Buddies

Long
lead to
(+) bus
LED I
Short
mage Credit: Ben Finio,
I lead to
Science Buddies / Science
mage Credit: Ben Finio, J10
Buddies
Science Buddies / Science
Buddies
Component Picture Symbol Location

Holes
E10,
Pushbutton
F10,
Image Credit E12, F12

Ima
ge Credit

Hole
Resistor Image B12 to
I Credit (-) bus
mage Credit: Ben Finio,
Science Buddies / Science
Buddies

Does my circuit have to match the breadboard diagram exactly?

The short answer is "no." However, when you are first starting out using breadboards, it is
probably best to follow the breadboard diagrams exactly.

To understand this, it helps to understand how a breadboard's holes are electrically connected.
There are different ways to change the physical layout of a circuit on a breadboard without
actually changing the electrical connections. For example, these two circuits are electrically
identical; even though the leads of the LED have moved, there is still a complete path (called
a closed circuit) for electricity to flow through the LED (highlighted with yellow arrows). So,
even if the directions say "put the LED's long lead in hole F10," the circuit will still work if you
put it in hole H10 instead (but not if you put it in hole F9 or F11, because different rows are not
connected).
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Science Buddies Image Credit: Ben Finio,

Science Buddies / Science Buddies

However, you can also completely rearrange the components on the breadboard. As long as the
circuit is electrically equivalent, it will still work. Even though this circuit "looks different" than
the previous two because the components have been rearranged, electricity still follows an
equivalent path through the LED and the resistor.
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Science Buddies
What are jumper wires and what kind should I use?

Jumper wires are wires that are used to make connections on a breadboard. They have stiff ends
that are easy to push into the breadboard holes. There are several different options available
when purchasing jumper wires.

Flexible jumper wires are made of a flexible wire with a rigid pin attached to both ends. These
wires usually come in packs of varying colors. This makes it easy to color-code your circuit (see
the section on color-coding). While these wires are easy to use for beginner circuits, they can get
very messy for more complicated circuits; because they are so long, you will wind up with a
tangled nest of wires that are hard to trace (sometimes called a "rat's nest" or "spaghetti").
 Image Credit: Ben
Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies

Jumper wire kits are packs of pre-cut lengths of wire that have their ends bent down 90 degrees,
so they are ready to put into a breadboard. The kits are available in larger and smaller sizes.
These kits are very convenient because they come with wires of many different pre-cut lengths.
The disadvantage is that there is typically only one length of each color. This can make it
difficult to color-code your circuit (for example, you might want a long black wire, but your kit
might only have short black wires). Your circuit will still work just fine, but color-coding can
help you stay more organized (again, see the section on color-coding for more information).
Notice how this circuit looks much less messy than the previous one, since the wires are shorter.
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Finally, you can also buy spools of solid-core hookup wire and a pair of wire strippers and cut
your own jumper wires. This is the best long-term option if you plan on doing lots of electronics
projects, because you can cut wires to the exact length you need, and pick which colors you
want. It is also much more cost-effective per length of wire. Buying a kit of six different colors is
a good place to start. It is important to buy solid core wire (which is made from a single, solid
piece of metal) and not stranded wire (which is made from multiple, smaller strands of wire,
like a rope). Stranded wire is much more flexible, so it is very hard to push into a breadboard's
holes. You also need to purchase the right wire gauge, which is a way of measuring wire
diameter. 22 AWG (American Wire Gauge) is the most common gauge used for breadboards. To
learn more about wire gauge and how to strip wire, see the Science Buddies Wire Stripping
Tutorial. Notice how in this circuit, red and black are used for all the connections to the buses
(see the section on color-coding to learn more).
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Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies
Should I color-code my circuit?

Whether or not you color-code your circuit depends largely on what type of jumper wire you
purchase (see the question about jumper wires). Color-coding is a matter of convenience in that it
can help you stay more organized, but using different color wires will not change how your
circuit works. Important: This statement only applies to jumper wires. Some circuit
components, like battery packs and certain sensors, come with colored wires already attached to
them. Keeping track of these colors does matter (for example, do not get the red and black leads
on a battery pack mixed up). All jumper wires, however, are just metal on the inside with colored
plastic insulation on the outside. The color of the plastic does not affect how electricity flows
through the wire.

In electronics, it is generally standard to use red wire for positive (+) connections and black wire
for negative (-) connections. What other colors you use is largely a matter of choice and will
depend on the specific circuit you are building. For example, there are a few different ways you
could wire this circuit with red, green, blue, and yellow LEDs, but they will all work exactly the
same:
  If you purchased a pre-cut jumper wire kit, use whatever wire colors are available at the
appropriate lengths (left image).
 Use red and black wires for the positive and negative sides of each LED, respectively
(center image).
 Only use red and black wires for the bus connections, and use red, green, blue, and
yellow wire for the respective LEDs (right image).

Image Credit: Ben Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies

Remember the important part: the color of the wires does not affect how the circuit works! The
three circuits in this image will all work exactly the same (the LEDs will light up when the
battery pack is turned on) even though they have different color wires. If a breadboard diagram
shows a blue wire and you use an orange wire instead, nothing will be wrong with your circuit.

How do I build a circuit?

To build a circuit:

 Follow the breadboard diagram for the circuit, connecting one component at a time.
 Always connect the batteries or power supply to your circuit last. This will give you a
chance to double-check all your connections before you turn your circuit on for the first
time.
 Keep an eye out for common mistakes that many beginners make when using a
breadboard.

How do I test my circuit?

How you test your circuit will depend on the specific circuit you are building. In general, you
should follow this procedure:
  Double-check your circuit and the breadboard diagram to make sure all your components
are in the right place.
 Check what your circuit is supposed to do according to the project directions. Is it
supposed to flash lights, make noise, somehow respond to a sensor (like a motion or light
sensor), or make a robot move? Many Science Buddies projects will contain a written
description and/or video of how your circuit should work.
 Turn the power to your circuit on (for example, by sliding a battery pack switch from
OFF to ON). If you see or smell smoke, turn off or disconnect the power
supply immediately. This means you have a short circuit.
 Follow the project directions to use your circuit (for example, shining a flashlight at a
light-tracking robot, or waving your hand in front of a motion sensor).
 If your circuit does not work, you need to troubleshoot (or debug, meaning to look for
problems or "bugs" in your circuit). See the common mistakes section for things you
should check.

Common mistakes and troubleshooting

Getting row numbers wrong

Can you spot the difference between these two circuits?

 Image Credit: Ben Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies

At first glance, they might look exactly the same. However, when we turn the battery packs on,
only the LED on the left lights up. What is wrong?
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Let us take a look at the breadboard diagram for the circuit to see if we can spot the problem.
The circuit should match this diagram:
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Science Buddies

Now, let us take a closer look at the two circuits. Carefully compare the two pictures to the
breadboard diagram. Can you spot what is wrong? If you still cannot tell, click on the image to
reveal the problem.

Do you see the problem yet? In the circuit on the left, the red jumper wire goes from the positive
bus to hole J10, which matches the breadboard diagram. In the circuit on the right, it goes from
the positive bus to hole J9. Remember from the section on how the holes are connected that
holes in different rows are not electrically connected to each other. So, with the jumper wire in
row 9 and the LED in row 10, there is no way for electricity to flow to the LED.
It can be difficult to spot such a tiny error! However, it only takes one misplaced wire or
component lead to stop a circuit from working completely. This is why you should always
carefully check and double-check your wiring before you test a circuit. If your circuit is not
working, carefully double-check all your connections and make sure to count the row numbers.

Getting power and ground mixed up

Similar to getting row numbers wrong, getting the power and ground buses mixed up is another
common mistake. Can you spot the difference between these two circuits? Only the LED on the
left lights up.

Image Credit: Ben Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies

Let us take a closer look at the circuits. Can you spot what is wrong? Click on the image to
reveal the problem.
Do you see the problem yet? In the photo on the left, the red jumper wire goes to the positive (+)
bus. In the photo on the right, it goes to the negative (-) bus. According to the breadboard
diagram from the previous section, it should go to the positive (+) bus. Remember that "positive"
and "negative" can also be referred to as "power" and "ground." See the section on buses if you
need a reminder.

How about the difference between these two circuits? Again, only the LED on the left lights up.
 Image Credit: Ben Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies

Take a closer look to see if you can spot the problem (click on the image to reveal it).
This time, the battery pack leads are reversed. The red lead is connected to the negative (-) bus
and the black lead is connected to the positive (+) bus. Remember that unlike with jumper wires,
the colors of battery pack leads do matter. Red is used for positive and black is used for negative.

Finally, remember on some breadboards the positive bus is on the left and the negative bus is on
the right. On other breadboards this is reversed. Be careful when you switch between
breadboards since the left-right positions of the buses may change.

Image Credit: Ben

Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies
Not pushing leads and wires in all the way

Electronic components and jumper wires can all have leads of varying lengths. Sometimes
students will only push leads partially into a breadboard hole, instead of pushing them down
firmly all the way (until they cannot go any farther). This can result in loose connections that
lead to strange circuit behavior, like an LED flickering on and off. Take a look at these two side-
by-side images. The image on the left shows leads that have not been pushed into the breadboard
all the way. The picture on the right shows leads that are properly pushed into the breadboard as
far as they can go.
Note that some components, like LEDs, have very long leads that do not fit into the breadboard
all the way. Other components, like pre-cut jumper wires, typically have leads cut to the right
length, so they fit flush up against the breadboard.

Putting components in backwards

For some electronic components, direction matters. Some components have polarity, meaning
they have a positive side and a negative side that must be connected correctly. Other components
have multiple pins that all serve different functions. Putting these components into your circuit
backwards or facing the wrong way will prevent your circuit from functioning properly. If your
circuit is not working and it involves any of these components, check to make sure they are
inserted the right way.

Batteries have a positive terminal and a negative terminal. There are many different types of
batteries, but the positive terminal is almost always marked with a "+" symbol. Typically, battery
holders will have "+" and "-" symbols printed inside them; make sure the "+" symbols on your
batteries line up with the "+" symbols in the battery holder.
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Buddies

LEDs have a positive side (called the anode) and a negative side (called the cathode). The metal
lead for the anode is longer than the lead for the cathode. The cathode side also usually has a flat
edge on the plastic part of the LED.
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Buddies

Diodes are like one-way valves that only let electricity flow in one direction. They are usually
small cylinders marked with a band or stripe on one end (this is the direction electricity can flow
toward).

Image Credit: Ben

Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies
Capacitors are components that can store electrical charge. Common "ceramic disc" capacitors
(small orange/tan circles) are not polarized, but several other types of capacitors are, and will
typically have arrow or minus signs pointing toward the negative lead.

Image Credit: Ben

Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies

Transistors are like electronically controlled switches that can be used to turn things like motors
and lights on and off. Transistors generally have three pins. Putting a transistor in a breadboard
backwards will reverse the order of the pins and prevent it from working. Transistors come in
several different "packages," usually a black plastic body with small writing on one side.
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Science Buddies

Integrated circuits, or ICs for short (sometimes also called "chips") are black rectangular pieces
with two rows of pins. They typically have a notch or hole at one end that tells you which way is
"up," so you do not put the IC in the breadboard upside-down. See the advanced section
on integrated circuits to learn more.

Image Credit: Ben Finio, Science Buddies

/ Science Buddies

Directions on the Science Buddies website will almost always specify which way a component
should be facing; for example, "make sure the gray stripe on the diode is facing toward the
positive bus" or "make sure the writing on the transistor is facing to the left." However, some
advanced electronics projects may assume you know how to connect certain components
properly.

For some electronic components, direction does not matter. For example, jumper
wires and resistors work the same in both directions. Look closely at these two images. Even
though the jumper wire and resistor have been flipped around in the picture on the right (the
jumper wire has a black mark on one end so you can tell which end is which, and the resistor has
colored bands), the LED still lights up. Electrically, nothing has changed in the circuit.

Image Credit: Ben Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies

Short circuits

Short circuits occur when "accidental" connections are made on a breadboard between two
components that are not supposed to be connected. This can happen from putting components
into the wrong rows or buses, or from letting exposed metal parts bump into each other. For
example, resistors and LEDs have long metal leads; if you are not careful, these leads could
bump into each other and cause a short circuit. If your circuit has components with long, exposed
leads, always make sure the leads are not touching each other.
 Image Credit: Ben Finio,
Science Buddies / Science Buddies

Depending on the circuit, sometimes short circuits are harmless. They may just prevent the
circuit from functioning properly until they are located and fixed. However, sometimes short
circuits can "burn out" components and cause permanent damage. Short circuits between the
power and ground buses are especially important to avoid, because they can get hot enough to
burn you and even melt the plastic on the breadboard! In this picture, the red and black wires
from a 4xAA battery pack have both been inserted into the ground bus, instead of one into the
ground bus and one into the power bus. This causes the breadboard and wire insulation to start
melting.
 Image Credit: Ben Finio, Science
Buddies / Science Buddies

If you ever see or smell smoke when building a circuit, you probably have a short circuit. You
should immediately disconnect the battery pack.

Can breadboards break?

While it is uncommon for breadboards to break, especially if they are brand new, the metal clips
inside them can fatigue over time with heavy use. This can cause poor or intermittent
connections with parts inserted into the breadboard. If you have exhausted all other
troubleshooting options and still cannot figure out what is wrong with your circuit, you can try
rebuilding it on a different breadboard. If you have a multimeter available, you can also try to
locate bad connections in the breadboard, as shown in this video:
Advanced
Integrated circuits (ICs)

Integrated circuits, or ICs for short (sometimes just referred to as "chips") are specialized
circuits that serve a huge variety of purposes, such as controlling a robot's motors or making
LEDs respond to music. Many ICs come in something called a dual in-line package, or DIP,
meaning they have two parallel rows of pins. The gap in the middle of a breadboard (between
columns E and F) is just the right width for an IC to fit, straddling the gap, with one set of pins in
column E, and one set of pins in column F. Projects that use ICs will always tell you to connect
them to the breadboard in this manner.
 Image Credit: Ben Finio, Science
Buddies / Science Buddies
Circuit diagrams

Circuit diagrams, or schematics, are a way to represent a circuit using symbols for each
component. Circuit diagrams, as opposed to breadboard diagrams, are used by professional
engineers when designing circuits, and they are much more convenient for more complicated
circuits. You may be introduced to basic circuit diagrams in a high school physics class. For
example, this circuit diagram shows a basic circuit with a battery, a switch, an LED, and a
resistor.
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Science Buddies

However, unlike breadboard diagrams, circuit diagrams only show electrical connections
between components. They do not necessarily correspond to the physical layout of the
components on a breadboard. For example, even though it looks different, this circuit diagram is
identical to the previous one.

Image Credit: Ben

Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies

If you have a hard time understanding this, try using your figure to trace the "wire" (the black
line) through the circuit, starting at the top of the battery. Notice how your finger still goes
through each component in the same order, even though they have been physically rearranged.

It takes some practice to learn how to read and interpret circuit diagrams. Most beginner
electronics projects—especially those on the Science Buddies website—will provide breadboard
diagrams that you can follow to build a circuit.

Through-hole vs. surface mount parts

Breadboards are designed to work with through-hole electronic components. These components
have long metal leads that are designed to be inserted through holes in a printed circuit
board (PCB) that are plated with a thin copper coating, which allows the components' leads to
be soldered to the board.

Image Credit: Ben Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies

Breadboards do not work with surface mount components. These components have short, flat
pins on their sides that are designed to be soldered to the surface of a printed circuit board,
instead of through holes.
 Image Credit: Ben
Finio, Science Buddies / Science Buddies

Many electronic components are available in both through-hole and surface mount packages. For
example, the LM3914 is an integrated circuit that is designed to drive 10 LEDs as a "bar graph"
display. If you search Jameco Electronics for "LM3914", several different results come up. You
can tell from looking at the thumbnails that this part is through hole and this part is surface
mount. While most Science Buddies projects will link to exactly what parts you need to buy for a
project, be careful if you are buying parts for your own project. If you are using a breadboard,
make sure you buy through-hole parts and not surface mount.