What do you do for a test rig while breadboarding, etc?

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jcharles00

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 28, 2005
Messages
51
Location
Indiana
I've been starting to assemble little circuits on breadboard and am finding that having heavy XLR, etc cables attached all over the place makes for chaos and frustration quickly. what do you guys do when working on stuff that isn't mounted to a chassis yet?

I was toying with the idea of screwing the breadboard to a piece of wood and then attaching connectors for audio i/o and DC to the board so things don't get pulled around, but that might be overkill.
 
I've been using a terminal strip, the kind with like 8 pairs of screw or so, screwed to my work table. I attach my leads from the pcb to one sides and cut a mic cable in half and attached that to the other side.  It's been helpful.
 
I use a "dummy" piece of aluminium in a large L shape on a piece of wood.
Holds power / I/O etc and ground , so you can wire up a toroid and do basic testing.
I need to do the same with an old used 19inch chassis, that would be better !!

M.
 
I made a simple thing to solve this exact problem.  I think I got the idea from something someone else on this forum posted several years back.  I used a chunk of wide pine shelving leftover from a closet organizer project for the base and some plastic offcuts from a local plastics shop for the front and rear panels.

Original before adding mini back panel:

protopanel2.jpg


Final article in use bringing up one channel of my 1272 project--blue tape temp labels:

1272_proto_front.jpg


Its a handy thing to have around.  I added a set of banana jacks to the back panel for future use in hooking up to bench supplies or other equipment easily.

A P
 
Also, get a collection of wires with alligator clips from Radio shack - if they still sell 'em.  They're indispensable for breadboarding and connecting to aforementioned test stations.
 
Nice rigs AP!  Those Heathkit bench supplies can be had for little fundage.  Up to 20V +/- and a 5V rail for fun, for less than $50 on ebay.  You can find their high voltage supplies too, they offer up 400V and 6.3V for all your tube projects.  They go for significantly more, though. 

I'm really digging your test rig.  You just got some gears turning.  :D
 
Also, get a collection of wires with alligator clips from Radio shack - if they still sell 'em.  They're indispensable for breadboarding and connecting to aforementioned test stations.

I recomend that too they are the best friends of the DIY
 
Mr. Kensington,

Glad you've been inspired.  It was an easy project and has come in really handy. 

I got the HK PS on eBay a few years back.  It's a decent unit for not much $$.  BTW, the little Fluke 77 was a college graduation gift from my late grand-dad.  I've got a beat up but functional Fluke 8800A (eBay bargain), but the 77 sees more use.

Good luck with your proto-unit build!

A P
 

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