The Breadboard
The Breadboard is a tool that lets you build and test electrical circuits without soldering. It’s like a temporary space for connecting components using pins.
Inside there are rows of metal clips for you to push wires into to form connections, although the rows are already connected. In my example board the rows of 5 are connected internally, while the colomns are not, with a break down the centre for things like integrated chips to slot it. There is a red rail on each side for power and a blue rail for ground.
This is my breadboard, with nothing attached except a power supply unit. It has a sticky underside so it can be attached to things more permanently for a more longterm project.
I got it in a pack with a variety of components, wires and a few integrated chips on amazon for less than £15 so I could play around with simple circuits without needing to learn soldering yet. Alongside my multimeter it has allowed me to learn placement of components as well as how to test voltage, current and resistance. All very important aspects of electronics and essential to understand before moving on to more complex projects.