Prototype board types

If you are starting to take an interest in electronics, this is a good thing to know what type of prototyping boards can be used. There can be four types of prototype boards:

• Solderless breadboard- where connections are made by using jumpers;

• Soldered protoboard- uses soldered jumpers and drilled holes;

• Wire wrap boards – special soldered breadboard or wire wrap board;

• Etched circuit board- requires drawing and etching with chemicals.

What type of proto-board to choose depends on what type of schematic you are prototyping. For instance, it is hard to work with SMT elements using a breadboard, but this problem can be solved using a soldered proto-board. Soldered protoboard takes more time to prepare to compare to solderless, where connections are made by using jumpers. In solderless boards, it is easy to repair mistakes.

Personally, I like breadboards for quick noncomplex prototyping. If my design is more complex and includes SMT elements, then I prefer to use etched boards.