how do you add components with thick leads to a breadboarded

[Michael]

Hi - I was just wondering - how do you add components that have larger than
18 awg leads to a breadboard? I don't want to ruin my breadboard by
plugging in things like thick diode leads and such - but then again it's
quite the pain to solder 18 awg leads to every thick leaded component. Any
suggestions? Thanks!

Michael

 

[DarkMatter]

On Wed, 31 Dec 2003 20:36:08 GMT, Michael
<nleahcimathotmaildotcom@nowhere.com> Gave us:

Hi - I was just wondering - how do you add components that have larger than
18 awg leads to a breadboard? I don't want to ruin my breadboard by
plugging in things like thick diode leads and such - but then again it's
quite the pain to solder 18 awg leads to every thick leaded component. Any
suggestions? Thanks!

You already gave yourself the answer...

Solder some small cut leads from smaller leaded components or mag
wire to them in lap joint fashion. BAM! You have successfully
changed the lead diameter.

You could also use perf board instead of one of those pre done up
"poke it in and run with it" deals. There are some diodes that come
in smaller form factors, yet retain the rating of the other form
factor.

We have a lot of transzorbs that are that way. We can get them in
two styles for that given wattage. If your expected wattage IS that
high (such that large lead components are needed), you should probably
at least put that part of your circuit on an attached daughterboard of
perf board media, and attach that to the main breadboard.

 

[Rich Webb]

On Wed, 31 Dec 2003 20:36:08 GMT, Michael
<nleahcimathotmaildotcom@nowhere.com> wrote:

Hi - I was just wondering - how do you add components that have larger than
18 awg leads to a breadboard? I don't want to ruin my breadboard by
plugging in things like thick diode leads and such - but then again it's
quite the pain to solder 18 awg leads to every thick leaded component. Any
suggestions? Thanks!

Try cutting the leads at a very steep angle. You'll need sharp cutters,
of course. You won't be able to "bottom out" the component but if you're
careful to make the "flat" of the cut to where it sits against the flat
of the clip in the breadboard, you may get a good enough contact patch.

--
Rich Webb Norfolk, VA

 

[DarkMatter]

On Wed, 31 Dec 2003 21:32:53 GMT, Rich Webb
<bbew.ar@mapson.nozirev.ten> Gave us:

Try cutting the leads at a very steep angle. You'll need sharp cutters,
of course. You won't be able to "bottom out" the component but if you're
careful to make the "flat" of the cut to where it sits against the flat
of the clip in the breadboard, you may get a good enough contact patch.

He gets good contact in that scenario, but what he trying to avoid is
damaging the breadboard, not so much making the circuit. Though he
seems lazy to have said it, his lead splice is the answer to the
problem.

 

[Michael]

DarkMatter <DarkMatter@thebarattheendoftheuniverse.org> wrote in
news:fot6vv4jlp1srfhie07t9akci5udj32uuu@4ax.com:

On Wed, 31 Dec 2003 21:32:53 GMT, Rich Webb
bbew.ar@mapson.nozirev.ten> Gave us:


Try cutting the leads at a very steep angle. You'll need sharp cutters,
of course. You won't be able to "bottom out" the component but if you're
careful to make the "flat" of the cut to where it sits against the flat
of the clip in the breadboard, you may get a good enough contact patch.

He gets good contact in that scenario, but what he trying to avoid is
damaging the breadboard, not so much making the circuit. Though he
seems lazy to have said it, his lead splice is the answer to the
problem.

Eh - it's not that I'm lazy - I was just hoping there was an easier way.

 

[JeffM]

how do you add components that have
larger than 18 awg leads to a breadboard?
Michael

Solder a piece of a smaller-diameter lead to the fat one.

 

[CFoley1064]

Hi - I was just wondering - how do you add components that have larger than
18 awg leads to a breadboard? I don't want to ruin my breadboard by
plugging in things like thick diode leads and such - but then again it's
quite the pain to solder 18 awg leads to every thick leaded component. Any
suggestions? Thanks!

Michael

Hi, Mike. Be sure to remember that most solderless breadboard contacts are
only rated for 1 amp, too -- you might succeed in getting the component into
the breadboard (you really shouldn't use less than 22AWG solid here, or you
deform the contacts), and then have the contact overheat and damage the
breadboard. Most components with 18AWG wire leads are meant to handle several
amps of current. I've got an older breadboard with marked off "toxic" areas --
sometimes there's enough heat to start browning the white plastic on the top,
and sometimes there's just enough to oxidize the spring contacts underneath, so
you have a bad connection for the next time you want to use the board. Imagine
the joy of troubleshooting a breadboard problem for an hour, only to find that
the contact resistance at one tie point is several ohms. Also, try to use
current-limited power supplies all the time when using these solderless
breadboards. (Filed under advice learned the hard way in a project that used
1N540X diodes and several other higher power components where I spliced in
22AWG wires on the leads)

Good luck.
Chris

 

[Michael]

cfoley1064@aol.com (CFoley1064) wrote in
news:20040101190305.19959.00001421@mb-m01.aol.com:

Hi - I was just wondering - how do you add components that have larger
than 18 awg leads to a breadboard? I don't want to ruin my breadboard
by plugging in things like thick diode leads and such - but then again
it's quite the pain to solder 18 awg leads to every thick leaded
component. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Michael


Hi, Mike. Be sure to remember that most solderless breadboard
contacts are only rated for 1 amp, too -- you might succeed in getting
the component into the breadboard (you really shouldn't use less than
22AWG solid here, or you deform the contacts), and then have the
contact overheat and damage the breadboard. Most components with
18AWG wire leads are meant to handle several amps of current. I've
got an older breadboard with marked off "toxic" areas -- sometimes
there's enough heat to start browning the white plastic on the top,
and sometimes there's just enough to oxidize the spring contacts
underneath, so you have a bad connection for the next time you want to
use the board. Imagine the joy of troubleshooting a breadboard
problem for an hour, only to find that the contact resistance at one
tie point is several ohms. Also, try to use current-limited power
supplies all the time when using these solderless breadboards. (Filed
under advice learned the hard way in a project that used 1N540X diodes
and several other higher power components where I spliced in 22AWG
wires on the leads)

Good luck.
Chris

Oops - just realized I said 18 awg instead of 22 awg. Oopsies.

Everything I do is very low power anyways - so I've never had to worry
about heat (unless I'm doing something wrong!) Sounds like I just have to
suck it up and pull out the soldering iron... Which is annoying because my
favorite part of prototyping circuits on a breadboard is that I don't have
to use my soldering iron!

Michael

 

[CFoley1064]

Sounds like I just have to
suck it up and pull out the soldering iron... Which is annoying because my
favorite part of prototyping circuits on a breadboard is that I don't have
to use my soldering iron!

Michael

Every engineer should have a small rollup toolkit in his/her briefcase, and a
small butane-powered iron and a 2 ounce spool of solder doesn't take up much
room. The thing that's bugging you is the time for warmup/cooldown. That
makes it seem like a production. The butane irons heat up in a few seconds.

Good luck
Chris

 

[Keith R. Williams]

In article <20040102090310.29517.00001386@mb-m02.aol.com>,
cfoley1064@aol.com says...

Sounds like I just have to
suck it up and pull out the soldering iron... Which is annoying because my
favorite part of prototyping circuits on a breadboard is that I don't have
to use my soldering iron!

Michael

Every engineer should have a small rollup toolkit in his/her briefcase, and a
small butane-powered iron and a 2 ounce spool of solder doesn't take up much
room. The thing that's bugging you is the time for warmup/cooldown. That
makes it seem like a production. The butane irons heat up in a few seconds.

Rechargable battery-powered irons heat in a second; fast enough
that they switch off between use.

--
Keith

 

[R. Steve Walz]

Michael wrote:

Hi - I was just wondering - how do you add components that have larger than
18 awg leads to a breadboard? I don't want to ruin my breadboard by
plugging in things like thick diode leads and such - but then again it's
quite the pain to solder 18 awg leads to every thick leaded component. Any
suggestions? Thanks!

Michael
-------------

That's what you do, and don't solder to ANYTHING while it's stuck in
the solderless board!

-Steve
--
-Steve Walz rstevew@armory.com ftp://ftp.armory.com/pub/user/rstevew
Electronics Site!! 1000's of Files and Dirs!! With Schematics Galore!!
http://www.armory.com/~rstevew or http://www.armory.com/~rstevew/Public

 

[Tim Auton]

Michael <nleahcimathotmaildotcom@nowhere.com> wrote:

Hi - I was just wondering - how do you add components that have larger than
18 awg leads to a breadboard? I don't want to ruin my breadboard by
plugging in things like thick diode leads and such - but then again it's
quite the pain to solder 18 awg leads to every thick leaded component. Any
suggestions? Thanks!

Cut a jumper lead in half, cut a crocodile clip lead in half. Solder
half of each together (cover the join with heat-shrink or tape, of
course) and you can stick one end in the breadboard and use the clip
to connect components with fat leads, thin leads, solder tabs...

It can quickly get messy (risking shorts) if you've got a lot of
components, but for the odd one or two it's fine. That's how I hook up
small motors and the like when prototyping. You can also clip the
leads to your meter/scope probes.


Tim
--
The .sig is dead.