Your first steps

Breadboard

Is a very useful tool that allows to create connections between electronic components without soldering them. That’s why it’s ideal for prototyping, each connection can be easily and quickly changed.

Types of breadboard

Breadboards come in different sizes. In particular there are mainly 3 standard sizes, based on the number of “points”:
- 830 points
- 400 points
- 170 points

The Circuit Pro advice

You’ll need at least 2 breadboards with 830 points each (1 might be enough for some projects). More is always better, you can work on new circuits without removing old ones.

Power Supply

In order to have your circuit working, of course, you’ll need a constant supply voltage, given by a power supply. Let’s see which you can use for our projects.

What type of power supply do you need?

For our projects, a supply voltage of 5V will always be ok. We also won’t need very high power, so any 5V / 1A power supply is ok (or more current-capable). For your first projects, you won’t need a professional power supply, so let’s see what you can use (or see the section below if you want a more advanced one).
- Breadboard power supply module: a small board that you can insert directly in your breadboard, powering the power supply lines. You’ll only need a USB power supply for it, this is a very good option for beginners.
- Arduino board: if you already have an Arduino board, you can use its regulated supply voltage to power your circuit.

The Circuit Pro advice

Roughly speaking, anything that gives you 5V/1A on your breadboard is ok, but if this is your first experience, just use one of the methods above (or in this section).

Instead of buying breadboard, wires and power supply module independently, a good option is to buy a kit that includes all of them plus various electronic components that are always useful both for your own projects and the ones from The Circuit Pro.

What does a kit include

In general, these kits include (in addition to breadboard, wires and power supply) several capacitors and resistors of different values, push buttons, LEDs, LDRs, diodes, transistors etc...
(To know exactly the content of the kits, please click on the buttons below and check directly on the store page).

The Circuit Pro Advice

If, at the moment, you don't have any electronic component, this is the best option for you. You will have a basic hardware stock and you'll get acquainted to various types of components.