We’ve seen people try to make MCU development boards as breadboard-friendly as possible by leaving plenty of space to connect wires and components. lhm0 tackled the issue from the opposite direction and designed 3D printed breadboards optimized for Raspberry Pi Pico and ESP32 development boards.
The Pico typically only leaves two rows of each side of a typical breadboard, and some ESP32 boards are wide enough to take all rows and, as a result, are unusable. The trick here was to design the breadboard for each board with an opening in the middle, so that they only take two rows (one on each side) on the 3D printed breadboard, and the user still has four rows on each side to play with, plus the top and bottom rows.
We only have photos for two variants of the breadboard (highlighted in bold below), but a total of five breadboard designs are provided:
- Pico version 1: 7 x 2.54 mm pin spacing (17.78 mm)
- Pico version 2: pin spacing split: 24x rows with 17.78 mm spacing (for RPi pico), 39x rows with 7.62 mm spacing for DIL ICs
- ESP32 version 1: 10×2.54 mm pin spacing (25.40 mm)
- ESP32 version 2: pin spacing split: 2x columns with 25.40 mm spacing, 3x columns with 7.62 mm spacing
- ESP32 version 3: pin spacing split: 2x columns with 25.40 mm spacing, 2x columns with 7.62 mm spacing
You’ll find the original Autodesk Fusion source files, STL models, and 3MF print files for direct use with Bambu Studio on the GitHub repository.
The following parameters are recommended for 3D printing:
- Material: PLA or ABS/ASA for heat resistance)
- Layer height: 0.2 mm recommended
- nozzle diameter: 0.4 mm recommended
- Infill: 50%
- Supports: Not required for the main board
- Optional: Pause print to insert M2 nuts for screw mounting; alternatively, the bottom plate may be glued instead of screwed
But the plastic parts are only part of the design, as you still need conductors. It’s unclear whether breadboard metal bits are for sale anywhere, so instead, we’re given instructions to disassemble a standard breadboard in order to recover metal spring contacts.
At this stage, you’d need to install the spring contacts row by row into the new breadboard body. After the horizontal rows are installed, insert the power rail contacts on the left and right sides.
The final step for the wide MCU breadboard is to assemble the bottom and top plates, either with some screws or glue, and you should be good to go.
Via Hackster.io
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
Support CNX Software! Donate via cryptocurrencies, become a Patron on Patreon, or purchase goods on Amazon or Aliexpress. We also use affiliate links in articles to earn commissions if you make a purchase after clicking on those links.
