Source of a good solderless breadboard (UK)

[deephaven]

I've always tended to use veroboard (strip board) or other soldering based breadboarding techniques but thought I'd like to try using a solderless breadboard of the style that Dave used in his 555 blog. I don't see much on RS and Farnell, so just wondered if anyone had any suggestions for a good source of breadboards for me in the UK?

[baljemmett]

I've always tended to use veroboard (strip board) or other soldering based breadboarding techniques but thought I'd like to try using a solderless breadboard of the style that Dave used in his 555 blog. I don't see much on RS and Farnell, so just wondered if anyone had any suggestions for a good source of breadboards for me in the UK?

Now, I wouldn't often offer this as a first suggestion, but you might want to try Maplin -- I was in my local store last weekend and the prototyping/PCB product range was all on a 3-for-2 offer, so I picked up some breadboards along with the PCB etching stuff I'd gone in for.  They have a small but reasonably varied range of styles and sizes, and at least you can see what you're getting if you have one nearby!

[DaveW]

These are great quality,
http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/search/browse.jsp?N=1004671+4275&Ns=PRICE_PLS_006_PRICE1|1&locale=en_UK&appliedparametrics=true&getResults=true&originalQueryURL=/jsp/search/browse.jsp%3FN%3D1004671%26No%3D0%26getResults%3Dtrue%26appliedparametrics%3Dtrue%26locale%3Den_UK%26catalogId%3D%26prevNValues%3D1004671

And cheaper,
http://www.maplin.co.uk/advanced-solderless-breadboard-system-2002
http://www.maplin.co.uk/silver-plated-plugblock-type-rh-32s-1991

[deephaven]

Thanks for the great suggestions guys. I'm spoilt for choice now!

[Simon]

I found some nice breadboards on farnell (well nice for me) I was so impressed with the bang for buck i bought ten and resold eight keeping 2

[deephaven]

I found some nice breadboards on farnell (well nice for me) I was so impressed with the bang for buck i bought ten and resold eight keeping 2

Were they the "Wisher" ones that DaveW recommended?

[Simon]

Yes: http://uk.farnell.com/wisher/wbu-501j/bread-board-wbu-501j/dp/1472849

[Zero999]

And cheaper,
http://www.maplin.co.uk/advanced-solderless-breadboard-system-2002
http://www.maplin.co.uk/silver-plated-plugblock-type-rh-32s-1991

I wouldn't recommend the ones from Maplins.

No brand name and probably overpriced - the norm for Maplins.

[Simon]

And cheaper,
http://www.maplin.co.uk/advanced-solderless-breadboard-system-2002
http://www.maplin.co.uk/silver-plated-plugblock-type-rh-32s-1991

I wouldn't recommend the ones from Maplins.

No brand name and probably overpriced - the norm for Maplins.

DITTO, there is no company i would love to see go bust more than maplin, I've had the short straw from them a few times too often, they don't deserve to operate

[baljemmett]

I wouldn't recommend the ones from Maplins.

No brand name and probably overpriced - the norm for Maplins.

Although in general you're right about Maplin prices at least some of their breadboards are K&H branded (http://www.kandh.com.tw/) -- the one I picked up as the free item in a 3-for-2 deal certainly was (AD-12 I think, two of the 'squarer' boards and a set of terminal posts bolted together on a blue base).  Whether the brand's any good, well...

[Simon]

I avoid maplins out of principle apart from their high prices and low quality and because of the price/quality ratio I just give the whole gig a miss. No I'm not a hard customer to please but i still have morals and principals

[deephaven]

Although maybe similar in some ways to Maplin, I do miss the Tandys we used to have in the town where I live. I put up a lot for the convenience of just being able to pop in.

Thanks to the advice here, I've ordered a Wisher board from Farnell. Actually, Farnell are almost as good as having a shop in town as their stuff almost always comes the next day and the p&p is free too! RS is good too (so that I don't take sides!). Also Digikey is great, although it's based in the US I have often ordered stuff on a Friday afternoon and it has come the following Monday, that's free shipping too if you spend enough.

[Simon]

I use farnell almost exclusively as they are the best compromise for me but far from perfect although few are. I've generally foind digikey very expensive and RS, well if one can get through their new fangled flash based system they can be cheaper than farnell in large quantites (I once bought 500 5V regs with postage at a cheaper price per part than farnell)

[baljemmett]

Thanks to the advice here, I've ordered a Wisher board from Farnell. Actually, Farnell are almost as good as having a shop in town as their stuff almost always comes the next day and the p&p is free too! RS is good too (so that I don't take sides!). Also Digikey is great, although it's based in the US I have often ordered stuff on a Friday afternoon and it has come the following Monday, that's free shipping too if you spend enough.

Aye, Farnell are pretty on the ball; I think I've only had one occasion where I was disappointed -- even then it made sense, I ordered parts at 3 p.m. on a Friday expecting them on the Saturday as usual but since one item was coming from Belgium they didn't ship the rest until the next day.  Everything turned up on the Monday though so certainly can't complain.  Nowadays I keep a list of 'things I don't need urgently' just in case I need to pad out a more urgent order to the minimum value, unless swallowing RS's handling charge makes more sense.

Digikey have impressed me too in the past, but I haven't bought from them (yet); won one of their giveaways on a Monday night, on the Thursday I got home from work to find the loot had been left with my neighbours.  I was impressed enough that if it ever looks like buying from the US will save some moolah, they'll be getting some business.  Which I suppose is rather the point of their promotions

[DaveW]

And cheaper,
http://www.maplin.co.uk/advanced-solderless-breadboard-system-2002
http://www.maplin.co.uk/silver-plated-plugblock-type-rh-32s-1991

I wouldn't recommend the ones from Maplins.

No brand name and probably overpriced - the norm for Maplins.

They're not that much different in price to similar unbranded ones from ebay or similar and the quality is average, have 5 around and nothing wrong with them. You won't regret getting the Wisher ones, top quality, will get years of service out of them

[Simon]

well my comment for maplin is often that "they make ebay look like jesus christs own table top sale" 

[Zero999]

One of the most annoying things about Maplin is the descriptions in their catalogue and website are often vague or incorrect and the pictures fuzzy. It's obvious they're employing writers no technical knowledge. I can accept that their store staff don't know much but there's no excuse for skimping on their catalogue and website.

Their breadboard is advertised as silver plated, I'm not sure if this is good. Silver may be an excellent conductor but it also oxidises easily, gold plated contact acts are better because gold doesn't oxidise, even though it is a poorer conductor. Perhaps this is a misprint too? No idea and no, their staff can't help to clarify this so there's no point.

Have you read some of the answers to the questions submitted about some of their products? They can only answer the very basic nube questions. I submitted a question about the copper weight of their copper clad board (which I bought ages ago but they still sell) and got no response, they couldn't even be bothered to reply saying they don't know.

[DaveW]

And even worse when the store staff think they know what they're doing-I overheard someone being sold a combination of an AC power supply and DC fan in the Harrow store not too long ago.
As for the breadboard contacts, they are silver plated on the ones I have but due to the insertion of pins cleaning the contacts I haven't found this much of a problem and treat them as disposable. Some of the Wisher ones also linked are also silver plated

[Zero999]

well my comment for maplin is often that "they make ebay look like jesus christs own table top sale" 

Would you buy from a clueless ebay seller?

I often ask technical questions, just to find out whether they know what they're talking about.

[TheEENerd]

I personally prefer 3M breadboard for it's quality. http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Detail&name=922318-ND hope it's useful.

[baljemmett]

One of the most annoying things about Maplin is the descriptions in their catalogue and website are often vague or incorrect and the pictures fuzzy. It's obvious they're employing writers no technical knowledge.

"No sorry this catalogue does not support that."   

[orbiter]

I've got three (different sizes) of the K&H breadboards from Maplin, and so far (around six months use) they seems pretty good. Mind Due breadboards are the only thing I'll buy from Maplins nowadays, unless I needed something urgently. I've also got a few of the Ebay cheapy breadboards too which are ok'ish, however you can tell after a few months use that inserting the wires becomes a little more difficult due to to wear and tear on the pins. They do still work ok though. I think the last ones I got from ebay were two for £7. I wouldn't advise those though, but rather recommend the Wisher or the K&H ones.

When I was into electronics first time around I remember also being at Maplins a lot of the time for tools (I didn't know better,) so I'd spend ages looking around at all the different shiny things thinking.. Ooh I need that, ooh I need one of those. I'd end up spending £50 at a time on the many different Rolson tools available for the job, Jeeeez! I shouldn't have bothered! What a load of crap that Rolson stuff is. I particularly remember their tweezers sets (around £5 I think at the time.) Absolutely useless! You'd grab something tiny, and the tweezers would distort & flex so much that whatever it was you were holding would flick out, and fly far, far away, never to be seen again  

 

[Simon]

One of the most annoying things about Maplin is the descriptions in their catalogue and website are often vague or incorrect and the pictures fuzzy. It's obvious they're employing writers no technical knowledge.

"No sorry this catalogue does not support that."   

haha yes that's all they know how to say and think they sound proffesional. "this product does not support that". I think their "technical staff" do not support knowing their jobs. That is the other reason I just don't go there. low quality, top prices and clueless into the bargain.

[Simon]

well my comment for maplin is often that "they make ebay look like jesus christs own table top sale" 

Would you buy from a clueless ebay seller?

at least they are cheap and i know the deal. with some eperience you can often weed out the bad sellers and check the feedback. With maplins it is just a wall of indiference

[Zero999]

One of the most annoying things about Maplin is the descriptions in their catalogue and website are often vague or incorrect and the pictures fuzzy. It's obvious they're employing writers no technical knowledge.

"No sorry this catalogue does not support that."   

Some of the responses really take the piss:

What is the equivalent light output of these LED lamps? e.g. equivalent to a 25Watt GU10 dichroic?

The output is approx equivelant to a 20 watt dichroic.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/gu10-mains-voltage-led-lamps-35331
Yea right. Those LED lights only use 1.8W, there's no way they're equivalent to 20W halogen, probably 8W at most. I've seen how dim halogen comparable LED lights are compared to the suppoeid comparable real halogens.

need to replace an electronic 240vAC to 12vAC transformer driving a single 50W halogen bulb. This is the second transformer to fail. The incoming mains voltage was tested at 246v and it was suggested that this might be the problem. Do any of your products allow for slight over-voltage?

Unfortunately not.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/low-voltage-lighting-transformers-29782

That's terrible, a quality product designed to run off 230V should be able to handle at least 253V for long periods so 243V shouldn't be a problem. Maplin should've asked them if the transformers which failed were burred under thermal insulation or in a hot area (i.e. airing cupboard) and if not offered a refund for the one which failed. I also can't believe how stupid the customer is for buying the same shitty product over and over.