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Using phatIO on a breadboard

You can insert individual wires into the phatIO’s socket or plug into a breadboard so all pins are connected to board sockets.

I’m currently in the process of developing a connector to directly connect phatIO (with a 0.1" pin spacing) to a breadboard (with 0.3" between the rows). In the meantime, here are two simple but effective solutions.

Be careful not to use excessive sideways force when connecting phatIO to a breadboard or the solder joint to the PCB may break.

ProtoBoard

To create a fairly solid connector a piece of Vero board and .1" header can be used:

  1. Cut a piece of .1" prototype PCB panel or Vero board to 4 holes by 14.
  2. Cut 4 strips of straight male header - 14 pins on each.
  3. Solder the header pins so they connect to the breadboard below and phatIO above.
  4. If using Vero board (with a connecting strip) make sure that the track is cut down the centre - so the pins from each side don’t connect. If using a board with unconnected pads make a solder bridge between the pin for the bread board to its corresponding phatIO pin.
phatIO BreadBoard connector using 4x14 prototype PCB panel and headers.
phatIO BreadBoard connector using 4x14 prototype PCB panel and headers.

##Bent Right Angled header

A piece of bent long legged right angled header can be used to connect one side of phatIO to shift the 0.1" spacing to 0.3".

phatIO BreadBoard connector using bent Right Angled header.
phatIO BreadBoard connector using bent Right Angled header.

phatIO sticker

Your phatIO device came with a sticker that can be used to mark the pins and functionality, useful on a breadboard. The sticker needs to be cut to size (the cutting accuracy of the manufacturer couldn’t be guaranteed in time for shipping). Just cut out the coloured sticker from the white background.

phatIO sticker being cut to size.
phatIO sticker being cut to size.

The smaller pin ID sticker should fit snuggly on the connector side and the larger one on the board side, both with pin numbers next the the edge.

Fritzing

I will be create a Fritzing part for phatIO as soon as possible.

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