A breadboard is a device that allows you to connect electronic components together on a flat, stable surface. Components are plugged into the grid of holes on the board. Metal clips behind the holes hold the components in place and connect them together.

You might have already built a few simple circuits with alligator clip leads and the micro:bit.  That normally works for a few connections, but with more circuits, the project can end up looking like a bowl of spaghetti.  This can make keeping track of which parts are connected to each other really challenging.  So, the breadboard has become the tool of choice for building circuit prototypes, because it’s way easier to build any number of circuits and still be able to clearly see which parts are connected.

The breadboard you are using in these activities has two terminal strips, each with column labels (a through j) along the top and bottom, and row labels 1 through 30 on each side.  Those column and row labels can be used to identify each socket.  For example, in the right terminal strip, there’s only one (g, 16) socket.  That’s where the g column intersects with the 16th row.  The breadboard you’ll be working with also has three bus strips.  Each bus strip has two columns, one labeled with a (+) sign and a red stripe, and the other with a (-) sign and a blue stripe.  

(View full-size: terminal-strips-row-column-coordinates.mp4 [1])

Parts

• micro:bit module
• Edge I/O Adapter for micro:bit (Rev B or higher)
• Breadboard

Gather the parts and place them in a row as shown in the picture.  

Circuit

• Connect your micro:bit to the breadboard with the Edge I/O Adapter, following the animation and the checkmark instructions below it.
• Optionally, view the full-size clip microbit-edge-breadboard-setup.mp4 [2] to play and pause between steps.

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• Make sure the breadboard is right-side-up so that its 1, 2, 3 row labels are at the top.  The 28, 29, and 30 row labels should also be at the bottom.
• Set the Edge I/O Adapter on the left side of the breadboard so that:
  • the adapter pin labeled P0 goes in the (a, 30) breadboard socket
  • the adapter pin labeled 3V pin goes in the (a, 11) socket
  • the two adapter pins labeled (+) go in the bus strip (+) column sockets next to the red line
  • The two adapter pins labeled (-) go in the bus strip (-) sockets next blue line
• When you are sure the pins are started in the correct sockets, press down firmly on the edge adapter.  The pins should sink all the way into the breadboard -by about ¼ inch.