Move a finished breadboard project onto soldered protoboard so it survives being carried around: plan the layout, solder safely, and test it against the same table as before.
A breadboard circuit falls apart in a school bag. How do you make it permanent?
Client: you, for any project you have already built. Context: the project has to survive a school bag.
Brief: the same circuit on protoboard (or stripboard), working the same tests as the breadboard version, no loose wires, and fits on a 5 × 7 cm board. Soldering only with the teacher's safety briefing, in the soldering area.
Inquire: Read the brief: who it is for, what it must do (criteria) and the limits (constraints).
Develop: Plan before you build: parts, circuit, code and the tests you will run.
Create: Build it, first in the simulator, then for real if you have the kit. Expect a few tries; that is normal.
Test: Run your tests and record what happened, including what failed.
Evaluate: Judge it against each criterion, and say what you would change.
Make your prediction first. Help opens once you've locked it in.
InquireRead the brief: who it is for, what it must do (criteria) and the limits (constraints).
Inquire: the brief
Sort each line of the brief: a criterion (what it must do, which you can test) or a constraint (a limit you must work within)?
Passes the same tests as the breadboard version
No loose wires
Fits on a 5 × 7 cm board
Soldering only after the safety briefing, in the soldering area
DevelopPlan before you build: parts, circuit, code and the tests you will run.
Develop: plan before you build
Soldering: safe or unsafe?
Iron back in its stand whenever you put it down
Fume extractor on, face out of the smoke
Testing whether the iron is hot with a finger
Cutting component legs with the board pointing at a classmate
Washing hands after soldering
CreateBuild it, first in the simulator, then for real if you have the kit. Expect a few tries; that is normal.
Create: build it
TestRun your tests and record what happened, including what failed.
Test: run your table
EvaluateJudge it against each criterion, and say what you would change.
Evaluate: against the brief
For teachers
A stretch project: move a working breadboard project onto protoboard or stripboard, with a planned layout, a soldering safety briefing, and the original test table re-run. About 120 minutes.
I can plan a protoboard layout from a circuit diagram.
I can solder safely and check my joints.
I can show the permanent version works the same as the breadboard one.
Before class
Teacher-led and equipment-dependent: soldering stations with stands and fume extraction, safety glasses, lead-free solder, and your school's soldering risk assessment. Give the safety briefing in person before anyone uses an iron; this page does not replace it.
If you assess with MYP Design, the steps line up with the criteria:
A Inquiring and analysing: the brief, its criteria and constraints, and research into parts (Inquire).
B Developing ideas: a design specification, the circuit and code plan, and the test table written before building (Develop).
C Creating the solution: building it (in the simulator, then for real), following the plan and justifying changes (Create).
D Evaluating: testing against the specification, recording failures, improvements and impact (Test, Evaluate).
Otherwise, use the same four headings as a simple rubric: each step's reflect checks are the evidence list.
Running the lesson
Develop: partner checks the layout against the diagram.
Create: inspect the first three joints together.
The hard part (on purpose)
Students want to start soldering. The layout drawing is the ticket to the iron.
When students get stuck
Two neighbouring joints are joined by solder. Ask: Is there a bridge? Fix: Remove it with solder wick, then re-check.
Stretch and support
Stretch: Make it a shield: headers that plug straight onto the Uno.
Support: A printed hole grid and a worked layout for an LED and resistor.
Where it leads
Next stretch: Design a PCB.
What each step is for
Inquire: the brief: Separating what the design must do (criteria) from the limits it works within (constraints) is the first move of any design brief.
Develop: plan before you build: Planning the layout on paper (or in Tinkercad) before the iron is hot is what makes protoboard work: holes can't be moved later.
Create: build it: Building in the simulator first catches wiring and code slips cheaply; the real build then tests the design against the world.
Test: run your table: Running the test table written in Develop, and recording every result including failures, is the evidence for the evaluation.
Evaluate: against the brief: Judging the design criterion by criterion, with evidence from the tests, is what separates an evaluation from a description.
Now you can
Plan a protoboard layout from a circuit diagram.
Solder safely and check my joints.
Show the permanent version works the same as the breadboard one.