Breadboards – whats going on behind that plastic mask?
Unfortunately most breadboards have a backing material so you can’t see the connection channels.
A side view close up showing the clips inside the breadboard which hold the jump wires in place gives you some idea of how the connection channels are laid out.
To really understand the breadboard scrape off the adhesive backing and the inner workings of the breadboard are easily understood.
The power rails on the outer edges run along the length of the board. These are called Bus Strips.
The channels that run crosswise on the main area of the breadboard are called the Terminal Strips.
I hope seeing behind the plastic mask helps you understand how to effectively use a breadboard for circuit prototyping. More details about breadboards can be found on wikipedia.
