Students learn how to power an LED light with a 9-volt battery and a breadboard in a simple electronic experiment. Connect a red wire from one battery terminal to the breadboard's power bus and insert a resistor in the power bus. Push the other end of the resistor into a slot in the center row of sockets on the breadboard. Connect the long leg of the LED in the same row as the resistor and push the other leg into a different row of sockets. Insert a jumper wire in the same row as the short LED leg and push the other end into the ground bus. Connect a black wire from the battery to the ground bus and attach the battery to a 9-volt battery connector to generate power to the light.
Advanced science and technology classes will enjoy the challenge of designing a breadboard circuit capable of controlling a robot. Instructors should divide the class into teams and provide each group with a breadboard, flexible jump wire set, resistors, a microcontroller, LCD and segment display, switches, oscillator and capactior, temperature and light sensors, LED lights, USB programming board and cable, along with a switch-operated battery pack and four AA batteries. Give students three weeks to use the supplied materials and create a machine science board with a programmable microcontroller. Use the directions available at RobotShop for guidance and instruction (see References).
Use a multimeter to measure the electrical resistance of objects. Set up a breadboard with a resistor, jumper wires, photocell and rectifying diode. Connect loose ends of the wires to a pencil, glass of water, table salt and other common items to test the resistance of each. Exchange the resistor with higher- and lower-percentage components and observe the changes in voltage and resistance through each medium. During this experiment, it is very important to never measure the resistance of a battery or other "live" object, which will likely damage the multimeter and cause injury.
Students considering a future career in video game design and construction can get an early start by completing an experiment to build a video game console that can be operated without plugging into an outlet for a technology class or science fair project. Students will need to use a breadboard with an SX-28 circuit, LED output port, clock circuit, and joystick port, as well as video and audio out circuits. Students might also need to construct a 5-volt regulator to complete a working console.