Learn Robotics Programming

Custom circuits

As you gain confidence with electronics and soldering, you will want to create more of your own circuits, and transfer them onto more professional-looking PCBs, to save space and perhaps make them easier to wire. Breadboards are good for learning and experimenting, but they are not ideal for competing, and quickly become bulky and untidy, while point-to-point wiring is fragile and prone to mistakes.

The first stage of custom, more-permanent circuits is using stripboard or perfboard and soldering components onto them. This is definitely a good further step from breadboards, and will save space. They can still be a little bulky and messy, though. You may also want to use parts that are surface mounted, or have irregularly ...