My Development Setup

When I got my Arduino Mega 2560, breadboard, and 2.8” TFT display, I realized I needed to come up with a more organized area to work on projects.  I found that when the Arduino board is laying flat, it is hard to see the markings so that I was plugging into the proper pin.

I started to lay out the basic parts where I wanted them for easy access and visibility.  I then made paper cut outs and cut up some corrugated cardboard to see what works.  After a few prototypes I settled on this configuration

I settled on a width of 8½”. 

The front flat area is 5 x 8½ so it would hold 2 full sized breadboards if I needed it. This is where the work is done.  It also has room for an ½  breadboard on the right to handle basic input like push buttons, joystick, keypad, etc.

The angled vertical area is 6 x 8½ to hold Arduino Mega and 2.8 display plugged into an ½ size breadboard.  This area is intended to be static. It will provide visual output, audio output, power, and the microcontroller board.  I added a piece of Styrofoam to hold miscellaneous parts for easy access. 

 

The rigid base and angled support are made from some pegboard I had laying around.  The base piece of pegboard is 8 ½ x12 and the angled piece is at a 45 degree angle.  This angle and size of the angled surface was low enough to still see my computer monitors.  The cardboard box in the back is a plan for a microATX power supply to provide +5V, +3.3V, & +12V power for projects.  Not sure how to present power on the front panel yet.. I am thinking about cutting a small breadboard in half and adding terminal blocks to connect the power supply wires.

I covered the flat and angled area with foam board so I can swap them out.  Both foam boards are just held in place with tape.  Hopefully this will make it easier to swap between projects without having to break down and rewire.  The breadboards and microcontroller board are attached with Velcro for making adjustments and changes.

How about those resistors from my EE lab in the 70’s!!  At least I don’t have to worry about power rating..