SparkFun
SparkFun Arduino ProtoShield - Bare PCB
The SparkFun Arduino ProtoShield is a bare PCB with no attached or included parts that lets you customize your own Arduino shield using whatever circuit...
The SparkFun Arduino ProtoShield is a bare PCB with no attached or included parts that lets you customize your own Arduino shield using whatever circuit you can come up with! You will even be able to test your circuit or project to make sure everything is working the way it should! The SparkFun Arduino ProtoShield is based off the Arduino R3’s footprint that allows you to easily incorporate it with favorite Arduino-based device.
Now you don’t need to buy the whole ProtoShield kit if you just need a piece of prototyping board that will fit on top of your Arduino. You might want to grab a stackable header kit, though, which you can find in the related items below.
One of our favorite features with this version of the Arduino ProtoShield is the solderable-like breadboard prototyping area! Half of this area was designed with a breadboard in mind. On the underside of the shield you will be able to see open jumper pads between each through hole to make a connection like a breadboard. Once you add a component, simply add a solder jumper between holes to make a connection. For those that prefer the standard prototyping pads, we left the other side (near the BlueSMiRF and Serial UART ports) as is.
We have also moved the prototype testing components (those used to make sure your circuit works effectively) off of the “mainland” of the shield and onto a ProtoSnap styled, removable PCB. On this test area you will find soldering areas for two 3mm LEDs (as well as pins to control and power them), two 330 Ohm resistors, a 10K Ohm resistor, and a pushbutton. These items you’ll need to purchase separately.
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- PCB
- A printed circuit board is a rigid board with copper tracks that connect electronic parts without loose wires. For this kit, the PCBs also form the airplane shape, so they are both the circuit base and part of the finished model.
- Shield
- An add-on board that plugs into a main controller board to give it extra features such as sensing, motor control or communication. Knowing a product supports shields helps you judge whether it can connect neatly into an existing maker-board setup.
- solder jumper
- A solder jumper is a small pair or group of pads on a circuit board that can be bridged or cut with solder to change a hardware setting. It matters because changing modes may require careful soldering rather than just changing software.
- UART
- UART is a simple serial connection that sends data over separate transmit and receive wires, often labelled TX and RX. It matters because this module is designed to replace a wired UART cable with a wireless link while keeping the same serial data format.
Find this product in
Prototyping & Wiring
ProtoShield v2.5 Schematic
Schematic · 25.1 KB · Click any page to view full size
ProtoShield Kit rev 4.0 Schematic
Schematic · 113.9 KB · Click any page to view full size
Supplier page — sparkfun.com
Supplier Description · 735.6 KB · Click any page to view full size
Resources & Downloads
Guides, code examples, and more
Related Tutorials
Free guides on learn.littlebird.com.au
