I'm tinkering with Raspberry Pi, and envision a few small applications that will require external circuits. I find the breadboard setup to be a bit too fragile for long-term use, but I'm not sure how to make it more permanent without making a custom PCB, which seems like overkill.
Here's a crude breadboard to connect an I2C temperature sensor — which can be redone as a cable and some heat-shrink tubing, but my next project will have a few more components.
One option seems like a few drops of glue in strategic places on the breadboard, but this seems a bit clunky.
Is there an option between breadboard and PCB?
Best Answer
Yes, in fact there are some viable prototyping methods between breadboard and custom PCB. I think you're looking for a STRIPBOARD, which is a board with holes every 0.1", and copper patterns that tie some of the holes together in patterns that accommodate solder connections while allowing DIP chips to be placed without shorting.
From the wikipedia entry on stripboards:
This shows the back side of a stripboard, where all the soldering is going on.
Many people advise to skip the breadboard stage and move right to these methods, as they're more reliable.
Lastly, don't rule out PCB's -- they can be done at about $5 per square inch in prototyping quantities if you have two or three weeks.