Wide-Board Breadboard for Pico, ESP32 and Similar

Description

DESCRIPTION
Many modern microcontroller boards like the Raspberry Pi Pico or ESP32 dev boards are too wide for standard solderless breadboards, leaving little or no usable space for wiring and components. This project introduces a purpose-built breadboard design for wide microcontroller boards, restoring full prototyping space on both sides of the MCU.

The breadboard uses metal spring contacts either salvaged from commercial breadboards or taken from new, commercially available contact strips, arranged in a layout optimized for wide boards. The microcontroller sits in the center, while full-length rows and power rails remain accessible for clean, practical prototyping. The design is 3D printable and available in multiple variants for different board widths and pin spacings.

This approach keeps the familiar breadboard workflow while making wide development boards finally comfortable to use in real projects.

Details

Modern microcontroller boards like the Raspberry Pi Pico, ESP32 dev boards, and similar designs are often too wide for standard solderless breadboards. When plugged in, they block most of the usable rows, making clean prototyping awkward and cramped. This project introduces a family of purpose-built breadboards designed specifically for wide microcontroller boards, restoring proper access to rows and power rails on both sides of the MCU.

The breadboards are 3D printable and open source, and they reuse real metal spring contacts—just like those found in commercial breadboards—so the electrical behavior stays familiar and reliable. There are two ways to source these contacts: you can salvage them from an existing commercial breadboard and reuse them, or you can use new, commercially available contact strips. A particularly convenient option are power-rail contact strips (for 10×5 pins), which can be easily cut apart and repurposed for this design. The idea of using new contact strips instead of only salvaged ones comes from @jason_d.

For those who want a detailed, step-by-step build guide, there is a full illustrated construction manual available on Instructables, documenting the process and design decisions in depth.

The layouts are optimized for wide boards, keeping the microcontroller centered while leaving full, usable prototyping space on both sides. Multiple design variants are provided to accommodate different board widths and pin spacings, making the system flexible for a range of popular dev boards.

All design files are available in the GitHub repository, including the original Autodesk Fusion source files, as well as STL and .3MF files ready for 3D printing.

Beyond just solving the “too-wide-for-a-breadboard” problem, this project aims to keep the classic breadboard workflow intact: fast, solderless, and easy to reconfigure—while finally making it comfortable to work with modern, wider MCU boards.

If there is interest in support for additional boards or form factors, I’m happy to design more variants to expand the lineup.