Collin's Lab: Breadboards & Perfboards

Every first circuit goes together on a breadboard, and this Collin's Lab episode explains the one thing that confuses beginners most: which holes are connected. The inner rows join components horizontally, with a gap down the middle that keeps a chip's pins apart, while the long columns down each side carry power and ground, and the rails on opposite sides stay separate until you bridge them with a wire. He also suggests making jumper wires from 22 gauge solid-core wire rather than stranded, then moves a circuit onto a perfboard laid out the same way as the breadboard, which is the natural next step once you can solder.