Moreover, these boards are of different types as each board has different sensors on it, also these boards made it easy to interface the sensors with Arduino by reducing the number of wires of the circuit. If you are interested in breakout boards for Arduino, then read this guide as I have thoroughly explained what is breakout board for Arduino?
Breakout board for Arduino
The Breakout are mainly the boards having different sensors and integrated circuits without header pins soldered with them. Normally every sensor has its breakout board which can have its own pins for sending the output, receiving the input and pins for connecting the sensor with power supply.
Benefits of using a breakout board
There are multiple benefits of using breakout boards and some of them are:
- Make it easy to interface sensors with Arduino boards
- Make the circuit more compact
- Reduce the use of wires for connecting sensors
Difference between a breakout board and Arduino shield
You might be wondering that if breakout board types are divided based on different sensors, then what are the Arduino shields and how do they differ from breakout boards. So, the table below gives a complete comparison of both to address your concerns:
| Break out board/th> | Arduino shield |
|---|---|
| They can be used with microcontrollers other than Arduino boards. They can also be used with Raspberry Pi | Arduino shields are only designed to work with Arduino boards only |
| The breakout board have a small form factor | The Arduino shields have a bigger form factor |
| The breakout board normally come with unsoldered header pins | Some Arduino shields have soldered header pins |
| The Breakout board is designed for specific purpose only | Arduino shield can be used for multiple purposes |
| The breakout boards shrink the size of the circuits | The Arduino shields are used to extend the pins of Arduino board |
| The breakout boards have less cost due to lesser number of components | The Arduino shield are quite expensive |
| The breakout board has only a specific sensor on it | The Arduino shield is a complete Arduino board |
The below contains breakout board of temperature sensor on the left side and Arduino relay shield on the right side:
Things to remember while using the breakout board with Arduino
If you are thinking of using a breakout board with Arduino, then keep in mind a following things:
- See the voltage specifications required by the breakout board as some of the boards require 3.3 volts for operating
- First find the user manual on the internet before buying the specific breakout board as there is no information one can find regarding some of the boards
- Before buying, check if the pins of the breakout board are labeled or not because in case of unlabeled pins there will be difficulty in connecting it with Arduino.
Conclusion
Breakout boards are small size sensor boards having integrated circuits that can be used with Arduino to reduce the wire count in the circuit. Moreover if you are thinking of using breakout board then read guide as the breakout board for Arduino is explained in detail.
