A minimal printed circuit board designed to mount a single surface-mount component and route its pins to standard 0.1-inch spaced through-holes. This allows engineers and technicians to use tiny, fine-pitch packages like QFNs or BGAs on a standard breadboard or test fixture. They often include basic support components like decoupling capacitors or pull-up resistors.
I soldered the accelerometer to a breakout board so we can test the I2C communication on the bench before spinning a custom PCB.
Also heard as
- breakout
Related terms
Pin header
A row of exposed metal pins housed in a plastic base, used for board-to-board or wire-to-board connections.
SMD
Surface-mount device, an electronic component designed to be soldered directly onto the surface of a circuit board.
Bare board
A manufactured printed circuit board before any components are soldered onto it.