Lab Station Handbook
In the lab we will construct systems by combining the lab instruments (i.e., function generator, oscilloscope, and power supply) and "virtual instruments" running on the Lab PC with components that we wire together to make circuits. To do this we need to be able to make several types of connections.
The instruments have either banana jacks or BNC connectors. The Lab PC has stereo jacks and a ribbon cable connector. Most of our components have wire pins or leads, but some of the larger ones have their own cables with connectors. Our basic strategy will be to wire the small components together on a breadboard, and then use cables with appropriate connectors to bring signals from the instruments, Lab PC, and large components to the breadboard.
The breadboard is a grid of holes or connection points where you can make electrical connections between components and construct circuits. Our lab breadboard consists of a region with unconnected holes where you can build your circuits. However, the upper region of your breadboard is the called breadboard interface module, where there each column is internally connected to the different types of terminals you see on the modules. This allows you to interface your circuits with the instruments and lab PC.