Page 132 - The Art and Science of Analog Circuit Design

James M. Bryant

Figure 9-20,

When the components of a breadboard of this type are wired point-
to-point in the air (a type of construction strongly advocated by Robert A.
1
Pease of National Semiconductor and sometimes known as "bird's nest"
construction) there is always the risk of the circuitry being crashed and
resulting short-circuits; also, if the circuitry rises high above the ground
plane, the screening effect of the ground plane is diminished and interac-
tion between different parts of the circuit is more likely. Nevertheless the
technique is very practical and widely used because the circuit may so
easily be modified.
However, there is a commercial breadboarding system which has most
of the advantages of "bird's nest over a ground plane" (robust ground,
screening, ease of circuit alteration, low capacitance, and low inductance)
and several additional advantages: it is rigid, components are close to the
ground plane, and where necessary node capacitances and line imped-
ances can be calculated easily. This system was invented by Claire R.
WainwrigJit and is made by WMM GmbH in the town of Andechs in
Bavaria and is available throughout Europe and most of the world as
"Mini-Mount" but in the USA (where the trademark "Mini-Mount" is the
property of another company) as the "Wainwright Solder-Mount Sys-
2
tem," (There is also a monastery at Andechs where they brew what is
arguably the best beer in Germany.)
Solder-Mounts consist of small pieces of PCB with etched patterns on
one side and contact adhesive on the other. They are stuck to the ground
plane and components are soldered to them. They are available in a wide

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