I just want to learn Arduino and make some small projects. But in the beginner starter kit there's a part named Prototyping Shield. Is it necessary or will it help me?
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The official starter kit has no "Prototyping Shield" (but a breaboard).– CL.Commented Apr 8, 2016 at 7:04
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In general, there's no need for a prototyping shield; a simple breadboard and wires will do. The only advantage is (from my viewpoint) that it is easier to bring along with you on holiday if you want to perform some experiments... That's the only way I use it.– jfpoilpretCommented Apr 9, 2016 at 9:36
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2 Answers
A prototyping shield allows you to create your own circuit that can sit neatly on top of an Arduino. Its main advantage is the pins/holes to connect to the Arduino, as these aren't evenly spaced so they are difficult to replicate with strip-board. Do you need one? I doubt it very much, stick to the bread board and leave the soldering iron alone until you know what you are doing.
answered Apr 8, 2016 at 8:30
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Also this would have been better in the Arduino StackExchange forum, pop on over some time. Commented Apr 8, 2016 at 8:31
You can make a slightly neater project with a prototyping shield. You can use much shorter jumper wires are sufficient to connect to the Arduino pins than if the proto was on your bench beside the Uno. That makes the project much more easily portable without knocking wires out of place. And if the project is one you want to make permanent, you've already laid it out for a shield and you're pretty near ready to start soldering parts and wires to the board.
The shield is certainly not needed for prototyping. I don't own any; I keep a handful of solderless breadboards around for the purpose. But if I were planning to build a permanent Arduino shield, that's where I'd start.
