Add an Arduino and Breadboard
Program an LED Light Show
Click the Tinkercad logo
to go back to the main
Tinkercad page. From
there, start a new circuit.
Give your new circuit a name.
Scroll down in the
components list to find an
Arduino and a breadboard.
Add them both to your circuit. A breadboard
makes it easier to connect things to the Arduino
and build more complex circuits.
Recommended: rotate them both 90 degrees so the
writing is upright. (Technically this is a personal choice,
your circuit will still work fine if you leave them horizontal.)
Holes on a breadboard are
identified using letters for
the columns and numbers
for the rows. For example,
the red square here is
highlighting hole C10.
If you hover your mouse over a
hole in the breadboard, Tinkercad
will highlight which other holes it’s
connected to. Most of the holes
are connected in sets of 5.
The buses, also called rails, run the
entire length of the breadboard.
Use wires to connect the Arduino’s 5V and GND pins to
the breadboard’s power (+) and ground (-) buses. Color-
code the wires: red for positive, black for negative.
Add two more wires to connect
the buses on opposite sides of the
breadboard. This is good practice
whenever you use a breadboard.
Important: don’t do this!
Make sure you color-code your wires and click to
route the wires so you can easily tell them apart.