Averagesupernova said:
A 'real' engineer will realize the shortcomings of such a breadboard in various scenarios, but not all.
OK, yes, you're right. But, if you worked for me as a controls/analog EE, or were interviewing for anything but an entry level position, I wouldn't look favorably on this expenditure of time and effort. If you gave me a coherent description of why you only needed a low frequency test bed for about 1 day, then I' be OK with it.
It's a valid choice, but one that falls below:
1) Understanding, in advance what will happen. Including reading about device properties and doing a thoughtful initial design.
2) Simulation for common issues and basic function.
3) Building something with a little more effort that is a bit more representative of the final circuit that you can still use 7 days later. It really isn't too much more effort to solder than to stick parts into one of those things.
I suppose it's OK for students that don't have a lab, provided the instructor has vetted the exercise to avoid issues like what's confusing the OP. There is also a great deal of value in teaching people how things can go wrong IRL and how lab work differs from theory. The OP will soon learn how sensitive high impedance circuit bandwidth is to stray capacitance, for example.
But if you are serious about this as an engineer or a hobbyist, you can easily buy the
stuff you need to do breadboards right. This is an investment that will continue to pay off as you build more stuff. It's why "real" auto mechanics buy a good set of tools. Yes, you can probably get most bolts loose with a crescent wrench, but that's not how the people that do it often, and do it best, work.
I too have that style of breadboard, and I do use it, rarely. Sometimes you do need to do a quick DC experiment that you then immediately tear down. I say all of this as someone who has spent many hours being confused in the lab chasing down issues caused by poor construction rather than a fundamental issue with my design.
Averagesupernova said:
The same way they should realize that the same part from a different manufacturer not working in a design says more about the design than it does the part.
Yes. OMG, 100% agree. It also says something about the engineer and the management team they work for. If you aren't designing for some sort of "worst case" then your just building $%#@, that's not a design.