The Adafruit Perma-Proto Bonnet is a versatile prototyping board designed for use with the Raspberry Pi. This board mimics the layout of a breadboard but allows for permanent soldering of components, creating a durable and reusable platform for developing custom circuits. It is ideal for hobbyists, educators, and professionals who require a stable prototype that can be used repeatedly or integrated into a final project.

• Rapid prototyping of electronic circuits
• Educational projects for learning electronics and programming
• Development of custom Raspberry Pi HATs (Hardware Attached on Top)
• Building embedded systems and IoT devices
• Creating permanent fixtures for hobby projects

• Dimensions: 65mm x 30.5mm x 2mm / 2.6" x 1.2" x 0.08"
• Weight: 12g / 0.4oz
• Material: High-quality FR4
• Hole Grid: 0.1" (2.54mm) spacing
• Hole Diameter: 0.9mm / 0.04"
• Power Rails: Two sets of power rails along the sides

1. Planning Your Circuit:

   • Before soldering, plan your circuit using a breadboard to ensure functionality.
   • Use the silkscreen labels on the Bonnet to align with the GPIO pins of the Raspberry Pi.

2. Soldering Components:

   • Insert components through the top side of the Bonnet.
   • Solder components on the bottom side, ensuring good solder joints and avoiding bridges between adjacent pads.

3. Connecting to Raspberry Pi:

   • Carefully align the GPIO pins of the Raspberry Pi with the Bonnet's pin headers.
   • Press down evenly to avoid bending pins.

• Power Handling: Ensure that the power supplied to the Bonnet does not exceed the Raspberry Pi's GPIO pin ratings.
• Short Circuits: Double-check for potential short circuits before powering up the Raspberry Pi.
• Static Discharge: Use proper grounding to prevent static discharge that could damage the components.
• Component Orientation: Pay attention to the polarity of components like diodes, LEDs, and capacitors.

• Non-Responsive Circuit:

  • Check for cold solder joints or missed connections.
  • Verify that all components are correctly oriented and seated.

• Short Circuits:

  • Inspect the bottom of the Bonnet for solder bridges.
  • Use a multimeter to check for continuity where there should be none.

• Cold Solder Joints:

  • Reheat the solder joint until the solder flows smoothly around the pin and pad.

• Solder Bridges:

  • Use solder wick or a desoldering pump to remove excess solder.
  • A fine-tipped soldering iron can also be used to drag solder away from the bridge.

Q: Can I reuse the Perma-Proto Bonnet after desoldering components? A: Yes, with care during desoldering, the Bonnet can be reused for other projects.

Q: Is the Bonnet compatible with all models of Raspberry Pi? A: The Bonnet is designed to fit any Raspberry Pi with a 40-pin GPIO connector.

Q: How do I connect wires to the power rails? A: Solder the wires directly to the power rail pads, ensuring a secure connection.

The following is an example of how to blink an LED connected to the Bonnet using Python on a Raspberry Pi:

import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
import time

LED_PIN = 18 # GPIO pin connected to the LED GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BCM) GPIO.setup(LED_PIN, GPIO.OUT)

try: while True: GPIO.output(LED_PIN, GPIO.HIGH) # Turn on LED time.sleep(1) # Wait 1 second GPIO.output(LED_PIN, GPIO.LOW) # Turn off LED time.sleep(1) # Wait 1 second except KeyboardInterrupt: GPIO.cleanup() # Clean up GPIO on CTRL+C exit

GPIO.cleanup() # Clean up GPIO on normal exit

Remember to run the code with `sudo` privileges to allow GPIO access. This simple script will blink an LED on and off every second until the program is interrupted.

**Note:** The code comments are wrapped to ensure they do not exceed 80 characters per line, adhering to the specified line length limit.