Arduino Sidecar (instead of a Shield)

In my last post I described my Arduino Keyer Kludge.  In that project I didn't use the standard "shield" board that normally sits atop the Arduino board.  I had used a shield in an earlier project and I didn't really like it.   I prefer to have all the electronics and connections on the top of the board -- this makes for easier experimentation and modification.  

Above you can see my "sidecar" technique.  I build the circuit on a piece of copper clad board using isolation pads superglued to the copper (aka "Manhattan style").   For the Arduino board, I just superglue a piece of balsa wood to the copper clad board, and attach the Arduino board to the balsa with small wood screws.  Electrical connections from the Arduino to the sidecar just go from the Arduino pins to the appropriate points in the sidecar circuit via small-gauge wire.  

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