Raspberry Pi PCB Kit - Half-Size

The Adafruit Half-Size Raspberry Pi Perma-Proto PCB Kit is the perfect bridge between breadboard prototyping and a permanent, professional-quality circuit. After you've finalized your Raspberry Pi project on a regular breadboard, the next step is usually transferring it to a more reliable platform — and that's exactly what this board is designed for. It gives you all the convenience of a familiar half-size breadboard layout, but with solderable PCB pads that lock your components permanently in place — eliminating loose wires, intermittent connections, and accidental shorts that plague long-term breadboard projects.

What makes this Perma-Proto truly special is its built-in Raspberry Pi GPIO breakout. The board is cleverly divided into two functional zones:

• Left side (GPIO breakout): 13 rows of 4-pin holes that connect directly to the Raspberry Pi's GPIO pins via the included 26-pin shrouded header and ribbon cable. This gives you easy access to all 26 GPIO pins in a familiar breadboard-style layout, with each GPIO pin having multiple solder points so you can branch signals to several components.
• Right side (Prototyping area): One row of double 4-pin holes and 14 rows of double 5-hole rows, providing plenty of space for components — ICs, transistors, resistors, capacitors, sensors, headers, terminal blocks, and more. This area mirrors the layout of a standard breadboard, making it easy to translate your tested breadboard circuit directly to the Perma-Proto with minimal redesign.

Running along both long edges are two pairs of power rails (just like a real breadboard), making it easy to distribute 3.3V, 5V, GND, or any custom voltage throughout your circuit. The PCB is high-quality FR-4 with clean silkscreen labeling, labeled GPIO pin assignments, and professional plated through-holes — making your final circuit not only reliable but also great-looking.

This kit is shipped with the Perma-Proto PCB and the GPIO shrouded header as separate components, so some basic soldering skills are required for assembly. Once assembled, the board can be connected to any Raspberry Pi (Model A, B, B+, 2, 3, 4, or Zero with appropriate header) using a standard 26-pin or 40-pin GPIO ribbon cable (note: this kit's header is for the classic 26-pin GPIO; for 40-pin Pis, you'll only access the first 26 pins).

This board is ideal for:

• Finalizing prototypes into permanent, robust circuits
• Building custom Raspberry Pi HATs and add-ons
• Educational STEM projects that need long-term durability
• Wearable, embedded, or installation art projects
• Workshop and classroom demos that survive transport and reuse
• Sensor stations, IoT devices, and home automation hubs

By moving your project from a temporary breadboard to a soldered Perma-Proto, you transform a fragile prototype into a reliable, professional-grade build — without designing and ordering a custom PCB.

Specifications

General

• Type: Solderable Prototyping PCB (Perma-Proto)
• Form Factor: Half-Size Breadboard Style
• GPIO Compatibility: Raspberry Pi 26-Pin GPIO Header (Pi Models A, B, B+, 2, 3, 4 — first 26 pins for 40-pin Pis)
• Material: High-quality FR-4 PCB with plated through-holes
• Color: Standard PCB (typically green or black, depending on production batch)

Layout

• GPIO Breakout Section:
  • 13 rows of 4-pin holes
  • Connects to all 26 Raspberry Pi GPIO pins
• Prototyping Section:
  • 1 row of double 4-pin holes
  • 14 rows of double 5-pin holes
• Power Rails:
  • Two pairs of power rails running along the outside edges (top and bottom)
  • Ideal for distributing 3.3V, 5V, GND

Connector

• GPIO Header Type: 26-pin (2x13) Shrouded Box Header
• Pitch: 0.1" (2.54mm)
• Compatibility: Standard 26-pin Raspberry Pi GPIO ribbon cable

Mechanical

• Hole Pitch: 0.1" (2.54mm) — standard breadboard spacing
• Mounting Holes: Yes — for screw-mounting in enclosures
• Format: Same physical size as a standard half-size breadboard

Applications

• Permanent Raspberry Pi prototypes — graduate from breadboard to soldered build
• Custom Raspberry Pi HATs and add-on boards
• Sensor stations — temperature, humidity, motion, air quality
• Home automation controllers based on Raspberry Pi
• Smart home hubs and IoT gateways
• Robotics control boards with Pi GPIO
• Wearable Raspberry Pi projects (with Pi Zero)
• Educational STEM projects — schools and universities
• Maker faires and workshop demonstrations
• Art installations powered by Raspberry Pi
• Embedded data loggers with battery and SD storage
• Custom audio/video projects (e.g., RetroPie controllers)
• Ham radio and SDR-related interface boards
• Industrial monitoring prototypes
• Long-term experiments (e.g., weather stations, plant monitoring)
• Replacement for custom PCB design in low-volume project