Recently, I received a message from Dave Henry, creator of the Breadboarding Labs YouTube channel. Dave has been building full computers on solderless breadboards for years — and he’s now working on an Intel 386 build.
He found my site, read about Permanent Solderless Cables, tried the technique, and wrote to ask if he could reference Runtime Micro in an upcoming video.
Of course I said yes.
Dave’s 386 Breadboard PC
Dave’s latest project is something I never expected to see -- an i386/DX‑33 mounted on a wire‑wrapped 132‑pin PGA adapter and plugged into a large array of Busboard Prototype Systems BB830 boards.
He’s trying a 16 MHz Clock/2 arrangement giving the CPU an effective 8 MHz operating speed. The resulting Address and Data bus speeds are at the edge of what solderless breadboards can accommodate with careful layout and short wire runs.
His build isn’t running yet (as of his message), but the architecture is in place, and the Video shows a clean, disciplined layout. It takes real courage to attempt a build of this scale on solderless boards.
His Take on Permanent Solderless Cables
In his first message, Dave mentioned he'd already been using multi‑wire Dupont shells (8‑wide housings) for bus lines. After reading my PS cable page, he applied the technique to his 386 data bus — but with his own refinements.
He described his refined process as:
- Use clear OHP transparency film as a thin, rigid wrapper around the header pins.
- Cut a strip the width of the connector then create starter Indents using the firmly pressed header pins.
- Expand wrapper indentations into holes with a knife or small screw-driver -- insert header pins thru holes.
- fold the plastic around the wired header housing -- tape film edges -- done.
The result is a removable, see‑through, low‑profile wrapper that fits in a single 0.1″ row and lets you visually inspect the wires. My method uses opaque sticky tape that is not easily removed.
Dave's approach is clever -- one I hadn’t seen before.
Dave’s Video
Here is the video featuring Dave;s 386 build -- and his take on Permanent Solderless Cables: It shows the exact steps he took to create his own custom cables.
Mystery Modules on the Power Rails
While watching his ~20‑minute video, I noticed some unusual flat modules sitting on the breadboard power rails. I didn’t recognize them -- so I asked what they might be.
Dave replied: “Those are Breadboard Buddies.”
The Buddies are a modular ecosystem of power and utility blocks designed specifically for breadboards. They solve numerous pain points when dealing with controls or wiring that won't integrate well with solderless breadboards.
Here’s the link Dave sent me to;
https://www.tindie.com/products/hackmodular/breadboard-buddies/#product-description
Its worth a look., You may find there's something to solve a problem with your own builds...
In Summary
I'm glad to see someone else apply Permanent Solderless tactics for making Custom Cables. It reduces wiring mess and leaves you with a pluggable way to connect breadboards to other modules or other breadboard areas. Dave's Video shows this in detail. You won't believe how many breadboards he uses for a build!
I’ll be updating my Permanent Solderless Cable page to reference Dave’s work. His build is one of the clearest demonstrations I’ve seen of PS‑style cabling applied to a real, demanding system.
Check out the Breadboard Buddies Video too. You may find it worth while.
Lee