When schools start teaching STEM programs, or hobbyists embark on learning electronics, one of their first purchases is often breadboards. With lab power supplies costing hundreds of dollars, many users opt to power their breadboard circuits with a 9V battery connected to a 5V regulator circuit wired up on their breadboard. UPS is designed to eliminate the hassles of powering breadboards using batteries – with a much more convenient, elegant, and less expensive solution than investing in expensive power supplies!

Simply plug the tiny UPS (USB Power Stick) circuit in to the power rails of a breadboard, and then power your circuit using an inexpensive phone charger, or with a USB cable connected to your computer or Chromebook. An LED on the UPS circuit indicates when 5V is available and being delivered to your breadboard.

For learners and hobbyists prototyping USB-enabled circuits, UPS features pads for an optional break-out header socket. The 4-pins break out +5V, GND, and the D+ and D- data pins, making it great for experimenting with USB-enabled microcontrollers like the PIC16F1459 in the photo above.

UPS has built-in 5.1k pull-down resistors on the CC1 and CC2 lines to request 5V at up to 3A from capable USB-C power adapters. It's so small, you can leave UPS attached to your breadboard to make your prototyping more portable. After using UPS for a while, you'll wonder how you ever got by without one (or more – I have one on each of my breadboards)!