Back when I built the 50$ robot one of the most difficult things for me was to make short connections where instead of using wire the pins were just soldered together like “power busses”. For example:

 

I had gotten many shorts and very frustrated. While looking at the stitches my Sumobot recently gave me, I came up with a very simple solution for this problem that will make your circuits easier to make.

 

What you need:

Stranded wire preferably of a smaller gauge (I used 20 gauge)

Wire strippers

Needle nose pliers

 

Step 1:

First take an inch or two of your stranded wire and remove the insulation with your wire strippers.

 

Step 2:

Then cut off 1 strand of the copper wire.

 

Step 3:

Next, figure out which holes in the board you want to be connected and put most of the single strand of wire through the first of those holes.

 

Step 4:

Flip the board over and thread the wire through the next hole.

 

Step 5:

Flip it again, and pull tightly (Not tight enough to pull the strand out of the previous hole). Repeat steps 3,4, and 5 until all the holes you want to be connected are connected.

 

Step 6:

Then push your pins through the holes (it might take a little bit of force but it should fit snugly).

Step 7:

Lastly, solder your pins to the circuit board , but you don’t have to solder them together.

 

I tested the resistance of the copper strand and it had a perfectly acceptable resistance of .1 ohms.

- Jdog                                                       

P.S. I plan on remaking the entire $50 robot board using this technique sometime in the near future. When I do I will add to this tutorial or maybe make another one about the $50 robot board with this technique i.e. mapping out the board before I even start putting in pieces.