Every beginner electronics project starts the same way. The Arduino ends up on one side of the desk, the breadboard drifts to the other, and the jumper wires stretch between them like a rope bridge. One nudge of the keyboard and half your circuit quietly pops loose, and you spend the next twenty minutes debugging a wire instead of your code.
A combined base plate solves that in about three hours of print time. Maker TheGadge recently shared one on MakerWorld: a single tray that seats an Arduino Uno R3 in a recessed pocket and parks a standard full-size solderless breadboard right beside it. Once both parts are down, the whole assembly becomes one object you can lift with one hand, slide into a drawer, or hand across the table without anything shifting.
What makes this style of model genuinely friendly for a first real print is that it is designed to come off the bed without supports. Every overhang is shallow enough for the printer to bridge on its own, so there is no scaffolding to snap off, no scarred underside, and no filament wasted on material you immediately throw away. It is a flat, forgiving shape with a large first layer, which is exactly the kind of geometry that hides small bed-levelling sins.
For settings, keep it simple. A 0.2 mm layer height, 15 to 20 percent infill, and three walls is plenty for a desk fixture that never carries load. Print it flat on the plate in PLA unless the holder will sit somewhere hot. Before you start, measure your breadboard: the common full-size boards are roughly 165 by 55 mm, but budget ones vary by a millimetre or two, so a quick check beats a four-hour reprint. Then decide how the breadboard attaches. The adhesive backing most of them ship with makes a permanent bond, while a few dabs of hot glue or double-sided foam tape let you pull it off later.
Try it on your printer
This is a great weekend print for anyone who is past the calibration cube stage and wants something that earns its place on the desk. Print one, wire up a project, and see how much calmer breadboarding gets when nothing slides. If you need filament that lays down clean flat surfaces and crisp pockets, browse the spools and printer gear at flarelab.com.
Frequently asked questions
Does this print need supports?
No. Designs like this one are modelled so every overhang stays under about 45 degrees, which means the printer can bridge them on its own. Skipping supports saves filament, saves cleanup time, and leaves the underside of the tray smooth instead of scarred.
Should I print it in PLA or PETG?
PLA is the easier choice and is plenty strong for a desk fixture. Pick PETG only if the holder will live somewhere warm, like a sunny windowsill or a car, because PLA starts to soften around 60 C. Either way, print it flat on the build plate.
Will it fit a clone Arduino instead of a genuine one?
Usually yes. Elegoo, SunFounder and most other Uno R3 clones copy the official board outline and mounting hole positions, so they drop straight in. Measure your board first if it has an unusual USB connector or oversized headers.
How do I attach the breadboard to the tray?
Most solderless breadboards ship with an adhesive backing, so you can peel and stick it into the flat pad. That bond is effectively permanent, so if you want to reuse the breadboard elsewhere, use a couple of dabs of hot glue or double-sided foam tape instead.
Design shared by TheGadge on MakerWorld. Originally spotted via Adafruit's #3DThursday. Written up for beginners by Flarelab.
