Breadboard
As I coded the project, I found that I needed a working prototype so that I could work through the software - hardware interaction issues, particularly the menu interface system. So out came the breadboard! My first attempt (no pictures) was a rather messy layout using DuPont wire connectors. I found this turned out to be a spaghetti mess that was difficult to see what was connected to where and led me to short and burn out a diode on my first NodeMCU board.
At that point, I wised up and took the time to more carefully lay out the breadboard, taping down components like the LCD and rotary encoder and using lie-flat solid core wire with deliberately chosen colours for all the connections. [Note: It's given me a few ideas for my new 3D printer where I hope to create a more modular breadboard setup with fastener areas for external components like the LCD and the rotary encoder.]
This worked much better but breadboards have their limitations - several times I was puzzled by my computer refusing to recognise my NodeMCU for flashing and, another time obtaining strange ADC measurement errors. Each time I solved these errors by carefully checking and re-seating all breadboard connections. Nevertheless, it was invaluable to have a working circuit at hand while coding the project as I flashed countless iterations of the code until it worked as designed.
