When working with a solderless breadboard, it can be difficult to know if a part is exceeding its power rating or if its cooling is insufficient until it’s too late. To address this issue, a breadboard was modified with thermochromic paint, which changes color based on temperature. The paint was made by mixing white acrylic paint with a thermochromic pigment. The active area of the breadboard was coated with the paint, while the power buses were left unpainted. During testing, the paint showed great sensitivity and quickly changed color when a resistor exceeded its power rating. The thermal trace left by the paint can provide a visual clue about the level of heating. It is important to note that the color change of the paint is not an exact representation of the part’s temperature and there may be a delay between the temperature change of the part and the board itself. Possible improvements include using a darker pigment, using a pigment with a different threshold temperature, or incorporating the pigment directly into the material of the breadboard.
https://www.improwis.com/projects/hw_ThermochromicBreadboard/