Breadboard Power supply

[mitchell]

    I have been experimenting with this solderless breadboard trying to
create some of the circuits from the Forest Mims Book. Sometimes they
work and sometimes not, I am a total amatuer. I have this problem
sometimes where it seems that everything is as it should be but the chip
I am using is getting very hot! I am not sure how I should power my
experiments I have been using the power supply for my synth, maybe this
is too much? If I use batteries how do I ground things properly?

--M