Please recommend me a source of good quality jumper wires with Dupont connectors - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: DC1MC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 09, 2021, 02:59:12 pm
content: Hello, I'm looking for some of these 40 something ribbon cables with Dupont connectors (M/M, F/F, M/F) that can be split as needed, they are allover EBAY and Amazon, not to mention Ali, the problem is that they are crap de crap, excuse my French.Something like this, but less crappy:ttps://www.amazon.de/-/en/AZDelivery-Jumper-Arduino-Raspberry-Breadboard/dp/B074P726ZR/Really the contacts seem to be made out the most dead and soft metal possible, with zero elasticity and miserable tolerances, really after 2-3 insertions they're practically falling out the counterpart, not making contact or being oversized and destroying their counterparts. I have some old wires, that slide so nice and fix, in and out, from some logic analyzer probes, something like more than 20yrs. old and they are perfect.So my question is, where can I find some of the higher quality ones, maybe not Pomona high, but not really crap made out of crap.If it's available in EU/DE, is even better, but at that point I'm willing to even buy some from US or whatever.Thanks,DC1MC

author: Mr. Wizard
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 09, 2021, 05:51:45 pm
content: I don’t have a source for premade wires, but I had the same problem about ten years ago. If you can’t find any good ones, one option is to make your own as needed.About ten years ago, I boughtthe Pololu 16-28 AWG crimping tool. It double-crimps and is designed for these types of connectors. I bought crimp pins and housings elsewhere, but I see that Pololu also sellscrimp pins, both male and female, along withcrimp connector housingsin various configurations. I buy my wire from McMaster Carr, and for stripping, I usethe Irwin 2078300 self-adjusting wire stripperwhich instantly strips insulation to any length.It’s more work than just peeling off some wires with connectors already on, but being able to make the wires exactly the right length keeps things tidier. I particularly like having the connector housings on the end be 4x1 or 8x1 + 2x1 or whatever is appropriate, rather than a bunch of dangling 1x1 connectors.

author: DC1MC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 09, 2021, 08:03:14 pm
content: Thanks Mr. Wizard, I have considered this route, but is fiddly and time consuming, the only redeeming quality that I can see is indeed to have tailored housings and not individual wires.I will consider it again if nobody comes with a premade alternative.Cheers,DC1MC

author: Mr. Wizard
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 12, 2021, 03:09:09 pm
content: Just wondering—for me, my biggest problem with durability has been with male-to-male jumpers for prototyping use on breadboards. The pins would break off. Similar for you? Female ones seem OK and durable. I’ve ended up switching to 22-gauge solid-core wire for male-to-male connections. I make longer jumper wires myself, but also usethese Elenco JW-350 kitsconsisting of premade wires. I’ve bought at least ad dozen of those kits.When I need to go male-to-female, these days I’ll typically just plug those wires into the ends of female-to-female jumper wire. However, this is only for temporary, prototyping use. For finished projects, I make my own wires as described in my previous message.

author: H.O
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 13, 2021, 05:52:36 am
content: Pololu sells whattheycall Premium Jumper Wire in various lengths and colors, M-M, F-M & F-F. I have not used them so I can't vouch for their quality:https://www.pololu.com/category/65/premium-jumper-wires

author: DC1MC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 13, 2021, 07:13:25 am
content: Quote from: H.O on January 13, 2021, 05:52:36 amThis looks nice if they're up to their promises, do you have any idea about shipping in EU ?Thanks,Mircea

author: H.O
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 13, 2021, 08:12:03 am
content: Sorry, no. Just add them to a cart and see if shipping is caluclated at checkout - or ask them.They also have European distributors, 7 of them in Germany so you might want to check that out.

author: DC1MC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 13, 2021, 12:30:54 pm
content: Indeed, the USA site has USA to EU shipping prices, but one of the German distributors carry them and the shipping is a more acceptable 4.50EUR.https://www.exp-tech.de/i.e.https://www.exp-tech.de/zubehoer/kabel/jumper-wires/6026/premium-jumper-wire-50-piece-rainbow-assortment-m-f-12So, let's see if the premium markup is justified by a better quality, I will measure them against the ordinary Chinesium ones, both the size of the M pin, the wire resitance and most important, how elastic is the material compared (that will be kind of arbitrary measurementThanks,DC1MC

author: DC1MC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 15, 2021, 11:01:31 am
content: Somebody, sometimes, may find this useful:I measured the "crappy" and the "premium" male pins (I believe the situation is similar to the sockets but I don't have any means to measure):The "crappy" pins have 0.60mm, the "premium" ones have 0.65mm, no wonder that a small material elasticity issue and/or the socket being correctly implemented make the combination 0.60/0.65 either to not make good contact or have the smaller socket destroyed.Cheers,DC1MC

author: jeremy0
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2021, 08:26:22 am
content: Quote from: DC1MC on January 15, 2021, 11:01:31 amDid you reach any conclusions about the quality (i.e. durability) of the female connectors?

author: Karel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2021, 09:36:54 am
content: https://uk.farnell.com/pro-signal/psg-jmp150ff/jumper-cable-150mm-gertboard-header/dp/2452748https://uk.farnell.com/pro-signal/psg-jmp150mf/jumper-cable-150mm-rpi-breakout/dp/2452749https://uk.farnell.com/pro-signal/psg-jmp150mm/jumper-cable-150mm-dev-board/dp/2452750

author: DavidAlfa
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2021, 09:43:06 am
content: I recall having unbreakable dupont wires having solid golden pins, like normal headers:But that was years ago, maybe I'm crazy!

author: TomS_
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2021, 07:33:48 am
content: Ive used these jumper wires from RS and have no complaints other than they only come in one length.791-6454 M-F791-6450 F-F791-6463 M-MYou might find them elsewhere as well.Certainly saves lots of fiddly wire stripping and crimping.

author: MarkF
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2021, 11:34:08 am
content: I bought mine from Adafruit. They have other lengths too.https://www.adafruit.com/product/1957https://www.adafruit.com/product/266https://www.adafruit.com/product/826

author: MarkL
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 06, 2021, 05:03:49 pm
content: E-Z-Hook makes good quality jumpers:https://e-z-hook.comThe wire is flexible and you can get them in any length (within reason) and any color. They also make multi-jumpers if you want to bus together multiple points, and multi-lead jumpers that have a ganged connector housing at one end. Downside is they are not cheap.For the most flexibility, I only have single F-F jumpers and I use these M-M headers to make whatever I need:https://schmartboard.com/qty-5-0-1-spacing-extra-long-single-row-headers-920-0102-01/I keep a pile of them cut to different lengths, including singles, and gang them together as needed. I like these particular headers because they are 1) symmetric in length, and 2) are machined more carefully at the point and don't catch your skin like Tyco or 3M headers.Lately, for the best quality, I've taken to building my own F-F jumpers with machined contacts from Millmax (#0295-0-15-01-06-27-10-0 + heatshrink), and I use them with the above M-M headers.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2021, 08:33:40 am
content: Quote from: Mr. Wizard on January 09, 2021, 05:51:45 pmJust a little warning to others that the Pololu crimper there is just an ordinary SN-28B crimper, which despite constant claims of being for “DuPont” is categorically incapable of crimping them properly. (It’s for 2.8mm Faston terminals, FWIW.)Seehttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/affordable-crimp-tools-for-small-connectors-(dupont-etc-)/for why that crimper isn’t suitable and for suggested alternatives.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2021, 08:39:31 am
content: Quote from: DC1MC on January 09, 2021, 02:59:12 pmThe FCI Mini-PV series (the thing Chinese DuPont are modeled on) and AMP AMPMODU series, just to list a few, are better. The contacts come in low, medium, and high force (higher force holds better, but loses more strength with time compared to low force). The downside is that they’re a lot more expensive than Chinese DuPont parts.What I’m doing for a lot of for individual leads is using D-sub HD (size 22) contacts. The size is compatible with the 0.64mm square posts and the sockets for them, but the female sockets are much more reliable. I just crimp them on (though you can also get solderable ones) and then use heat shrink instead of a housing.

author: t1d
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 17, 2021, 01:13:50 pm
content: Quote from: H.O on January 13, 2021, 05:52:36 amI investigated this same subject, recently. The problem that I was/am having is that the DuPont wires that I have are poorly crimped, which results in them having an amazingly high resistance.I contacted Pololu, about their DuPont products. They do not manufacture their own Dupont wires. They simply order them from Asia and resell them. They do not have any particular quality standard, nor specifications. They do not do any quality testing of the wires. You get nothing for their higher price, on this particular item. And, beware their return policies... You pay shipping to buy their products, and to return them, if need be, and they collect a 15% restocking fee.I apologize for the bit of a rant, but I had $275 of DuPont wire and tools in my cart, when I discovered this. I felt duped and that they had wasted my time. I am just glad I had read all the fine print, bothered to ask them questions, been patient enough to wait for their response and, above all, not checked out.I took a chance and bought a generic crimper on Amazon, which had a good user rating. They have free returns, so, if the tool was no good, I could get my money back.For the most part, re-crimping the cheap wires I have cured their ills. But, you are corrected, it is fiddly and not much fun.