Breadboard Jumper Wires - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Excavatoree
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2022, 10:04:46 pm
content: It's been almost 32 years, exactly since I've purchased breadboard jumper wires. (the type with two 90 degree bends)On my old sets, the wires are color coded. The tiny, uninsulated ones weren't, of course, but the red wires jumped over two breadboard sockets/spaces, the orange jumped over three, and so forth according to the resistor colors. I notice a lot of sets being sold don't have this color code anymore. Am I the only one who ever used it? Does anyone still buy these, or do most use just use whatever scraps of wire one has, or use the kits without coding?

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2022, 10:37:08 pm
content: I've had a couple of those multi-colored breadboard wire kits, but inevitably you start to lose them. Also, I found that I rarely used the longer wires and often ran out of the shorter jumpers -- like the 1 to 4 length ones.About 10 years ago I had some jumpers that had machine pins on the ends and they were really nice but also expensive. Today you really can't beat the price of the "Dupont" style jumper wires or the ones that come with the molded plastic ends. You don't get the variety of lengths but often it doesn't matter if your jumpers form big loops in the air. When it does it's back to making your cut-to-length jumpers.QuoteI like to use 22ga solid core wire when I have to cut my own jumpers, although 24ga also works.Video on how to measure a wire for a custom breadboard jumper length:Chip Tips #6: Beautiful Breadboards -- Robery Baruchhttps://youtu.be/4F3NueYBQUgVideo description has a concise summary of the calculation.

author: www.MKRD.info
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2022, 10:50:34 pm
content: I will give you a hint: less features: cheaper and easier to produce: higher sales profit.

author: Excavatoree
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2022, 11:27:42 pm
content: I know that; I was just wondering if I was the only one who ever appreciated and/or used the feature in the first place. If one doesn't care, then one buys the cheaper version, naturally.I'll be honest, I almost ordered one of the cheap set made with whatever wire they had laying around, I was studying the pictures and finally noticed.

author: Someone
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2022, 11:33:56 pm
content: Its a general divide in how to mark reusable wires/cables:Colour by length: you can quickly pull the right item from the box/tangleMixed Colours: you can colour code the assembly/installation/systemWhich do you spend more time on? Picking out the wire to use or trying to figure out where the wires run/connect?

author: Circlotron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2022, 11:41:00 pm
content: I use the wire that comes in telephone cables. It’s perfect.

author: Excavatoree
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2022, 12:00:08 am
content: That brings back memories. When I was 7, Dad got me a "50 in one" kit and a bundle of telephone wire. Seems the phones in his office were just re-wired and he saved some scrap.Later in life, I was one of the last people to install the phone systems that used the 25 pair cable. I used to have all the colors memorized.

author: Warpspeed
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2022, 02:53:26 am
content: Just go to your local hobby store and buy a spool of "doorbell wire".Its solid core and comes as a pair, which you can easily split.A one hundred foot roll of that has two hundred feet of breadboard jumpers.If you live to be 103 you will still be cutting short lengths off that same roll.

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2022, 08:45:33 am
content: I have a couple of boxes with those kind of color coded wires. I don't like them and rarely use them. I want some where every length is the same color and available in at least 5 or 6 colors. I'd buy many boxes of them. This is because I prefer color coded connections whenever possible, so usually I just cut my own. They often need to be short and to the point anyway, not big looping antennas.

author: mathsquid
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2022, 07:07:17 pm
content: Quote from: Circlotron on September 24, 2022, 11:41:00 pmI do the same thing. With all those conductors, even a scrap piece of cable can give you a lot of jumper wires. For longer pieces I take the twisted pairs, put one end in my drill and the other in a vise, and slowly untwist them.

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2022, 09:37:37 pm
content: Don't most phone cables use 24 gauge wire these days? I tried some 24 gauge wire for breadboarding once, but it just seemed too loose. I dunno, it should work I guess. I bought a bunch of rolls (7 or 8 colors I think) of 22 gauge solid years ago and that's all I use.

author: aeberbach
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2022, 12:48:40 am
content: You can buy a boxed set of 3M Jumper Wire pre-cut and very likely in the colors you are used to, just over $100 at the local distributors. Mfr part no. "923351-I", aka "JW351K" should find it. These I carefully remove and put back in the box when done. Not sure if I paid that much for the box!Alternatively I picked up a set of reels of 6 colors of "Tuofeng" 22AWG solid insulated wire. I cut it to required length, strip and use, then often discard when that circuit is done. I believe 22AWG is about right, I remember trying to use solid network cable wire and it was a bit loose. Perhaps an issue if your breadboard has had a few uses and no longer grips as tightly?

author: MegaVolt
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2022, 02:52:57 pm
content: https://aliexpress.com/item/1005001666130277.html

author: Excavatoree
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 04, 2022, 09:22:58 pm
content: Sorry to drag this one up, but I'll add some final thoughts."Someone" mentioned color coding by length vs color coding by function of the wire. At the University the circuits were relatively simple, and the goal was to build them quickly, take the data, and then move on to the other 10 assignments I had to do. So, the color code by length was better. More complicated circuits that one might be designing would benefit from color coded by function. Hence, cutting one's own wires as one needs them is better, as it's impractical to store every length in every color.The kits sold now, in the random colors, would be perfectly OK, as I know I'll eventually get used to the new colors, but the resistor colors are burned in my brain a lot better. I do worry about the lengths. The kits sold have wires cut in mm lengths, and some are up to 6 percent off from the breadboards .1 inch spacing. Worse, they are short, so one can't even put an arch in the wires to make them work.What did I do? I went to the famous auction site and bought some old kits from people who took electronics a long time ago and are finally cleaning up. I did end up cutting some, because one set I bought had the longer wires mangled badly. (seems someone just said "screw it" and used long wires for everything, and made them fit.) I notice there are 1 inch wires, and 2 inch but nothing in between, so I made some.Thanks for indulging me, and I thank everyone for responding.

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 04, 2022, 11:56:05 pm
content: Like these?https://www.amazon.com/AUSTOR-Lengths-Assorted-Preformed-Breadboard/dp/B07CJYSL2TOr these?https://www.jameco.com/z/WJW-60B-R-Jameco-Valuepro-Wire-Jumper-Kit-350pc-22-AWG-14-Lengths-10-Colors_19290.htmlThe jumpers are all over the place!

author: aeberbach
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 05, 2022, 06:13:13 am
content: I bought the Knipex 12-62-180 strippers shown in that YouTube video. They're good!

author: Dave Lowther
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: October 05, 2022, 09:23:50 am
content: I make my own out of single core insulated wire from a 25m reel I got a long time ago. I keep them in zip bags marked with the number of gaps they span. This works well for me.

author: MikeK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 05, 2022, 11:22:19 am
content: Quote from: rstofer on October 04, 2022, 11:56:05 pmUnfortunately, the Amazon kit uses 24 gauge wire, which may be a bit loose in some breadboards.

author: Excavatoree
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 05, 2022, 01:45:48 pm
content: Quote from: MikeK on October 05, 2022, 11:22:19 amYet another reason I bought a couple old sets. Some use fewer colors to lower cost, but some sets use all the colors from brown to white, but mix them up. As I said above, I'd probably get used to it, but the resistor colors are already burned into my brain.

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 05, 2022, 02:00:49 pm
content: LAN cable wire works great as breadboard jumping wires:https://hackaday.io/project/7574-the-devil-is-in-the-details/log/25378-unlimited-free-supply-of-breadboard-jumping-wires

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 05, 2022, 02:12:22 pm
content: Quote from: Excavatoree on October 05, 2022, 01:45:48 pmOne interesting aspect that I have noticed is that my older set of 22AWG sometimes have a hard time being plugged into the über cheap breadboards. Sure, I probably shouldn't have those around, but they work well for the most part and therefore may benefit from the smaller diameter.All my higher quality boards, however, work very well with the 22AWG gauge.Telephone cables work very well as a source of breadboard wire, but LAN cables are a lot thinner and do not make a good connection even on my cheaper breadboards.

author: RoGeorge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 05, 2022, 03:35:45 pm
content: I've just measured the LAN copper wire, mine is exactly 0.50mm diameter, which means AWG24.It's the same thickness as the terminals of a glass body 1n4148.Some resistors have even thinner legs, of only 0.35mm (AWG27).LAN wires' AWG can vary:QuoteSource:https://www.cablesandkits.com/learning-center/what-does-AWG-mean-for-Ethernet-patch-cables

author: MikeK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 05, 2022, 03:59:12 pm
content: Quote from: Excavatoree on October 05, 2022, 01:45:48 pmWhat I like about the older stuff is that the jacket is thinner and more suitable for breadboard use. Thick-jacketed wires on a breadboard is annoying to me.

author: MarkF
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 05, 2022, 05:51:49 pm
content: I use the wire from telephone cable as others have shown above.I also bought some wire with connectors (see similar from Amazon):https://www.amazon.com/Solderless-Flexible-Breadboard-Jumper-100pcs/dp/B005TZJ0AM?th=1

author: Circlotron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 05, 2022, 08:54:42 pm
content: Quote from: Circlotron on September 24, 2022, 11:41:00 pmJust for interest’s sake I measured this wire. It is pretty well exactly 0.5mm diameter.

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2022, 11:27:05 am
content: Quote from: RoGeorge on October 05, 2022, 03:35:45 pmThanks for the reference. I have a spool of Cat5 (not e) and it is unsuitable for this task. I don't have many Cat6 cables lying around, unfortunately.

author: Szumi
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2023, 05:22:08 pm
content: I retired last week and was going through stuff in the garage when I found a plastic box with 3M jumpers. Much nicer than the stuff I've bought recently. I looked up current pricing and it was around $70 bucks. I was figuring $25 or so since it was 3M. I wonder how long I've had the jumpers.

author: Sal Ammoniac
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 08, 2023, 08:47:25 pm
content: I also use (and like) the 3M jumpers. They sit flush with the breadboard and aren't as likely to get snagged and pulled off as random lengths of wire.

author: EPAIII
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 12, 2023, 08:33:22 am
content: Generally speaking, telephone cable does not have tinned wires. Just one way to save money when you are buying wire by the box car full.So, IMHO, it is not perfect.And YES, I have used it for jumpers. Go figure.I have used almost everything mentioned here, including the color coded kits, which I like.Quote from: Circlotron on September 24, 2022, 11:41:00 pm