CHAPTER 12 ■ SOLDERLESS PROTOTYPINGElectronix Express has a nice combination package of 350 flat jumpers and 30 reinforced jumpers
(various lengths) for $16.95, part #2700RJW90.
Making Your Own Jumper Wire
You can make your own jumper wire. In doing so, you can get exactly the length you need with an insulation
color that indicates the function (rather than the color indicating the length). However, it’s not as convenient
as the ready-made wire, and doesn’t survive reuse as well as the reinforced jumpers.
Stripping the Insulation Off of the End of the Wire
To make your own jumper wire:
- Begin by stripping off about 7 mm of the insulation from the end of solid #22
AWG wire (see Figure 12-19).
Choosing Wire Strippers
A large variety of wire stripper tools exist. I prefer those with numbered notches (see Figure 12-19) for each
wire diameter rather than the adjustable or automatic wire strippers (see Figure 12-20). The numbered
notches are exact, so you needn’t worry about cutting into and damaging the wire itself. Also, no adjustment
wheels need to be dialed to match the wire diameter—simply slide the wire into the correct notch. Table 12-5
lists some suppliers of notched wire strippers.
Figure 12-19. Numbered-notch wire strippers removing insulation from #22 AWG solid wire