Jumper Wire & Solid Wire For Breadboard Wiring

Previously we discussed about breadboard, breadboard power supply, breadboard style prototyping boards, wire wrapping. In this article we will briefly discussed the commonly use gauge, types, numbers of jumper wire & solid wire for breadboard wiring. They are needed for hobby to serious electronics works. This will complete a part on basic matters around electronics works. Children also can safely use the jumper wires as no cutting is involved.

Jumper Wire & Solid Wire For Breadboard Wiring

You should define your amount of works to select jumper wire or solid wire or both for breadboard wiring. For websites like us, jumper wires are enough to test and show electronics projects for the beginners to mediocre users because we need a professional look. Solid wire is for learning professional grade electronics works. Solid wire is perfect for the technicians and engineering students or a very serious permanent big hobby projects.

Jumper wires are costly than solid wire if gauge and length is considered. Additionally, cutting solid wire needs a minimum skill and tool for a perfect cut. For our hobbyist readers, we will suggest jumper wires, for beginner technical peoples; mainly solid wire. Of course both can buy some quantity of each.

Jumper Wire For Breadboard Wiring

Jumper Wires are usually of 22 AWG and are of three types based on gender of connector pins :

1. Male to Male
2. Male to Female
3. Female to Female

It is male to male which is most commonly needed specially to use with Arduino or Raspberry Pi like boards. It is practical to buy a kit of male to male jumper wires of various lengths and colours. Usually around 50-100 is enough to start with. Sooner or later, you’ll need more male to male jumper wires.

Some female to male jumper wires needed for using them in certain situations like a LED display module, you can look at this guide to understand the need. Female to male jumper wires are great for semi-permanent connection with the pins of modules. A cable of such 30-50 female to male jumper wires are enough.

There are jumper wires with fixed female 2 pins, 4 pins. They are practically for permanent usage with things like a LED display module. Female to Female jumper wires practically never needed.

Of course there are other types of jumper wires like ribbon cables which you commonly see inside a desktop computer.

Solid Wire For Breadboard Wiring

Plain single stranded 22 or 24 guage copper wire works fine for breadboards. 22 guage is possibly the right. The above discussed jumper wires may be more reliable in the long run, but cutting a piece of wire off a roll and stripping the ends is easy and quick. You can do that many times for the cost of one jumper wire. Also pre-cut and pre-stripped wires available but we suggest to avoid them as they can bend the stripped ends at right angles right where the insulation ends. When you cut the wires, cut on an angle, not straight across the wire. This gives you a needle point on one side, and makes insertion easier.