I am using the below LCD to I2C module. It has four terminals, which I connect to a male berg strip soldered to a PCB.


I tried using these below female2female jumpers, but they are copper wires, and I don't know, maybe the connections just get loose over time, or the copper starts corroding, but the connection is not dependable. Many times the screen is dark and I need to nudge the wires to make life happen.


Right now the only sure shot solution I have is to solder single core tinned copper wires. Need suggestions for which jumpers I should look for to solve the issue. I'd like to use only tinned copper. Thanks.

 

Those 4 pins are a male connector meant to plug in a female connector. If you really want a 'jumper' , whatever you mean for such, can use a :

----> https://www.ebay.com/itm/2254343010...kA9kkGLilRef+rHaAbNEEROw==|tkp:Bk9SR_SM063-YQ

 

I am using the below LCD to I2C module. It has four terminals, which I connect to a male berg strip soldered to a PCB.
View attachment 293576

I tried using these below female2female jumpers, but they are copper wires, and I don't know, maybe the connections just get loose over time, or the copper starts corroding, but the connection is not dependable. Many times the screen is dark and I need to nudge the wires to make life happen.
View attachment 293577

Right now the only sure shot solution I have is to solder single core tinned copper wires. Need suggestions for which jumpers I should look for to solve the issue. I'd like to use only tinned copper. Thanks.

Hi

You can make your own.
Buy some connectors and decent wire.
I use silicone wire #24 AWG, it flexes better. It's tinned also.
I make a lot of my own jumpers various types using #24 AWG to #12 AWG usually silicone insulated.

 

Hi

You can make your own.
Buy some connectors and decent wire.
I use silicone wire #24 AWG, it flexes better. It's tinned also.
I make a lot of my own jumpers various types using #24 AWG to #12 AWG usually silicone insulated.

Any ready made options? I was thinking of using jst connectors, but they are meant to go into a plug, so maybe not the best choice? My main concern is the time I spend on it. If I have to make the jumpers myself, its perhaps better and faster to just solder the stuff

 

I use and make DuPont style connections and connectors often. Sounds like you have something off-spec or just flat defective. I don't have a problem with them unless it's a rare defect and that's from a bad crimp that I made and not a "store bought" cable. If you are buying those from china there just may be a reason they were so inexpensive... Do the pins fit snugly into the sockets? If so then it's a problem with the crimping of the connector to the exposed wire. There is nothing you can do but cut it off and start a new crimp job in that case. Crimp pins are cheap but get a really good set of crimp pliers and learn to use them as it may take a few tries at first. A set of male and female pins and multiple widths of the black sockets they fit into is cheap and a good thing to have on the shelf. That and a few male and female header pieces.

 

Crimp pins are cheap but get a really good set of crimp pliers and learn to use them as it may take a few tries at first. A set of male and female pins and multiple widths of the black sockets they fit into is cheap and a good thing to have on the shelf. That and a few male and female header pieces.

I found it nearly impossible to make good crimps on these connectors until I found this website:
https://www.instructables.com/Make-a-Good-Dupont-Pin-Crimp-EVERY-TIME/

 

When I am in a hurry and need an n-pin pin header (DuPont) connector what I do is to start with the necessary number of DuPont jumpers with the appropriate gendered ends. I have a supply of unseparated, terminated ribbon cable so I usually tear off the correct number from that.

I put a couple of pieces of shrink tubing about 10mm long over the cable at each end to prevent unintended splitting further from the ends, then plug the jumpers in where they will go. The next part is the trick: Testor's model cement.

This is actually a liquid solvent and the connector housing are soluble in it. I brush on a couple of coatings to both sides of the connectors and then let the solvent evaporate. Don't get too greedy to move on, it is important that the plastic is free of solvent before stressing the connector.

After that, though, you have a single connector—not as strong as a real single housing but strong enough for any practical use. This connector makes a more reliable connection since each contact supports the others.

Shrink the tubing, and you are done. If you are using single wires, you can put a couple more pieces of tubing along the wire to keep it bundled, or use braided sleeving. Since the connectors are quite small individually, you can pass them through small shrink tubing one at a time. Using the adhesive filled tubing is best, especially if you are using it on top of the ends of braided sleeving to keep it in place.

Of course, the glue trick is an expedient. The two other options are to remove the contacts and replace the individual housings with a multi-pin housing. Be very careful doing this to avoid damaging the small locking tab on the pin. You can preserve the single housings if you are careful, or if you don't care, just bend the plastic locking tab out of the way.

The other is to make a cable from scratch using wire, terminals, and a crimp tool. This is actually not so easy so plan to read, watch videos, and practice a bit before counting on it as a way to get production cables. As mentioned above, silicone insulated wire is really great stuff for this and many other hookup applications. It is unreasonably flexible and the high temp nature of the silicone means no melt back when tinning.

NOTE: DO NOT TIN THE WIRES IF YOU ARE GOING TO CRIMP THEM; this is a way to make them less reliable.

 

Do you want a permanent connection or a connection that you can unplug easily?
For the latter solution you only need the connector on one end of the cable. Simply solder the wires directly to the board.
If you don't want to remove the header pins on the board, I would solder the wires to the pin and secure it with heat shrink. Just remember to slip the heat shrink tubing on to the wire and far away from the joint before soldering. Don't ask me how many times have I forgotten to put on the heat shrink tubing first.

 

Do you want a permanent connection or a connection that you can unplug easily?
For the latter solution you only need the connector on one end of the cable. Simply solder the wires directly to the board.
If you don't want to remove the header pins on the board, I would solder the wires to the pin and secure it with heat shrink. Just remember to slip the heat shrink tubing on to the wire and far away from the joint before soldering. Don't ask me how many times have I forgotten to put on the heat shrink tubing first.

How many times have you… Oh, wait—nevermind.

 

Do you want a permanent connection or a connection that you can unplug easily?
For the latter solution you only need the connector on one end of the cable. Simply solder the wires directly to the board.
If you don't want to remove the header pins on the board, I would solder the wires to the pin and secure it with heat shrink. Just remember to slip the heat shrink tubing on to the wire and far away from the joint before soldering. Don't ask me how many times have I forgotten to put on the heat shrink tubing first.

I want a connection that can be unplugged easily. Also I like modularity, would like if there is no soldering involved on either end, be it the PCB board or the module pictured in the question. Ideally commercially available DuPont female to female jumpers would have been best, but their unreliability (I have actually seen the connectors rust with time) is a big issue. And since these terminals in the picture are not JST, I can't happily attach a JST connector. Also I'd like something ready off the shelf and cheap, any solution that takes more time and skill and money than just soldering cables in place isn't ideal. Am I asking for too much?

 

I want a connection that can be unplugged easily. Also I like modularity, would like if there is no soldering involved on either end, be it the PCB board or the module pictured in the question. Ideally commercially available DuPont female to female jumpers would have been best, but their unreliability (I have actually seen them rust with time) is a big issue. And since these terminals in the picture are not JST, I can't happily attach a JST connector. Also I'd like something ready off the shelf and cheap, any solution that takes more time and skill and money than just soldering cables in place isn't ideal. Am I asking for too much?

If you are set on using something other than the 2.54mm pin header, you can get a 2.54mm JST XH connector and replace the one on the PCB, as well as a readily available XH cable or pigtail for the interconnect. The key is just the pitch so it will fit in the PCB.

​

 

I do what Ya’akov does. I glue DuPont connectors together so that you get a more secure cable than a single cable.

 

If you are set on using something other than the 2.54mm pin header, you can get a 2.54mm JST XH connector and replace the one on the PCB, as well as a readily available XH cable or pigtail for the interconnect. The key is just the pitch so it will fit in the PCB.

View attachment 293643​

Yes, I think I'll just do this, solder the wires on the module, plug it into the PCB. Half way solution.

 

I use the splitable single pin Dupont connectors all the time, usually with good success. However, I have noticed the quality of these jumpers vary significantly. Some provide a tight reliable connection while others hardly stay on a header pin even the first time they are used.

How do you know what you're getting? No clue. Try some from different vendors and order lots once you've found a decent one. I believe I've purchased decent ones from Elecrow.com, the PCB fab house. They have a reputation to protect compared to random AliExpress vendors who don't care and don't expect you to be back.

 

Any ready made options? I was thinking of using jst connectors, but they are meant to go into a plug, so maybe not the best choice? My main concern is the time I spend on it. If I have to make the jumpers myself, its perhaps better and faster to just solder the stuff

Hi,

Well how many jumpers do you need?

I also get the ready made ribbon cable jumpers from Amazon. They seem to work ok. Decent ones go on tight.
I also use super glue to glue some together when i need a dedicated multi-wire cable.
I don't know if they have a plug-in/unplug count rating, there could be a limit. You may be able to re-bend the contacts if they get loose.
I've been using some for months maybe years and if not repeatedly plugged and unplugged they seem to last.

 

you can get a 2.54mm JST XH connector

Can the male connectors be stacked end to end and keep the 2.54 mm pin spacing?

 

Hi,

Well how many jumpers do you need?

I also get the ready made ribbon cable jumpers from Amazon. They seem to work ok. Decent ones go on tight.
I also use super glue to glue some together when i need a dedicated multi-wire cable.
I don't know if they have a plug-in/unplug count rating, there could be a limit. You may be able to re-bend the contacts if they get loose.
I've been using some for months maybe years and if not repeatedly plugged and unplugged they seem to last.

I think you might have a point, I plug unplug frequently

 

Can the male connectors be stacked end to end and keep the 2.54 mm pin spacing?

In the case of XH? No. There is overhead in the form of flanges on the left and right.

 

In the case of XH? No. There is overhead in the form of flanges on the left and right.

Thanks, I thought that might be the case.

 

Thanks, I thought that might be the case.

If you have a Dremel you can probably grind the ends flush but it will be tricky as the plastic get thinner. Maybe even a flat file.