#231

As you know, microcontroller boards have many pins, and wiring them to other components or keeping track of the different wires sometimes is not easy. Today I show you how I do it. Most of the tricks work for all microprocessor boards like the Arduino, the ESP8266 or the ESP32. And with a unique feature of the ESP32, we can optimize a little more.
In this video, we will cover the following tips and tricks:
1. Use colors
2. Connect ground first
3. Pre-fabricated wires
4. Use empty Dupont shells
5. Use the right pin order
6. Not enough Ground or VCC connections on our development boards
7. Super Glue can help sometimes
8. Crimping you own wires
Empty shells assortment: bit.ly/2DD3RQC
or: s.click.aliexpress.com/e/bXeCZlAY
Hakko Tweezers: amzn.to/2QkrG1b
Single colored jumper wires (Link from a subscriber): bit.ly/2y6W7Au
Wire holder (fusion360): a360.co/2Np0g8B
Silicone wires: bit.ly/2PiMINB
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[@BaronVonBiffo]

I use grey for vcc. And grey for ground. And grey for tx and rx. Oh, and grey for pwm signals. Being colour-blind means no need to remember complicated colour schemes. :)

[@alexlehtinen9732]

I think you could make decent money selling off the grey cables that other's might call red and black...

[@AndreasSpiess]

I know color blindness because I worked in the photofinishing industry and we always had to test males before hiring. There it clearly was a disadvantage.

[@aronhighgrove4100]

That's why the word color blindness is really a bad choice, even if common. In most cases people only have a color vision deficiency related to standard color vision. That means some shades (for example in red-green color vision deficiency) can be less well distinguished, yet it does not mean they would not see red or green at all, just certain shades look similar or like different colors. In some cases it means that those "color blind" people actually see more colors in other domains, for example yellow, compared to standard vision. So to make a good user experience, ideally high contrast and bright colors are used, then this is not a disadvantage at all. The real disadvantage is that the majority will favor colors they can see well, which doesn't necessarily mean it is what other people see well. When you optimize for color vision deficiency, it helps everyone though, since you usually choose easy to distinguish color among a wide scale of possible color vision variations, and avoid using too many colors (which is bad design). Unfortunately though, colors are not optimized for this as often as it should be. This would avoid a lot of problems.

[@mickcoomer9714]

Colour blind, you must be an electrician.

[@kissingfrogs]

Some great tips. I like the "connectors always facing in" tip as it also makes it easier to probe the pin. Also great to hear someone else verbalise my frustrations like the lack of red and black duponts and a lack choice of longer cables, I often need pre-made 1m in length duponts.

[@AndreasSpiess]

There are a few links in other comments where we get black or red wires. For longer connections, I use Ethernet cable. It has 8 wires and is dirt cheap. And it is even shielded.

[@sethrd999]

I have literally just gone through this myself whilst moving a project from the breadboard to perf/strip board. This area is so understated and as you so rightly point out can save you time with unnecessary debugging. Great tips / description as always and well outlined. I do agree we need more VCC / GnD wires :D. Keep up the great video's.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Other viewers found links to single colored Dupont wires. So this problem is solved!

[@jparky1972]

Very clever advice with the dupont connectors. So obvious when pointed out to you. Thank you. ☺

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@DEtchells]

What a super-useful video! The idea of using empty connector shells made me smack my head. It’s so obviously a good idea, but I had never thought of it. Thank you!

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome! I use empty shells all the time...

[@emremutlu44]

4:30 I use *tape* to combine single DuPont wires. Just plug them in a line of male/female pins and turn a tape around the whole bundle. It will look like a new connector. Also, I like to put a label on it before turning the tape around it. You can write pin correspondents. That does the job nicely.

[@AndreasSpiess]

This is also a good way. I also started like that. But when I discovered these cheap empty shells I found them more convenient.

[@jerrybarnish5304]

Useful tips Andreas. As always, it is fun to listen to your narration. My wife really likes your pointer.

[@AndreasSpiess]

The pointer is a copy of the one my wife used when she was a teacher.

[@N7801Z]

This information is immensely valuable. Thanks so much.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@HansVledder]

Very useful tips Andreas, It'll save me quiet some work. Thanks for that!

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@StephaneHollande]

Always great ideas Andreas ! as usual.. Thank you.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@meggrobi]

As usual, helpful and crystal clear

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@johnjoyce]

The same exact idea might not work for everybody, but they should inspire people anyway. Very good practical considerations. Thank you

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@Ghust2]

Thanks for the "create multiple ground" trick! I've been soldering multiple wires together, but that isn't practical at all ;)

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@VincentFischer]

if you want to make your cables idiot proof, I always sacrifice one connection and fill it with hotglue and on the other end cut a pin to make it impossible to plug it in the wrong way. Of course it can't be the middle one or else you gained nothing ;). Also works great with multiple rows of pins with only one sacrificed connection

[@VincentFischer]

of course not recommendet if you plug directly in your microcontroller board or into something important

[@VincentFischer]

@Undefined Lastname We are talking 2.5mm pitch pin connectors here. JST-XH could be used to connect to dupont stuff but the notches can't be used if you dont have the right female side of JST-XH and you probably have to desolder the original pin headers first on your boards/modules/sensors to get JST-XH on there. Not very convinient

[@VincentFischer]

@Undefined Lastname I don't think you are doing anything wrong. If you are on a level where you can quickly spin your low volume pcbs, that is the proper way! But for my use cases atleast, it's most of the time a bit overkill, I mostly use perf board or hobby grade modules that have 2.5mm pitch pin headers on them.. I just love to not have to use my brain to connect things or to explain to not-tech-savy people that want to use the thing i made what color does what. Granted, there are better connector types for repeated plugging,unplugging. Also dupont wire are most of the times made from the cheapest plastic insulation that break after flexing the wire a bit. My comment was just a suggestion if you don't have other stuff at hand then dupont connectors. Usually I don't have the patience to wait the 2months until my aliexpress shipments arrive here, so I end up just using this method most of the time. I work with all kind of sensors that get relocated often, so I have to constantly change wire connections. Also I work with not so powerful microcontrollers that don't have the flexibility to reassign pin functions and capabilities. I am a programmer and the electrical side of things noticeably slow me down if I have to constantly think about what goes where in my development flow

[@zetaconvex1987]

I like the idea of always orienting the connectors a certain way. A trick I used once was in regards to how to correctly orient a home-made "shield" onto a board. Use female headers, but keep a gap on unused pins. Then, on the shield, use discarded insulation from wires to sheath the corresponding unused male pins. That way, your shield will only fit on your "motherboard" in one way. It has the added benefit that if the wiring is complicated on the motherboard, you can feed wires through the gaps in the female headers rather than have to route wires from other devices all the way around the female headers.

[@springwoodcottage4248]

Super useful & interesting! Thank you for sharing!

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@RudyAmid]

Nice tricks for a klutzy electronics newbie like me. Thank you!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Glad to help

[@halcrawford]

Thanks a lot for this Andreas

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@JayrMagave]

Always useful. Thanks for sharing.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@dannyangus5243]

Some great tips there Andreas, ty.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@pdrg]

Really sensible tips. Good video.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@PhilippMeierGermany]

Aliexpres lists black- or red-only dupont wires, e.g. "Male To Male Red Black 26AWG 20CM Dupont Wire Cable Connector" :)

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thanks for the tip. I only knew the male version.

[@shuttlepodone1707]

I don't know how I missed this years ago. I would have saved hours. Excellent tips!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Glad the video was helpful!

[@adrianwilliams763]

Some great tips. Thanks Andreas

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@ng3147]

Danke lieber Andreas!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Gern geschehen!

[@expataviator7107]

Really excellent thank you

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@MeinElektronikHobby]

... danke Andreas für diese ausführlichen Tips und Tricks. Auch ich versuche in ähnlicher Art zu arbeiten - klappt nicht immer, wird aber immer besser. Thanks Andreas for these detailed tips and tricks. I also try to work in a similar way - it doesn't always work, but it gets better and better.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Nobody is perfect!

[@dleivam]

Thanks again for your useful videos

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@buddyscottie2184]

very informative and helpful!! thanks

[@AndreasSpiess]

:-)

[@la6mp]

Aliexpress sells bundles with colored Dupont wires. This has solvet most og my red/black problems.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you for your suggestion. Many viewers pointed me to these products. Already ordered :-)

[@j3gum]

I like to use sacrificial USB cables between boards. They're flexible, strong, have beefy VCC and GND wires, plus have at least a couple of data lines. Perfect for I2C, and Neopixel type LEDs.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Good idea. Sometimes I use CAT 5 Ethernet cables for the same purpose.

[@glennedgar5057]

Solved a major problem I had. Thanks

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@ranger81de]

Very useful tricks, thanks!

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@DevelopWithDan]

Reversing the pin headers for multiple grounds or vcc is BRILLIANT and I can't believe I never thought of that. Thank you so much!

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@emilsitka7590]

Dear Andreas, You rock! Thanks for all you do.

[@AndreasSpiess]

:-) Thank you!

[@HunTomiBp]

Thanks for video! Tamás, from Stockholm

[@AndreasSpiess]

Binge watching ;-) Thank you. I like that somebody uses my content.

[@y0utubeu5ername]

Great video, very useful. I wish I'd found ths earlier. Thanks for posting. Subbed.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Welcome aboard the channel!

[@50Hz]

I love your videos, hopefully after some time I can put out together content as good as yours.

[@AndreasSpiess]

At least you started. Good. Now you have to keep up!

[@50Hz]

Andreas Spiess I take my hat off to you publishing so much great content, you must be very dedicated.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Yes!

[@danmers]

Great tips. Thanks

[@AndreasSpiess]

:-)

[@Reto7219]

Zum Glück habe ich dieses Video geschaut bevor ich mit dem Verdrahten angefangen habe. Vielen Dank!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Bitte, gern geschehen!

[@yudhahamdiarzi5553]

Thanks for the tips and trick :D

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@HSRMF]

i like these gloves :) thank you for sharing your knowledge with us ...

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@tmbiggs5343]

The crimper video was the video that started my following you.

[@AndreasSpiess]

That is a long time ago. Glad you are still around!

[@sethrd999]

That crimper video is gold, as many new comers go the cheap route with very poor results as shown. I purchased that one not long after watching the video myself.

[@KeithOlson]

8. To make absolutely sure that you won't plug headers in incorrectly, use shells that are 2 pins longer than the header, then fill one position on each end with hot glue/etc. There will now be no way to misalign the pins. 9. If you have a laser printer, you can easily use a spreadsheet to print out a label that lists the function of each pin of a connector (or an IC). Once cut to size, spread some CA glue or clear nail polish on the connector/IC, then place the label and let it set. The paper will soak up the glue/nail polish, so it is a good idea to put another coat on top. (I use this for through-hole IC's, and there is enough room on top for the chip *and* pin ID's.) Hope this helps!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Good ideas. Thanks!

[@ristomatti]

Here in Finland women tend to start using the mens toilets when the 1:1 ratio starts causing too long queues. This is silently accepted but would not work the other way around. That aside, hopefully some manufacturer will see the competitive advantage and starts producing wire bundles with more practical color ratios.

[@esenel92]

I usually just get red and black dupont wires (that aren't bundled) from aliexpress. generally it's about 6-7 euro's for 200 X 20CM cables, and have no issues finding enough red and black cables. some sellers sell other colors per color as well..

[@markludwig5805]

Only problem with women using the men's room is they don't put the seat up when done.....

[@ahaveland]

Mark, not a problem if you also sit down to pee. No chance of missing and it's quieter too.

[@meggrobi]

In Australia men can water a tree,

[@richardbloemenkamp8532]

I agree that some more toilets for women than for men would be reasonable, but I also believe that some women could spend a little less time in the toilet. How often does it happen that people complain about having to wait a long time until it is their turn and they seem to have all the time in the world while others are waiting. And yes my child usually comes with me and not with my wife.

[@taruix603x5]

what a great videos!!!! Thanks!!!

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@stevenlightfoot6479]

Thanks, this is good.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Glad you like it!

[@gacherumburu9958]

Good info. Thanks.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@Ruudrad]

What I find a perfect way to "wire" Arduino Rasberrry etc, is the good old wire wrap technique. With a cheap pen, that can as well the strip wires you need you can make upto 4 connections per dupont (male) pin. You can also wire wrap components like LED's, resistors, capacitors and even transistors. Finally, if you plug in a pin header with the "small pins", that you normally solder into the PCB pointing "up", you can wrap wires around that and quickly build circuits. Remember, in the old days we built whole motherboards using this technique, using PCB's with many integrated circuits on it. Try that with "dupont connectors"!

[@AndreasSpiess]

I worked for digital equipment and remember wire wrapping... But it seems to be a forgotten technology. If I remember right we needed a proper tool, like a drill with a motor.

[@Ruudrad]

Yes, with a wire "wrap gun" was the pro way to do it. I now however use a cheap pen-like tool for 12 CHF from Ali (wire wrap strip unwrap tool), that can strip and wrap 30AWG wire. They also have 30AWG wire, where they bundle 100m wire in 8 colors, that will keep you connecting for ages (800 meters,,,). I trust you can find it, if not I can provide links. The wrap works perfectly on small discrete components and dupont male headers. I eg. connected a hwclock to a rasperry Pi bus in a minute, without soldering in this case. I used it for connecting wires to raspberry PI, but the most challenging was connecting 150 RGB leds (each with 4 pins) to an arduino, to "cheer up" a small Dalek gadget on my dr Who Pinbal (yes, the real pinball from 1995 Bally), For that I used 4 I2C IC's each capable of doing 128 outputs in a 16x8 matrix. That means lighting up 450 LEDS (150 RGB) using only 2 wires (I2C) to the Arduino. When I connected the LEDS using dupont and soldering, I had many "fails", as the Dalek was moving. After using wire rap, all problems were gone. The Dalek is shown here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5jUkoOQrJWEftk The wordclock here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/joWreWZmiJ10l9E In my opinion, the wire wrap technique is a "forgotten" option, that has great potential for the hobbyist, but that is just "me". It works much more reliable than "experimenting boards", you can also connect discrete individual components (and even DIL IC's) quickly and reliably (and non destructive). I look forward to you opinion, might be fun doing some video footage about wire wrap, if you agree; you have more followers than I will ever have ;-) By the way, are you in the Züri region? That is where I live. Cheers ruud

[@AndreasSpiess]

Nice projects, especially the word clock with the "mechanical" twist. Very innovative! Concerning wire wrap, I ordered now such a tool and a bit of wire to experiment. I agree this is a "forgotten" technology and maybe I even will do a small video about it. I live in Lausen, near Basel.

[@Ruudrad]

As for the "forgotten" technology, indeed! but from my experience, the wires are not really aware of it and still behave in a well connected manner... ;-) Thank for the compliments, the wordclock was mostly 3D printed and now I'm building clock 4 and 5, for some of my kid's upcoming birthdays. It was also good to see that you can easily drive upto 16 servo's with one timer IC (PCA9685 ) I2C connected to the Pi. And if you have enough I2C space free: 64 of these IC's fit on one bus. Would be fun to see 64x16 servo's controlled! Would need an unrealistic amount of power though. I live in Dübendorf, near Zürich. I pass Lausen on my way to NL every few weeks I guess. Look forward to the potential of the video, would be proud to have inspired you for this ;-) I'm pretty sure I saw the technique once revisited in a Make magazine (the german one) . I was already applying it then.

[@marcosmaziero]

Thank you very much!!

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@AdityaMehendale]

You can use 3 pins from the 6-pin programming-header on an Arduino nano (Gnd, MOSI, 5V) to connect to a led-pixel strip; use "expansion-shield/breakout adapter" with Arduino Nanos to get neat Vcc/Gnd/Signal pin-triplets.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Good idea. Thanks!

[@abobobo943]

Vert interesting. Thann you.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@g3i0r]

10:12 "nearly a professional look" -- well, except for the font choice :P

[@WacKEDmaN]

comic sans strikes again!

[@andrewkieran8942]

Switzerland is neutral.

[@antoniocurciit]

Great lesson!

[@samuelschwager]

As a swiss he should use Helvetica ;)

[@electronic7979]

Useful video

[@AndreasSpiess]

:-)

[@NunoPereira]

great ideas ;)

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@GnuReligion]

I like using double-row IDC keyed ribbon connectors when 6+ wires are required. It is easy to salvage standard old IDE cable spaced at 1/20" for this. Best to have one of those ribbon-connector crimping tools. Belt-buckle 4-wire DuPont housings can be good for USB, I2C, and Serial connections. Round female wire-connectors are wonderful for mounting components on all kinds of perfboard projects. If drawing real amperage, then PCB mounted spade tongues can be useful.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you for your tips! I did not know these Belt-buckle 4-wire DuPont housings.

[@GnuReligion]

Andreas Spiess www.aliexpress.com/item/50-Set-MX2-54-Dupont-Connector-4-Pin-with-Belt-Buckle-Single-Row-2-54mm-Right/32792160070.html Well, I like learning about all the new tech by watching your channel! There seem to be an infinite number of connectors. Would use JST style more often, but find them difficult to crimp.

[@cyberfez]

fantastic tips. any tips on runing long lengths of wiring through a projects ? tips on how to keep cables safe, clips to hold them in place. running tracks etc?

[@AndreasSpiess]

I am a wireless guy. So most of my longer wires are mains cables and I do not have a good system for them. In the lab I have an intermediate shelf that they are not on the floor (for easy cleaning).

[@vng]

I like to use universal PCBs. Solder on the headers, solder on wires to connect the correct pins together, and then just slot in the dev boards. But that is a lot more work compared to simply using cables.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Soldering is always a good solution for permanent connections. I prefer this way if I know that the "product" will be deployed.

[@lasersbee]

I live in North America and for the past 40 years I've used Red or Orange for Positive DC and Black or Green for ground.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Maybe I should have mentioned that it is not so important which colors you use. More important is, that you stick to your scheme. I can imagine that the color codes in different countries are different.

[@jamesotisjr2322]

Consider using the resistor color code: Red is 2, I use that for 12 VDC, just like automotive wiring. Orange is 3, for 3.3 VDC. Green for 5 VDC. Blue for 6 VDC. I always use Yellow for serial RX and the color code for the serial TX port in use. GrAy for SDA and purpLe for SCL I solder the module end to a header. hot glue the connection for strain relief.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are very organized! Much better than me.

[@KunalGautam]

Nice and informative video. In local store here, they sell same color dupont cable, but choice of color are limited. I've seen black, brown, white, red only.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you! Viewers pointed me also to sources where we can buy them online.

[@WacKEDmaN]

Thanks Mr Spiess, some good info there..i like using dupont wires for my builds aswell, but ive found that they are not always the best..the male ends are slightly too small for the female headers, and dont always get a solid connection... i currently have a STM32 bluepill connected to an arduino 8-bit parallel TFT sheild and if i move it slightly it will loose connection, requiring a reboot of the mcu to get things working again... same issue with an arduino, a 8 character 7 segment LED display that uses SPI and an I2C RTC..all connected via dupont wires.. if i move either the display or the RTC, the display stops updating and requires the arduino be rebooted to get it working again.. All this coz the dupont cables dont fit snuggly into the adruinos female pins...and even breadboards... i can crimp the ends of female dupont wires so the male end doesnt slip out as easy, but its impossable to do on arduino headers or a breadboard.. TL;DR male ends of dupont wires need to be a mm thicker!

[@AndreasSpiess]

The unstable connections were one reason for me to change to empty shells.

[@bgable7707]

I wish KZbin had a way to give a 2nd "Thumbs Up" . I find myself referencing many of your video's, over and over. Maybe the YT stats show this. BTW the IWS-2820M is working great for me to crimp the terminators per video "#282 Crimpers: IWISS IWS-2820M against Engineer PA-09?"

[@AndreasSpiess]

Glad to read that my videos are helpful

[@waltergodsoe5526]

And thank you.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@OverUnity7734]

In emergency situations when I only have one color wire to use, I tie a knot in each end of a wire to mark it as positive.

[@NiHaoMike64]

Colored heat shrink is also good to keep around.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Both good ideas! Thank you.

[@matsim0]

Thanks! Very helpful!

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@DocMicha]

I use also superglue for single connectors in a row. Therefore it is less effort, because once connected correctly, you can carefully glue the single connectors together. And I hate crimping small connectors, even with a good crimping tool so I like to solder pre-manufactured wires together rather than crimping. ;-).

[@AndreasSpiess]

I also used super glue in the beginning. But I was not so successful, I always had 50% glue on my fingers :-( This is why I love empty shells.

[@DocMicha]

That's the downside of the method, but a wet razor with a little shaving foam can help to get rid of the glue, but be careful not to cut your self, but if you cut, you could use super glue ;-). In this sense I should also go better to empty shells.

[@electron-1979]

@@DocMicha I use sand paper to get the glue off my fingers

[@DocMicha]

Oh that gives a nice smooth fingertip, without any fingerprints.

[@superdau]

If you want *connectors that almost look injection molded, put hot glue on a piece of baking paper* (works best if the paper itself is on a cooling surface like a sheet of metal or heat sink). Then push the pinheader/sockets with the soldered wires into the glue. You should have about as much glue that the connector is "half filled" (so 1-2mm high for dupont style connector). Repeat the same on the other side. The most important thing: wait for the glue to cool before you try to remove the paper. Then the baking paper will not stick to the glue. Trim the glue that was squashed out to the side with side cutters and voila you got an almost factory made looking connector, especially when using black hot glue. As for the colors: I always use green for clock signals. I imagine a chinese person saying green which ends up being "gleen" (no offence) which starts the same as "clock". Blue is always data (because of the "a" in german "blau" and "Daten"). This way I pretty much always can immediately find and I2C bus. I always leave those two wires stuck together, because in very rare cases a single blue wire means negative voltage. Similarly for a serial connection. Orange is RX (from the µC's point of view), because both have an "r" in them, and yellow is TX (because of the toilet problem and because it is joined with orange).

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thanks for the tip about the backing paper. I am sure this will help me elsewhere. And I had a laugh about your mnemonics!

[@Graham_Wideman]

8:19 "Arduinos can only use a few pins for PWM". This is true for the hardware PWM use for Arduino analogWrite. However, another application of PWM signals is the Servo library, which doesn't use the same hardware PWM, and supports output on any digital output.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thanks for the clarification.

[@warlockd]

Not against dupont connectors, they are sometimes a bit tall for the boxes I have. After having to buy some MicroFit connectors been using them on finished projects. They are just a bit expensive but you can get them in headers, sockets, right/left angles etc.. PS - Also use JST or locking dupots, those are cheap off ebay too. PSS - Oh, and when I was starting out I just bought those combo connector packs. DON'T. I ended up using all my 1/2/3/4 socket duponts but still have like 40+ of the other sockets in the bin. Just find the part numbers of the connectors you use, go to mouser/digikey and just buy them in bulk there. This works well with screw too:P

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are right. Dupont connectors are not a good choice in many aspects. But since Arduino times it seems to be the standard for Maker boards. They are cheap and versatile. If I can decide I also use different connectors.

[@Autotrope]

Dfrobot makes packs of them with heaps more red and black than other colours. But, they are not joined in a ribbon but loose. It is probably the only way since rainbow ribbon cable tends to spread the cable colours evenly.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are right. In the meantime I found them too (with the help of my viewers)...

[@samuelschwager]

Habe grade vor ein paar Tagen eine Crimp-Zange bekommen und Polklemmen für meine Labornetzteile gebaut. Brother Labelmaker ist noch auf der Wunschliste ;)

[@AndreasSpiess]

Du wirst den Brother lieben! Viel einfacher, die Labels am Computer zu schreiben...

[@samuelschwager]

@@AndreasSpiess Je nach Modell leider nicht ganz günstig. Aber nach dem Januarloch hab ich dann wieder Budget dafür ;)

[@mickcoomer9714]

If only the colour codes were that simple. Most of my electronics is on my kit car which is based on a Merc. On a Merc live/power is black, but I grew up with the Lucas colour system where red is power and black is earth. Variations on blue is for for lights, yellow and green is for indicators and white is ignition protected. I stay with the Lucas system for my wiring cos I understand it. I also print little things to hold the wires together while using UV glue to bond them into a ribbon.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I recently learned that some manufacturers use black as plus. Not a good idea, I think. I also will stick the the "conventional" code. I have printable heat-shrink tubes which are also handy for that purpose.

[@mickcoomer9714]

@@AndreasSpiess. Printable heat shrink? Tell me more.

[@SixWildKids]

Pololu sells cables with Dupont ends and lets you choose colors. Buy bags of red/black. All sorts of lengths.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you. In the meantime I also found a source. Now I am happy.

[@FuZZbaLLbee]

At what point do you go from loose cables to these connectors to soldering the wires directly on the board? Or even use something like a attiny (for the simpler programs) on a vero board or custom PCB?

[@AndreasSpiess]

I use connectors when the board cam with pins and if I plan to experiment and change connections. I solder in the other cases (mainly for finished devices)

[@youpattube1]

Here in florida, the building code does require additional toilets in the women's bathroom. the specifications are in a section called Potty Parity.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You seem to be very practical there! I learned to fly in Florida, btw.

[@Lew114]

Great tips! One thing that many of my failed projects have in common is wiring that looks like a rats nest.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Indeed, wiring can be a nightmare!

[@andreyl2705]

Thank you, Andreas. very useful information. Which wire(AWG) do you recommend for arduino and esp projects?

[@AndreasSpiess]

I use 30AWG for general data connections and Dupont wires. If I need more power, I use wires from 22AWG downwards, depending on the current needed

[@andreyl2705]

@@AndreasSpiess Thank you)

[@berndreiner7159]

PERFEKT VON ANFANG BIS ZUM SCHLUSS 👌👌👌👌 Dürfte ich dich fragen warum du dich so gut damit auskennst?? Zumindest was oder hast du beruflich gearbeitet?? 🤗🤗 Grüsse aus österreich

[@whocares281]

www.xing.com/profile/Andreas_Spiess4

[@AndreasSpiess]

Ich bin Electroingenieur.

[@odieodieetmarco3477]

thanks, where do you get this black hot glue (at 10'44")? is it different from the transparent one?

[@AndreasSpiess]

I assume only the color is different. I think I got it from Aliexpress

[@alanknight2204]

Hi In my breadboard storage box I have painted ( spray paint ) some dupont shells so that I know if the lead is M-M , F-F or M-F . I am now thinking that more colours would tell me the length . More wire colours would be great but I am to lazy to make my own right now . Alan

[@AndreasSpiess]

As you see I have them mixed and have to search if I need one. Your concept is more professional!

[@EnergeticWaves]

I use green for ground also.

[@AndreasSpiess]

:-)

[@greekgroover3165]

In respect to trick #6 at 10:41 would you care explaining how proper grounding (star ground) or even working with analog and digital ground works? I had a lot of issues with noise when trying to connect an arduino, a dfplayer with a pam8403 amp. thanks!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Grounding is a large topic and I am not a specialist. Maybe you find better information elsewhere.

[@jihongmin4368]

Thanks for the great information! Do you think it is possible to use an external ADC with the ESP32 to read and transmit data (wifi) at a rate of 50ksps(or 500kbps)?

[@AndreasSpiess]

Depends on which protocol you use. Serial should go up to 921k, for example. Using Wi-Fi you most probably need to "batch" some values together (and even compress them). I never did speed tests.

[@jihongmin4368]

I see, thanks for the reply!

[@GabrielKleinCH]

I personally use a black and red indelible pen to mark the wires.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Also a good idea!

[@abhinavgolwalkar]

Very informative. I have a question on Tip#6 with ise case of Raspberry pi. If I extent vcc pin(5 or 3.3) is there any impact on current supply for that single extended pin? The max current limit???

[@AndreasSpiess]

The 5 volt is fed by USB. So you have these limits. And the 3.3 volt rail is fed by a small converter. I would not expect a lot of usable current on this rail, but I do not know how much.

[@abhinavgolwalkar]

Andreas Spiess Alright. I am working in a project that includes a rotary encoder 5 volt, a 5 v OLED display, and a neo pixel led. I have only 2 nos 5v pin so if I extent one of them to run 2 things , then my pi will not face and trouble and would not fry. Is that correct and safe?

[@AndreasSpiess]

I would say yes, it is ok. But pay attention with 5 volt devices. The Rpi is killed by 5. volt on any pin (which can happen if your 5v device has an output pin). Better use 3.3 volt devices on the Rpi.

[@daskasspatzle2396]

We seem to do nearly the same... Except for labeling the cables, as i don't have a label maker. Do they really keep the single shells together without any further adhesive? Thanks for this tricks ;-)

[@AndreasSpiess]

I never stick single pins together, I always use shells. There it sticks good.

[@kitecattestecke2303]

@@AndreasSpiess hotglue does the trick with high force

[@rondlh20]

Brown is used for the live wire in 240V AC applications in Europe, so I would never use brown for ground.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are right. In my lab, however, I do not have many open 220 volt wires, never with Dupont connectors and much thicker. So in my case the chance I mix them is very small.

[@xHeadxShotxx]

I'm trying to prototype right now, is it possible to just insert the male jumper wire into the arduino's respective pins and go from there? Or do I need to use an empty shell so I can connect the wires?

[@AndreasSpiess]

The empty shells are optional.

[@DennisMurphey]

Can we use dupont shells to attach wires to a angular male header board to reduce assembly height?

[@AndreasSpiess]

I think so.

[@bra1nsen]

I use a raspberry pi 4: 3.3v and ground now could i splitt with a y-adapter - to power an led on the one hand and on in the other a sensor like the bme280? the voltage should stay constant, because its parallel or?

[@AndreasSpiess]

You can use the 3.3 volt pin to power a sensor or a small LED. But not much more.

[@macmaven5037]

If I have two 12" dupont wires (male on one end and female on the other), I can combine two different wires (male to female) to create a 24" dupont wire correct?

[@AndreasSpiess]

Yes

[@renatomsgomes]

we need you to organize portugal. plz consider it

[@AndreasSpiess]

:-)) I loved Lisboa and your beautiful weather!

[@shazam6274]

Learn to solder! Then you can have any color and any length wire to a plug in header, as in tip # 6. Put a small amount of hot melt glue on the wire-connector solder joints, then cover with heat shrink which has internal hot melt. This can be made faster than crimping pins and assembling the connector. Now you will have a strong, waterproof, strain-relieved cable / connector almost as good as a factory made injection molded one.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thanks for your tip!

[@accountdeactivated5486]

These prefabricated Dupont Jumper Cables often have a resistance of several Ohms... They are fine for data but not that good for anything which draws a bit more current

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are right. The technology is not very good. But it is the standard for Arduino boards. This is why I use them.

[@prckmi1008]

I use pieces of plastic corrugated board to keep wires separate.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Good idea!

[@mcflapper7591]

+1 for mentioning and acknowledging the "public toilet" problem.

[@AndreasSpiess]

:-)

[@Graham_Wideman]

The reason you always get the same set of colors in ribbon cables is because the colors follow standard EIA color numbering: 1 = brown, 2 = red... 0 = black. Since these colors are used to number the wires so you can identify them, you cannot expect cables with multiple of particular colors within each set, like say black or red, that you might prefer if you're going to split them apart. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_color_code

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thanks for the link. And with the help of my viewers, I also found sources for single color batches. So I am happy!

[@jesperbjrn150]

Maybe this have come up before but I risk asking again hoping for an answer. On a ESP32 DOIT V1 board I have experinced that the ADC's have been interrupted when started WiFi.begin; When running the sketch on serial monitor only with no WiFi connection it runs a analogRead on GPOI2 fine. But when starting WiFi and adding the code to html then pin2 (and others) fail or shows the full scale of the analog value on the browser. I tried different pins and found that GPIO34 worked but I need more variables for inputs and outputs what have I overseen???

[@AndreasSpiess]

One ADC is used for WiFi and BT. github.com/espressif/arduino-esp32/issues/102

[@jesperbjrn150]

@@AndreasSpiess Thank you very much. Looks like only the ADC1's can be used as analogRead when WiFi is enabled. Have a OneWire on GPIO4 and that continues to work fine even with WiFi enabled.

[@danharold3087]

I like hookup wire holder at 1:08

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you. Self-printed ;-)

[@andreandrade1997]

Dear Andreas, do you have the files available for printing?

[@AndreasSpiess]

Here is a Fusion360 link: a360.co/2Np0g8B

[@Rob-uf9yp]

Thanks for the link to the wire holder. I am going to print it.

[@RTmadnesstoo]

@@AndreasSpiess What sizes of wire on the spools? I need to order an assortment but haven't decided what size to get.