Jumper wire

A jumper wire also known as jumper link, jumper, jump wire or DuPont cable is a connecting wire, bare at the ends or terminated with some type of connector. These are used in prototyping, installed as part of the circuit assembly, added after assembly to modify a circuit or added to correct a defect.

Use in prototyping
Jumper wires of insulated 26AWG wire terminated with crimped pins or sockets in plastic housing are used to make connections between pin headers or sockets. With 2.5 mm (0.1 inch) housing they're suitable for interfacing single board computers like the Arduino and Raspberry Pi. These will also fit without damage to interconnect the components on solderless breadboard although here 22 AWG solid-core hookup wire with bare ends can be used instead.

Use in repair/modification
See Repairs and PCB repair

DuPont crimp connectors
A DuPont crimp consists of two parts, 0.1” (2.54mm) housing and separate metal crimp terminal. The AWG for wire generally used is 22, 24, 26 or 28 (standard ribbon cable) and a maximum diameter of 1.57mm.

Using the proper crimping tool makes a good crimp joint easy. A properly crimped joint does not need soldering and is more than strong enough. Most crimp terminals are designed to be crimped, not soldered. Soldering a crimped terminal may weaken the mechanical connection, reduce electrical conductivity, and damage the terminal. As a general rule, you should not solder a crimp terminal.

Suppliers

 * Mouser
 * Digi-Key
 * Rapid