Unobtanium: Obtained!
Despite our DIY ethos, there are many things we just can’t build ourselves. Subtract one from that list, because a formerly-unavailable component is now available in the US.
Pictured at left are the ubiquitous female jumper wires, used by experimenters everywhere. They come from China, via a number of suppliers. But if you want a different length or just to DIY for the principle of it, you’re out of luck. You could buy the pins and salvage the housings from PC case wiring, but that’s hardly a reliable source, especially for the useful single-pin housings.
The housings are available from all the usual suspects, except the single-pin version, which wasn’t available anywhere. Until now, that is! The story of how that happened is a bit more straightforward than you may think, and the details are after the jump. Read more