So I am building/ working on my robot, https://www.robotshop.com/letsmakerobots/node/24204 and I didn't want to solder the wires into my arduino. Whenever I moved robot, the wires come out of the pins. Currently I am using scotch tape, I know not very professional. I was wondering if there is any other way to keep the wires from coming out?
Thanks
Buy male headers and solder
Buy male headers and solder your wires to the headers. You can then insert those into the arduino and remove them if you need to. If you keep the headers without breaking them into short pieces they friction fit in the arduino. For now I think this is the cheapest/easiest method. PS do not solder wires to the males headers while they are inserted into the arduino.
another alternative
Since you are in Boston, I am sure there is a Radio Shack nearby. Get a male DB-25 with crimp on connectors and some heat shrink tubing. Use the pins, crimping and/or soldering on the end of the wires. Shrink short pieces of the tubing on them so they don’t short out side by side.
I’ve been guilty of trying
I’ve been guilty of trying tape before…don’t tell anyone. Also, I’ve never soldered to a board, just because I always reuse them. I use this type of connection
There are three parts, the things on the bottom left are called breakaway headers, the big black square is called a crimp connector housing (0.1 in pitch) and there is a part you can't see that is attached to each of the wires called female crimp pins (or female crimp terminal).
They come in on a continuous piece of metal (bottom) and they just break off of it, then you crimp it to the wire, the other end gets inserted into the housing, and you hear a nice click noise which lets you know it's in properly.The breakaway headers friction fit into the crimp pins and the connectors on the board, the housing just hold everything together nicely (you can do without them, but they help a lot). (http://www.jameco.com/Jameco/catalogs/c111/P76.pdf)
I use this type of connection all the time and it works good. There is a special tool that crimps the crimp pins to the wire, a regular old wire crimper might work though. I've made due with just pliers before, then I add a little solder to the wire and crimp pin, if you do this, make sure to stay towards the wire end of the connection, and don't deform the other end that snaps into the housing.
Hope this helps
Thanks for all the
Thanks for all the responses. I am going to try out all of the ideas. but for now I am going to just buy the male DB-25 at radio shack because it’s right around the corner from me.
I’v been looking around for
I’v been looking around for them at radio shack and I can’t seem to find them.
are they just male headers?
are they just male headers?
Just in case it wasn’t obvious…
All you are after is the pins, but my local RS stores don’t sell them by themselves. But it is only a coupla bucks for a DB-25 kit so you get a kit and throw away the DB-25 housing.
Also a good idea to use
Also a good idea to use stranded over solid wire as it is much more flexible if that is important 
it bonds to those crimp on
it bonds to those crimp on RS pins better also.
what’s stranded over solid
what’s stranded over solid wire?
ok
ok
Is this what you are talking
Is this what you are talking about?
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2294966
He was saying that it is
He was saying that it is better to use stranded wire, instead of using solid wire
Thats correct, sorry for the
Thats correct, sorry for the confusion
I think I answered this
I think I answered this elsewhere in the thread but just noticed the confusion here. For the sake of completeness, this is the part I am referring to:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102864
It appears I was wrong about cost; they are a whopping $3.29 as opposed to “just a coupla bucks”. They include 25 pins and that is all you are after. You can get the pins by themselves cheaper other places, but I have never found just the pins at Radio Shack, so I just bought the DB 25 pack and threw away the housing.
thank you, I am going to
thank you, I am going to pick this up today.
Jumper wires
I use these jumper wires; http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/1708. Works great. Just solder a female header onto your circuitry that you want to connect and you’re done! I can highly recommend getting some M-F and F-F wires too. You never know when you might need them.
Don’t forget the shrink tubing!
These pins work pretty well, but they do have some exposed metal that doesn’t fit down in the connector and 2 of them side by side are likely to short if you don’t cover it.
