3-Pin JST Plug & Receptacle

I used these 3-pin JST cables to connect the NeoPixels to the ItsyBitsy board. These made it easy to disconnect the board from the strips. I found this really useful because the NeoPixel strips will be attached to the trampoline. This allows me to remove the ItsyBitsy board from the assembly when I needed to change or update the code.

Prep Wires

I started by trimming the wires of the male connectors short because they're a bit longer than needed. Then, I used wire strippers to remove a bit of insulation for each wire. I tinned the exposed strands of wire with a bit of solder. I found these wires to be pretty stiff. They're 22AWG sized and difficult to attach to the pins on the ItsyBitsy board. To give them a bit more flex, I extended the wires with 26AWG silicone covered wires. The different colors are nice and help tell the connections apart.

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Extended JST Plugs

I soldered the pieces of 26AWG wire and insulated the exposed connections with heat shrink tubing. I made sure to keep the colored wires consistent across the two male connectors. It's very important to keep track of the connections to avoid shorting or damaging the neopixel strips.

Female JST Receptacles

The female receptacles will be soldered directly to the pads on the NeoPixel strips and does not need to be extended with flexible wires. I found the length of wires a bit too long so I cut them a bit shorter. Keep each wire tinned with a bit of solder, it'll make it easier to attach them to the pads on the LED strips later. I also added some bits of heat shrink tubing!

This guide was first published on Apr 11, 2018. It was last updated on Mar 28, 2024.

This page (JST Plugs) was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

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