Preparing the Female Jack
What You Need:
3.5 mm Female Jack
22-24 gauge speaker wire
Switch (for testing)
Tools
Utility knife
Soldering iron
Solder
Wire strippers
Tin shears
Metal file (optional)
Choose a Jack
First thing you need to do is choose which female jack you want to use
Check out the “Jacks and Wires” section to learn more about each type of jack.
Cut 2 Wires to Size
Use 22 to 24 Gage stranded wire and cut between 6-8 inches depending on the project
For some projects you can use solid wire. I use this for circuit soldering onto a circuit board, or for battery interrupters that will permanently live in a toy that has hard plastic, such as the bubble machine and the art spinner, because for these projects there is a lot less movement than in a plush toy.
Important: I tend to cut it a little longer than I need it to be and then I will cut down the other side when attaching it to the copper plate. This was extremely useful when I was new to soldering. This allowed me to make mistakes and instead of tossing the entire piece I could just cut it down and redo it.
Image from a different battery interrupt
Image from a different battery interrupt
Strip The One End of Each Wire.
Find the number gauge wire you are using on you wire strippers. Then place the wire in that groove of the wire stripper, so that there is about 1/4 inch on one side. That will be the side you are going to strip or remove the protective plastic insulator from, revealing the metal wire.
Important: Be careful not to cut any of the wires in the process. I have definitely done this many times! If this happens, you can cut this part off and try stripping it again. That’s why I cut the wires longer than needed.
Connect The First Wire to The Jack
If you are using a stranded wire, you are going to want to twist the wires together.
Feed one of your wires through the tall pin, leaving some of the exposed wire visible on the other side. Then bend it backwards so it becomes parallel with the yellow wire. You will then pinch the exposed metal on both sides of the tall pin and twist the metal strands together.
Solder The Wire Onto The Jack
Now place the jack into one of the alligator clips on you helping hands. Then, take the soldering iron into you dominant hand and the solder into the other and hold the solder and the iron to the wire for several seconds. I start with my soldering iron on medium but you may need to adjust it as you go. Once some of the solder melts onto the wire, pull back the solder but leave the iron there for an additional few seconds.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
You should notice the solder on the jack becomes shiny, this means it is heated up enough.
You really don’t need a lot of solder, I am definitely guilty of this.
Add Heat Shrink Tube
Cut the heat shrink tube to the desired size. Then put it on the wire and pull the heat shrink tube down so it covers all the exposed metal wires.
Next, use a fire source to shrink the tube.
For each individual wire, you can use a relatively small heat shrink tube. I used the 3 or 4 smallest sizes that came in kit of heat shrink tube I bought. I believe it was 1/24” (1mm), 1/16” (1.5mm) and 1/13” (2mm) tubes
Recommended Step: Folding Over the 2 Side Metal Pieces on The Tall Pin.
The reason this step is “recommended” and not an absolute necessity is because by doing this step, you are further reducing the likelihood of the wires accidentally touching which will complete the circuit. You have already added heat shrink tube which does the same thing so this is not totally necessary but highly recommended so things don’t turn on/off without switch activation.
This step can be a little difficult. I use the tip of my wire strippers that looks sort of like pliers to fold over the side metal pieces on the tall pin. I recommend doing it one piece at a time, and do it little by little and repositioning the wire strippers as you go. Then, do the same thing on the other piece.
Connect The Second Wire to The Jack
If you are using a stranded wire, you are going to want to twist the wires together.
Feed the second wire through one of the small pins, leaving some of the exposed wire visible on the other side. Then bend it backwards so it becomes parallel with the red wire.
Now pinch the exposed metal on both sides of the small pin and twist the metal strands together.
Solder The Wire Onto The Jack
Now place the jack into one of the alligator clips on you helping hands. Touch the solder and the soldering iron to the wire on the jack. Once some of the solder melts onto the wire, pull back the solder but leave the iron there for an additional few seconds. Make sure the wire is straight, otherwise it will be hard to put the cover on.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
You should notice the solder on the jack becomes shiny, this means it heated up enough.
You really don’t need a lot of solder, I am definitely guilty of this.
Add Heat Shrink Tube
Pull the heat shrink tube down so it covers all the exposed metal wires.
Next, use a fire source to shrink the tube.
For each individual wire, you can use a relatively small heat shrink tube. I used the 3 or 4 smallest sizes that came in kit of heat shrink tube I bought. I believe it was 1/24” (1mm), 1/16” (1.5mm) and 1/13” (2mm) tubes
Now take a larger heat shrink tube to cover both of the wires close to the jack. This will make it more protected when you replace the jack’s cover. For this step, I used the larger tube that came with the jack I purchased, or can use one from the set. I’d say probably 9/64” (3.5mm) or 5/32” (4mm) but you can play around with your tubing sizes.
Add the Jack’s Cover
You feed the wires through the larger opening. It can be a little annoying to fit both of the wires in at the same time as they can get caught or stuck, so I recommend doing one wire at a time.
