Jumper - definition
Jumper - definition
Jumper is a small electromechanical component used in electronic and electrical systems to manually change the configuration of electrical connections on a printed circuit board (PCB) or within a device module. It typically consists of a conductive metal bridge, embedded in a plastic housing, which attaches to pairs of pins that form a configuration socket, also called a header. By shorting the appropriate pins, the jumper allows you to physically close the circuit or change the operating mode of the circuit without the need for software modification or soldering.
Jumpers play an important role in the simple, reliable selection of configuration settings, such as device addresses on communication buses (e.g. I²C, SPI ), voltage settings, frequencies, boot modes, cPU clocking or activation or deactivation of certain hardware functions. They are commonly used in computer motherboards, disk drives, peripheral device controllers, as well as in embedded systems and laboratory equipment.
The location and meaning of jumpers are usually described in the technical documentation or printed directly on the PCB. Depending on the design, others combinations of settings are possible, that allow you to adapt the operating parameters to your specific application or system environment. Although jumpers are a simple and inexpensive solution, in modern circuits, they are increasingly being replaced by programmable configuration registers or interfaces user, however, they remain popular in industrial, education and service.
The physical form of the jumper can take the form of a so-called jumper - a slip-on cap, or a thin wire soldered between test points, especially in the case of prototyping. In the context of diagnostics and servicing, the presence or absence of jumpers can be crucial for commissioning the device, activating test functions or forcing a reset of system parameters.
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