How do I deal with very small wire which is too narrow to fit properly into a breadboard?

Question

I've gutted a casio keyboard to design my own version of an electronic keyboard and am using the circuit board that originally was used by the keyboard as its keyboard matrix. The issue is that the wires it used to interface between the keyboard matrix and its micro controller are very small in diameter. So small that they cannot fit into a breadboard properly. I need to have a method of soldering these small wires into a female header or some way of insulating them from each other while configuring them in a proper manner to be able to interface with headers, so that I can keep them from touching each other and also use them to communicate with a micro controller.

Could I be able to crimp each wire like demonstrated here: https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/working-with-wire

Should I solder them to male jumpers and use a combination of heat-shrink tubing and 1/8 inch electrical tape for insulation?

I'd like to know of a good solution before I start buying materials, and so I would appreciate any ideas on how to go about insulating and interfacing these small wires in a way that they can communicate with the outside electronic world.

Answer 1

Should I solder them to male jumpers

Yes.

Use a combination of heat-shrink tubing and 1/8 inch electrical tape for insulation?

No, the size is too big for proper heat shrink (unless you have one sufficiently wide) or tape to help much. For the most part, you can use hot-melt glue sticks, or epoxy to insulate and help support it. Frankly though, once you solder the wires, you really don't need to insulate it, unless you'll have other wires loose. If you are careful or don't unplug and plug it in a lot, it will last a long time.