What is the name of the oblong black shell thing that is (presumably) connecting the two halves of the cable? There is a small one and a large one shown in the image below.
I've searched around for electrical cable connectors/joiners, but haven't been able to find this exact part. They seem pretty common, I have seen a few on USB cables I have.
I'd like to buy some of these for a project, so if you know what to search for on eBay to find these, I'd appreciate it.
EDIT: Thank you for the answers. I was actually looking for some sort of in-line compartment to hold a little circuit, and was surprised to learn about ferrite cores.
Best Answer
That is actually a ferrite core. It helps remove noise from the wires that are run through and looped around it, the wires are not joined in the middle of it. Basically they are just used for signal integrity and interference issues and can be clipped on to existing cabling if there are such problems.
Check a listing out here. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes so be sure to get one that is suitable for your cabling.