Maker Pro
Maker Pro

molex connector problem

cpat

Dec 14, 2010
10
Joined
Dec 14, 2010
Messages
10
I bought a board with .100 molex headers, but no latching or means to hold the female receptacle other than the friction between the two, which is not much.

So I'm seeking a way to hold the header onto the male pins.

Any ideas?
 

shrtrnd

Jan 15, 2010
3,876
Joined
Jan 15, 2010
Messages
3,876
I have a lot of problems with Molex connectors. They're usually pretty helpful if you
want to contact them.
They make two types of connectors (your header), one with locking tabs, and one
without.
If the one you have won't stay connected, I'd looking into the same header with the
locking tabs.
Good luck.
 

cpat

Dec 14, 2010
10
Joined
Dec 14, 2010
Messages
10
I'm no hardware expert, but I see nothing on the header to 'lock' to. I'm seriously thinking about wrapping a rubber band around the board and receptacle.
 

shrtrnd

Jan 15, 2010
3,876
Joined
Jan 15, 2010
Messages
3,876
You gotta buy the locking header and its mate for the PCB.
Take a quick look at the Molex website and find what you've got and what you need.
Molex is popular because they're relatively cheap.
Take a few minutes to look at what else is available from them, then decide what you
want to do.
P.S. some rubber bands chemically interact with insulation on wires, and can screw you up.
Also, if the vicinity of the board gets hot, your rubber band won't last long.
If you just have pins on your board itself, it's not all that difficult to replace it with a
locking connector.
Good luck. I'd use the 'rubber' for other purposes.
 

cpat

Dec 14, 2010
10
Joined
Dec 14, 2010
Messages
10
I purchased the pcb because of its function an accelerometer, which was my mistake. Not being a hardware expert, I didn't find out until later about the molex header, which was not identified in the literature as a molex, just .100 headers. The receptacle I had was out of another piece of equipment I owned which had died.

If I need to buy another accelerometer, I will buy a dip chip not an SMT.
 

(*steve*)

¡sǝpodᴉʇuɐ ǝɥʇ ɹɐǝɥd
Moderator
Jan 21, 2010
25,510
Joined
Jan 21, 2010
Messages
25,510
A cable tie *might* work.

*IF* there is a place either side of the connector where you can drill through the board without damaging traces, you can loop a cable tie around and hold it very securely in place. It's a real pain when you need to remove it in a hurry.

edit: it sounds like your connectors don't match properly. Matching connectors hold on quite well. If yours can fall off, I'd be afraid that the electrical contact was poor too.
 

cpat

Dec 14, 2010
10
Joined
Dec 14, 2010
Messages
10
I've come up with a solution. I've got some wires with single molex headers on them. Forgot I had them, but these have a tight fit on the headers. Problem solved!

Thanks for all the help.
 
Top