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PCB header pins & connectors for amateur?

Hi

Is there available a PCB header pin set, with matching socket which can
be assembled by an amateur without expensive specialist tools?
Regards,
Mark
 
P

peterken

Jan 1, 1970
0
try wires :)

on the other hand, most electronic stores have something on the shelf
or scrap a tv-set, might find some handy stuff in there too



Hi

Is there available a PCB header pin set, with matching socket which can
be assembled by an amateur without expensive specialist tools?
Regards,
Mark
 
He he. Unfortunately, the wires only need to be added for 5 mins at a
time to re-program an on-board PIC microcontroller. The rest of the
time, the connection isn't required.


Cheers,
Mark
 
C

CFoley1064

Jan 1, 1970
0
Subject: PCB header pins & connectors for amateur?
From: "[email protected]" [email protected]
Date: 10/18/2004 7:36 AM Central Daylight Time
Message-id: <[email protected]>

Hi

Is there available a PCB header pin set, with matching socket which can
be assembled by an amateur without expensive specialist tools?
Regards,
Mark

Been there, done that. If you're on a tight budget, one thing you might try is
using standard .100" solid headers and Molex KK Series crimp terminal housings
with .100 crimp terminals. Yes, I know you need a custom hand crimping tool
for the crimp terminals ($180.00 USD), but a little deft use of a needlenose
pliers will allow you to fold over the sides of the terminal on the stripped
stranded wire and the wire insulation just like the tool, except without the
gas-tight crimp. You then use the tiniest bit of solder to solder the wire and
the terminal housing. If you're crafty, you can avoid getting solder all over
the place underneath, and it will fit into the housing nicely. If not, just
cut it off and try again. The key to this is not to have excess wire or a
solder blob hanging down beyond the crimp -- that gums up the action of the
terminal. Also avoid getting flux on the mating surface of the terminal.

The Mouser part numbers you would need for a 3-pin programming plug are:

538-08-52-0123 Crimp Terminals (3 ea.) $0.09 ea. (buy a few extra to
practice)
538-22-03-2031 .100" Verical solid header, 3-pin (1 ea.) $0.18 ea.
538-22-01-2037 .100" crimp terminal housing (1 ea.) $$0.25 ea.

As long as you use the phosphor bronze terminals with tin flash, you should be
good for at least a hundred reliable insertion/extraction cycles. Don't jam
the terminal into the housing. If it doesn't fit easily, you've either got it
backwards or you got excess solder under the fold of the terminal. Use an
xacto knife to push the little spring holder in to remove the terminal from the
housing.

By the way, the above parts don't have reverse polarity protection -- least
expensive solution here. If you're doing it yourself, be careful. If a
customer is doing it, go with the polarized housings and headers or use a
polarizing key and cut off one of the pins. Go to mouser.com and look for
yourself -- look up p. 807 of the current catalog.

Chris
 
A

Andyb

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hi

Is there available a PCB header pin set, with matching socket which can
be assembled by an amateur without expensive specialist tools?

We've always used standard 3M 0.1" ribbon cable and connectors. They crimp
together using a vice, so long as you get the cable lined up properly.....

Andyb
 
R

Rich Webb

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hi

Is there available a PCB header pin set, with matching socket which can
be assembled by an amateur without expensive specialist tools?

Buy 100 or so of these and you can stack pretty much arrangement you
need for a lifetime (well...). Many, many other places carry these or
similar, this is just one example.

http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/st...toreId=10001&catalogId=10001&productId=119665

(Long URL -- go to www.jameco.com and search for part number 103350)


To mate with it, as Andy suggested, the easiest is an IDC connector
crimped onto ribbon cable. Again, many other sources

http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/st...toreId=10001&catalogId=10001&productId=121333

(Jameco part # 138376)

Crimping the IDC connector really wants a parallel-jaw squeeze. Any
small vice will do the trick (don't over-tighten). The small 2x5
connector *can* be done with regular slip-joint pliers, though.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I was put off by the cost of the tools,
but the actual items are cheap enough to have a play with, thanks.

Mark
 
R

Rich Webb

Jan 1, 1970
0
Thanks for the suggestions. I was put off by the cost of the tools,
but the actual items are cheap enough to have a play with, thanks.

You can (and should) use a proper crimper in a production environment.
For hobby or "just learning" pretty much anything that works, works.
You'll probably "explode" a few IDC connectors -- at least I've HEARD
that can happen, yeah that's it, just heard about it... ;-)
 
S

Steve

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hi

Is there available a PCB header pin set, with matching socket which can
be assembled by an amateur without expensive specialist tools?
Regards,
Mark

For exactly that, programming PICs in-circuit, we put a simple IDC header on
the board and used a ready assembled cable with female connectors at both
ends to connect temporarily to the programmer (actually via a male-male
convertor, but you might do it another way). In the UK, for instance,
assembled cables go for about 1GBP in one offs from Farnell, e.g.:
http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/endecaSearch/partDetail.jsp?SKU=3525909&N=401

Regards,
Steve
 
R

Rich Grise

Jan 1, 1970
0
You can (and should) use a proper crimper in a production environment.
For hobby or "just learning" pretty much anything that works, works.
You'll probably "explode" a few IDC connectors -- at least I've HEARD
that can happen, yeah that's it, just heard about it... ;-)

If you have access to a good machinists' vise, they're a breeze.

Cheers!
Rich
 
R

Rich Grise

Jan 1, 1970
0
He he. Unfortunately, the wires only need to be added for 5 mins at a
time to re-program an on-board PIC microcontroller. The rest of the
time, the connection isn't required.

Oh, then just mount a header on the board, and use a small IDC
socket on a ribbon cable. I think you can get them down to six
pins, and I have used one-pin female contacts, which were called
"amp modu", but they seem to have disappeared.

Hm. Digikey has them down to 10 pins.

Good Luck!
RIch
 
R

Rich Webb

Jan 1, 1970
0
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