User:Rob Kam/sandbox1/Talk:Pin header

Image = euro power, arduino, daughterboard Pin headers and pin sockets is a common type of PCB connector. Usually with a spacing (pitch) of 0.1 inch (2.54 mm) although other pitch spacings are also available. For a 0.1-inch pitch connector the pins have a square cross-section of 0.025 inches (0.635 millimeters).

For PCB applications strips of machined sockets mate with crimp-on pins of the correct diameter; header blocks with one, two, or three rows of either pin or socket contacts; often seen on housings designed to couple with IDC connectors; and housings designed to accept crimp-on contacts with space for anywhere from 1 to 40 or more positions.

Some examples of the different types of crimped connectors used for pin-and-socket applications appeared earlier in “Crimped” on page 160.

For our purposes, I’ll refer to the pin contacts as pins and the receptacle contacts as socket contacts. Rows of either type in a molded plastic block or housing will be called either a pin or socket header, as appropriate.

Note that, while it’s not shown in Figure 7-33, a pin header strip will mate with a socket header, which can be used for board-to-board interconnects. You can find these on things like Arduino boards, for example.

a pin header can be used with a ribbon cable IDC Practical Electronics: Components and Techniques: Components and Techniques by J. M. Hughes, O'Reilly Media, 2015, ISBN 1449373070, p. 164

Crimped connectors

Connectors with crimp contacts offer the advantage of reliable and consistent connections (if done correctly), speed of assembly, and long-term durability. The downside is that there is usually an up-front cost in terms of tooling necessary to work with the crimp contacts used in the connector. In some cases, this is relatively minor, but for some connectors, the cost of the tool necessary to form the crimp connection can run into the hundreds of dollars, or even more.

Crimped contact connectors are available in DB forms, as circular connectors with anywhere from 2 to over 200 contacts, and as rectangular forms designed for use with PCBs to serve as module interconnects. They also come in a variety of sizes, from large, heavy-duty types for carrying large amounts of current to the tiny connectors found in things like DVD players.

Figure 7-23 shows two types of female crimp contacts, a barrel type (on the left) and a leaf type (on the right). Crimp contacts like these are designed to be seated in a plastic housing with one hole per contact and are typically used with a mating set of pins on a PCB (a header block or strip). They are held in place by small metal tabs that lock into a slot in the connector body, or by a plastic tab molded into the connector that captures and retains the contact.

The crimp contacts used in DB and circular connectors are in the form of pins and sockets. Low-cost versions are available, but the high-reliability types are fully enclosed like the ones shown in Figure 7-24. These require a special (and rather expensive) tool to assemble correctly.

The so-called lug connectors used in automotive and industrial settings (among other places) are also a form of crimp contact. Wire lugs can be found in a number of styles, including spade lug and ring lug. The crimp tool shown in Figure 3-12 is designed specifically to work with connectors like the spade lug shown in Figure 7-25.

“Crimped Terminals” on page 170 describes some of the tools and techniques for working with crimp connectors.

Practical Electronics: Components and Techniques: Components and Techniques by J. M. Hughes, O'Reilly Media, 2015, ISBN 1449373070, p. 160

Removed from Wp article

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pin_header&type=revision&diff=1079523935&oldid=1078949019

Breaking (cutting) a female header pin

Although female header pins come in many pin numbers, sometime it is desirable to manually reduce the pin length. Male headers can easily be broken (cut) without much complications. However, female headers require some care when reducing the pin length. The following outlines the steps to break a female header.

1. Pull the pin out with needle nose pliers.
2. Break the header using either of the two following methods:
   1. With a knife cut along where the pin used to be. Use a straight edge to guide the cut.
   2. Or with cutting pliers snap the plastic. Use pliers that are longer than the header so that only a single cut is required.
3. Use fine grit sandpaper to smooth the rough edge.

It is important to note that during this process at least one pin will be lost. Therefore, if starting with a female header of pin number X, and wanting to reduce it to a smaller pin number Y, then the Y+1 pin should be pulled out. This will leave behind a header of pin length Y. Furthermore, single row female headers are easier to break (cut), the above procedure can be extended to double row female headers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDG3VFSMSPQ&t=508s

Arduino mount on these