3 replies to this topic

[Amr]

Hello all, Does anyone know the part number and supplier for the individual pins that are used on the netduino mini? Are they surface mount? Thanks, --Amr

[Chris Walker]

Hi Amr, Welcome to the Netduino community. The edge pins we're using on the Netduino Mini are manufactured by Interplex in the USA. They were made to order. They're very nice (albeit fairly expensive). The pins are semi-automatically or manually placed and cut...and then hand soldered. We haven't found surface mount pins that meet our requirements. Chris

[Amr]

Hi Chris, Thanks for the info. Seeing as the pins are expensive, why did you choose to use those over standard 0.1" pitch headers? Wouldn't assembly costs be quite high if you have to hand solder them? My only guess is to save PCB real-estate. It seems that the Interplex pins take up the same surface area on the top of the PCB as 0.1" headers, but take up no space on the bottom. --Amr

[Chris Walker]

Thanks for the info. Seeing as the pins are expensive, why did you choose to use those over standard 0.1" pitch headers? Wouldn't assembly costs be quite high if you have to hand solder them? My only guess is to save PCB real-estate. It seems that the Interplex pins take up the same surface area on the top of the PCB as 0.1" headers, but take up no space on the bottom.

Hi Amr,

Really great question.

The Netduino Mini is designed for both educational/hobby use and also industrial/commercial use. By using edge pins, Netduino Mini can be used in commercial projects: just create a simple 2-layer host board, place the Netduino Mini, solder it in place on the bottom of the host PCB, and then clip any extra length on the pins.

Also:

• Edge pins require smaller holes than 0.1" headers -- so we were able to reduce the width a bit.
• Using edge pins enables the Netduino Mini to be placed in standard 0.6" DIP sockets without damaging the sockets, like those on the BASIC Stamp boards.
• The edge pins look nice. Aesthetics are a design requirement in every Secret Labs project.

In the end, we decided to increase our costs a bit to deliver extra value/benefits.

Chris