Some Harwin Datamate connectors, such as M80-8661022, ship with a set of what look like long staples or clips. The use of these clips is not necessarily immediately obvious. What are these clips for, and how are they used?
These clips are provided as strain relief for board-mounted connectors. They’re intended to ensure longer usable lifetimes and fewer instances of connectors pulling off the board by taking some of the pressure of unmating the device off the connector and its through-hole signal legs. They’re installed through-hole to permanently aid in holding the connector down. Harwin has prepared a document demonstrating these clips’ use here: Using the Datamate Strain Relief Strap M80-0030006 PTM