I have a pc board with a ribbon cable connection and the plastic lock is broken. I am wondering if that piece is available without buying a new pc board
Hello Steve, welcome to the Forum. You should be able to replace the connector that is on the board. We can probably help you with that. How many positions is the connector and what is the pitch? The pitch, also known as the lead spacing, is the measurement from the middle of one contact to the middle of the next. How is the connector mounted to the board? Is it a through hole part, where the pins go through the board, or is it surface mount, where the pins are soldered on top of the board? If you could take a photo of your connector, that would be helpful!
Hello Steve, thank you for the photo. It looks to me like you have a 32 position flat flex connector on your board, which is right angle and has a pitch of .5mm. Please correct me if I’m wrong. A connector that would match these specifications is Hirose part number FH12A-32S-0.5SH, which is Digi-key part number HFK132CT-ND. Please take a look at the datasheet. Page 6 which has the dimensions for FH12A-32S-0.5SH and verify that these dimensions match up with your connector. This is a top contact connector. If your connector looks like it is a bottom contact connector, look at this part number: FH12-32S-0.5SH Digikey part number HFJ132CT-ND. I encourage you to verify with the datasheet to verify if the connector on your board is top contact or bottom contact before you order. Thanks, Steve.
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thank you for the help one last question can a guy take the lock off and put it on the board connector
You could try it, but I am not sure the connector I suggested is exactly the same as the one that is on the board, it is just a comparable one, a substitute for your connector. I’m not sure if that lock is something that is removable. Before you decide to do that compare your connector’s dimensions to the one I suggested to see if they are exactly the same. I know the lead spacing is the same, so it will function the same as your original, but whether the lock from the substitute will fit your original, I’m not sure.