I’m looking for a way to test a small number of circuit boards which are to be installed into cases once tested. I’m looking for quick connect connectors similar to ‘gator clips’ but will clip inside of the holes for wire points (that will go to the case). There are 7 such wire points, all but 1 is for 20AWG wires and the other a single 10AWG wire. I’ve used various gator clips and ‘mini grabbers’, but because they are designed to grab around a wire or lead, they too often pop off while testing. Are there any clips that would go into plated through holes and then ‘expand’ into them to make contact (kind of like the opposite of a grabber clip that often has 3 grabber hooks that grab the outside of a contact)? Others have suggested Pogo pins and the like, but this assumes soldered pins in my holes… I need to test a board then add wiring to these holes after they’re tested… without desoldering pins and then move on to testing the next board.
Depending on hole and pad sizes, I use pogo pins with tips designed to bite into the pad around the hole or tips that contact the inside plating of the hole.
Pins come in a huge range of sizes and shapes to fit any application. However they can be very expensive, a couple of my production line testers have over $200 worth of pins/sockets on them.
Here’s a few examples:
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/harwin-inc/P25-0123/3727855
Hello,
Welcome to the DigiKey TechForum. Not sure how robust it needs to be we do have options like DigiKey part 36-5024-ND that can clip into the hole and then put a grabber on it. You can also look through this list of options for ideas.
From the data sheet:
Snap-fit mounting provides positive retention for wave soldering
I once had a consultant have us try those as temporary production line connections and the variation in contact resistance made them unusable for everything except the power input. We ended up building a custom pogo pin production line test bed to test the PCB he designed.
Hi Steve,
I have tried a few of the test point solutions, but just the stiffness of the test wiring I’m using on the fixture I’ve worked up, pulls those type of test points out of the holes too easily. The trick here is that my wiring is mostly 20AWG stranded wires and apply to much pressure against the wire points even when attaching the next one with one or more attached.
I’m really surprised that manufacturers haven’t designed clips like those I’ve described for through-hole wire points. I mean, I’ve seen clips of every type and description that contact around, against for gripping wires & pins. Everything from single pin micro-grabbers to dip and SOIC IC clamps that breakout 40 pin IC’s for testing without soldering. You’d think that if engineers can design a hands-free speculum or stints for the doctor’s office, they could make something like this. Perhaps I’ll need to spin my fabrication and add test points to be soldered in for testing. It just seems like a lot of effort for the low volume I have for this product (20-30/year).
Thanks for getting back to me on this. Put out your feelers for me and ask during your next team meeting if anyone else has requested such an animal.
Scott DeBruyn
Dutchman Electronics LLC