I need a set of three pigtails to tie into three 5x2 pin headers (10 pins) at a 2.54mm pitch. I’ve never attempted such a thing before… not entirely sure what to search for to accomplish this :(.
The goal is to be able to tie into these pins in my car - it’s a bunch of GPIO (general purpose I/O) pins on my car PC’s motherboard, using [this module.
I’d be glad to purchase whatever I may need from sparkfun, but it doesn’t look like they stock this sort of material. I’d try digikey, but I seem to be at a loss for exactly what to call what I’m looking for.](http://www.jetwaycomputer.com/spec/JAD2COMGPIO.pdf)
Sounds like you need to use some Molex IDC plugs. Make sure the headers on the board are 2.54mm spacing, then search Mouser for 2x5 IDC plugs. These are meant to crimp onto ribbon cable. Crimp the cable and then split out the wires as needed on the opposite end. The IDC plugs will plug right onto the 2x5 headers. Its just like the ICSP plugs that most AVR programmers use for in-circuit programming/debugging.
Just ordered three IDC connectors (as close as I could get - without a key only had two in stock, so I went with a key and a low-profile strain relief - still the all-important 2x5 @ 2.54mm) and 3’ of 10 conductor multi-colored ribbon cable. That should get me rolling :). Thanks!
0.1 IDC stuff is available all sorts of places, you could also try ebay for parts and assembled cables. 10 way is quite common.
To build your own use Digi-key part something like http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSea … =AKC10H-ND. Then you just need some 0.1 cable, I use old ATA disk drive cables, and some 5x2 pin male headers (Sparkfun) but I generally buy strips of 0.1 pins and cut them to size. If you want security against mis-plugging, use the 5x2 male box headers with polarized key female connectors.
It’s best to use a proper crimping tool (even a cheap hobby type one), but for one or two connectors you could probably use a bench vice.
0.1 IDC stuff is available all sorts of places, you could also try ebay for parts and assembled cables. 10 way is quite common.
To build your own use Digi-key part something like http://search.digikey.com/scripts/DkSea … =AKC10H-ND. Then you just need some 0.1 cable, I use old ATA disk drive cables, and some 5x2 pin male headers (Sparkfun) but I generally buy strips of 0.1 pins and cut them to size. If you want security against mis-plugging, use the 5x2 male box headers with polarized key female connectors.
It’s best to use a proper crimping tool (even a cheap hobby type one), but for one or two connectors you could probably use a bench vice.
Argh… actually, the sparkfun link you just provided would have been perfect… I could have bought two of those, cut them in half, separate the wires out, and have four connectors with two orders, quite a bit less expensive than what I did with mouser.
I’ll have to think through a little more next time I need something - that would definately have been the way to go.
Well… I got the parts in, and they snapped together nicely…
The problem is… well, I can have two out of three plugged in at once. That gives me 20 bits of GPIO, which is enough to get started… but I’m wondering how I can have all 30 bits.
The issue is that two of the 2x5 (2.54 mm pitch) connectors are right next to each other, effectively making it a grid of 4x5 (2.54mm pitch). I can fit one of these connectors over half that area, but both put together is taking too much space for them to share.
Looking at mouser and digikey, I’m having difficulty finding anything that claims to be a 4x5 connector with a 2.54mm pitch. Anyone know of anything that would give me the full array of GPIO pins?
They are the same type of connector used to hook up the LEDs and reset switch in a computer case. Problem is you will have to buy contacts and crimp them to the individual conductors. The good news is you can put 4 of these right next to each other without interfeering.
I’ll see if I can find a premade cable assembly from Sparkfun or Digikey.
Unfortunately I have a plane to catch so I didn’t have time to look through Digikey. I wouldn’t be surprised if you could find an IDC connector without keying that is narrow enough to be used side by side in your application.
Thanks, your first suggestion ought to work. I don’t think the IDC key would make any difference - even when I tried my current IDC connectors with the keys facing away from each other, the combined distance from the edge of both connectors made it impossible to plug both in at once.
Hmm… now that I’m looking at the associated inserts to be crimped in… ugh.
I looked at a couple of crimping tools for this… the cheaper of the two tools I saw was $270 (the more expensive one was $500+).
How difficult would it be to do this with a simple pair of needlenose pliers? Any suggestion on any specific inserts? There appear to be many possibilities, but I don’t know enough about them to make much of an informed decision - they all look very similar to me. This is neither a high-frequency nor a high-power environment, so I can’t imagine I’d need gold tips (basically a bunch of electronically-controlled switches) - tin should be fine for a material… but beyond that, I’m having trouble figuring out what the differences between these things are. There are a few that claim to be “no crimp” contacts… but they, too, look very similar - not sure how they work differently.
In terms of the contacts, order the cheapest tin plated ones. They will work fine for your application.
In terms of crimping tools, needle nose pliers are never a suitable solution for crimping contacts. They may work for a short period of time but you can not rely on the quality of the crimp to hold up. Here are some cheap alternatives that should work perfectly for your low volume needs.
The first is a $10 tool from Radio Shack. It is nothing fancy but it works well for the price and is usually stocked in store. I have a pair of these and found that they work on a large variety of contacts so long as you keep your wire gauges small. http://www.radioshack.com/product/index … nSession=1
The second is a $30 tool that is a little more robust than the Radio Shack solution but still affordable. If you do some searching, you can find similar tools at the same price point from other vendors that are on this side of the Atlantic. http://www.rapidonline.com/Tools-Fasten … crimp+tool
Ah, I see. Figures that digikey would show the “associated tools” to be the really expensive ones with no alternatives. Thanks, I’ll grab the cheapest tin ones I can find and one of those tools :).
kshots:
Ah, I see. Figures that digikey would show the “associated tools” to be the really expensive ones with no alternatives. Thanks, I’ll grab the cheapest tin ones I can find and one of those tools :).
Keep in mind that Digikey’s primary market is not the hobbyist looking for a cheap solution. They stock products that are intended to be used in a production environment where the tool needs to hold up to significant abuse and be able to stay in calibration after thousands and thousands of crimps. The expensive tools also have features to make them easier and faster to use which improves bottom line costs for businesses. For most companies in the line of work that would require the use of a crimper this expensive, the cost is worth the increased reliabilitiy and productivity.
In many (but not all) military systems, it’s required by the DOD (department of defense) to use the factory recommended crimping tools to ensure reliability in the final product.
