surface mount power jack

The sparkfun library has a couple patterns for the DCJACK (I think that was the name) part. One of them is SMD and one in a combination SMD / though-hole.

Does anyone know a source for the SMD jacks? I don’t see them listed on a sparkfun product page anywhere.

Also, it looks like the combo footprint (SMD + throughhole) has an overlapping drill from the two footprints. Does anyone know if the overlapping drill will cause any issues with batchpcb fabrication?

Thanks,

Scott

I use these:

http://www.rapidonline.com/Cables-Conne … kets/63548

They are made by Switchcraft, and should be available anywhere.

Leon, have you ever done any stress tests to see how much force it takes to knock one off the board? I might etch up a board and test.

No. The terminals have a large area, and I think they would take a lot of force. I’ve never had any problems with them.

I’d use through-hole parts, or mount the connector on the case, if I wanted something more robust.

The connection between the copper and the FR-4 is not a good one. Typically that connection is rated for 5lbs/in^2. That’s not much. For this reason I strongly favor through hole connections for component that is going to be handled (ie connectors and switches) by anybody but me. I’ve seen a lot of SMT connectors rip right off of PCBs.

With that said - there are ways to strengthen the pads. Vias on the pads themselves add a ton of strength. Enlarging the pads, or attaching them to large fills, is also very helpful.