How to Choose Wire to Board Connector Manufacturers?

In today's marketplace, selecting the right Wire to Board connector manufacturers is essential for ensuring quality and efficiency in your projects. Notably, a search on Google brings up insights emphasizing the need for reliability, compatibility with various wire sizes, and the importance of certifications to ensure the connectors meet certain standards. As you navigate this process, understanding specific product characteristics can streamline your selection.

Choosing Connectors for PCB

If you're working on maker projects or dealing with small production volumes, I recommend opting for straightforward, cost-effective connectors. My personal preference lies with the 0.1 inch (0.1") pitch, through-hole header pins and sockets, as they make it easy to create adapters that connect cabled devices to breadboards. For instance, you could wire your sensors and conveniently test them on a breadboard or create simple test rigs using stripboard.

Another worthwhile investment is a modestly priced crimp tool. This allows you to attach crimped connectors to all of your sensors efficiently.

Considering the vast number of connector options available, I suggest turning to a low-cost supplier with a more limited range, such as rapidonline. They typically stock popular items, making it easier to compare costs associated with connectors, crimps, and affordable crimp tools.

If you choose well-known brands like Molex KK (with numerous alternatives available), you can source connectors easily from various distributors.

Taking the cheapest route might lead you to 0.1 inch pitch pin headers available on online sales platforms at very low prices (estimates around £0.02 per pin or less). Similar costs apply to each wire crimp and the connector socket.

However, investing in pricier connectors that feature polarized connections—extra plastic components to prevent incorrect connections—can save you from potential mishaps. These connectors minimize the chance of errors by misalignment or insertion in the wrong orientation, thereby also offering enhanced protection against accidental shorting.

While these connectors are less flexible than screw terminals, they can be packed more tightly and come in vertical orientations, making them ideal for compact devices like servos within radio control receivers. Right-angle versions are also available, facilitating placement around a PCB’s edge, allowing for access through the case’s walls.

PCB Footprints Consideration

Another factor to consider is PCB footprints. Tools like Eagle PCB CAD provide libraries for 0.1" pitch connectors, which have been thoroughly vetted, saving time in footprint design. Also, Sparkfun offers a useful library that slightly offsets PCB holes from a 0.1" grid, effectively 'gripping' the pins during soldering, a capability refined over several iterations.

Connector Sizes

Most plug and socket systems come in various sizes, with examples like Molex KK headers offering options from 2-pin to 36-pin connectors.

Prototype Connections

Using a 0.1" pitch system also allows for quick prototype connections on PCBs, veroboards, or breadboards with standard 0.1" strip headers. These headers can be divided into smaller sizes, eliminating the need for specific pin-size housings. Temporary connections can be created using a combination of housings thanks to the stacking features of crimp connector housings. This flexibility enables prototyping and repairs to connectors with ease.

Wire to Board Connectors - Product Selection Guide

This Product Selection Guide offers essential information for selecting products within the Wire to Board Connectors category on DigiKey.com.

Wire-to-board terminal connectors create reliable connections to circuit boards. They support various wire gauges, ranging from 30 AWG to 8 AWG, and are available in multiple lengths and materials. These connectors crimp onto stripped wires, providing a more secure connection to PCBs than wire alone.

For further information, visit RHT.

Selection Characteristics

Terminal Type: General description of the connector.

Hole Diameter: Size of the hole for connector mounting.

Insulation Diameter: Designed insulation diameter for the wire.

Overall Length: Indicates the entire length of the connector.

Wire Gauge: Size or range of wire, typically in AWG (American Wire Gauge).

Contact Material: The material of the contact.

Contact Finish: Finish or plating applied to the contact.

Product Examples

MFR PART # 3--1 | DIGIKEY PART # ATR-ND - Tape & Reel (TR) | MANUFACTURER TE Connectivity AMP Connectors | DESCRIPTION WTB Tin Terminal Connector 14-18 AWG | DATASHEET

MFR PART # H-01 | DIGIKEY PART # 952--ND | MANUFACTURER Harwin Inc. | DESCRIPTION WTB Tin Terminal Connector | DATASHEET

MFR PART # --ND | DIGIKEY PART # --ND | MANUFACTURER HARTING | DESCRIPTION WTB Silver Terminal Connector 14-16 AWG | DATASHEET

For more details on Wire to Board Connector Manufacturers, please reach out to us for expert advice.

MFR PART # SIN-21T-1.8 | DIGIKEY PART # 455-SIN-21T-1.8TR-ND - Tape & Reel (TR) | MANUFACTURER JST Sales America Inc. | DESCRIPTION WTB Tin Terminal Connector 18-22 AWG | DATASHEET

Questions and Support

If you have any questions regarding the specifications for selecting Wire to Board Connectors, feel free to reach out using the button below. For inquiries about specific Wire to Board Connectors, please post your questions in the Interconnect category.