SIL header mating orientation

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KN4UIW
 

Posts: 2
Joined: 10 Aug 2022, 20:16

SIL header mating orientation

Post by KN4UIW »

Hello, really impressed with everything I've seen about the (tr)uSDX, both the hardware and software are really well designed and loaded with features for such an affordable transceiver.

I'm assembling my kit from Amazon, and I have a question about the 14 pin header. I want to be sure I have the orientation of these correct because the turned SIL socket header is different than what's used in the assembly video. I started with the flat side of the male header going to the inside of the control PCB, but it doesn't seem to mate fully in this orientation and the PCB doesn't sit down fully in the case so it makes me think I've got it wrong. The extra gap when putting the PCBs in the case seems to be in the ballpark 0.5mm.

Here's what it looks like and I don't think those pins will go down any further. Just looking for a GO or NO GO before I solder them in, which would be nearly impossible for me to remove.
Image
KO4TCY
 

Posts: 13
Joined: 07 Aug 2022, 23:42

Re: SIL header mating orientation

Post by KO4TCY »

That is very similar to how my Amazon kit turned out. The black pieces on each side of the connector aren't supposed to be touching. The 3D printed case spaces out the boards to they don't accidentally touch and short.
s57l
 

Posts: 56
Joined: 30 Dec 2021, 21:30

Re: SIL header mating orientation

Post by s57l »

Check with the case. If it fits, than it is ok.
GL
KN4UIW
 

Posts: 2
Joined: 10 Aug 2022, 20:16

Re: SIL header mating orientation

Post by KN4UIW »

I did the soldering and it does seem to all fit together. Thanks for giving me the confidence to move forward. I swear I stared at those pins for 20 minutes trying to think if I wasn't understanding how they were supposed to go together. I've done some pretty sketchy pinheader stuff in some of my open source hardware designs, but everything about the (tr)uSDX is so perfect it seemed I must be missing something.

Case front bulges up juuuuust a bit where the OLED is because I soldered that before I knew there would be just a little extra space, but it all seems to fit together.

Appreciate the help.
TangoBravoMike
 

Posts: 11
Joined: 20 Apr 2022, 20:34

Re: SIL header mating orientation

Post by TangoBravoMike »

This advice won't be much help if your headers are already soldered to your board. The plastic strip of the header can't take much heat before melting, so repair after installation would either mean replacing the male pin header completely OR clipping the pins shorter and then smoothing off the ends so they'll mate smoothly with the female header. Clipping the pins isn't easy; I think they're steel so they'll be hard on your cutting tool.

-- Advice for people who have not yet soldered their headers to the board --

I did a trial fit before soldering the male header to the board. The pins stuck through the plastic strip too far and would have left a gap between the male and female header strips, just like in your picture.

The male header pins are just stuck into the plastic strip -- not retained in position in any way other than just friction. So you can move them to achieve any degree of protrusion you want. Go ahead and push them further through the plastic strip so they aren't so tall on the side that will engage the female header.
vk2tty
 

Posts: 26
Joined: 26 Nov 2023, 06:35
Location: QF57UC, Australia
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Re: SIL header mating orientation

Post by vk2tty »

TangoBravoMike wrote: 29 Aug 2022, 05:13 repair after installation would either mean replacing the male pin header completely OR clipping the pins shorter and then smoothing off the ends so they'll mate smoothly with the female header
Using a metal file to shave off the necessary ~0.3mm and sandpaper to clean up the pins so they'd mate took about fifteen minutes.

(First, I wasted a couple hours trying to de-solder the connector, then trying to heat and re-seat each pin one at a time. All I managed was a mess of flux and a couple bent pins. Please feel free to skip that part of the process and proceed straight to the file and sandpaper.)
BEFORE
BEFORE
IMG_3399@0.5x.png (135.48 KiB) Viewed 361 times
AFTER
AFTER
IMG_3404@0.5x.png (152.42 KiB) Viewed 361 times
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