Looking for a latching board-to-board connector

kolyur

I need to add some components to my PCB design. Everything is packed in pretty tight and I can't make the board any larger so I'm looking at using a "daughtercard" type system. The add-on board will be small and light (say 1" x 1.5") but I need a way to attach it to the main board. There will only be 5-6 connections across the interface, and I'd prefer for it to be removable. Additionally, the main board is mounted upside down and is subject to some vibration, so the connector needs to have a mechanical latch or screw lock or something similar--I don't want to just rely on a friction fit.

I'm having a hard time finding something that fits the bill. There are lots of latching wire-to-board connectors (Molex SL, KK, etc etc) but hardly any where both components mount to a PCB. A D-sub would work but is way too big. The ones I did find (see photo) are expensive specialty items. I'd prefer something through-hole if at all possible. Any suggestions are appreciated!

Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)

I would use threaded standoffs, separate from the connector itself to hold the board in place, the way Parallax's BS2pe MoBo is made. That way you have a much broader range of options for the connector. My favorites are the 2mm DF11 series from Hirose. Search for DF11 on digikey.com.

-Phil

WBA Consulting

I agree with Phil. Using an all-in-one solution is going to be very costly and will probably not be exactly want you want. In a similar real-estate confined situation, I used these low profile connectors that have an amazing amount of retention force. Samtec SDL-103-G-19 was the part number of one of them.