A few tips for soldering stackable and pluggable prop boards...

Cluso99

While these tricks particularly pertain to my propeller boards, I think they may be useful for anyone building stackable or pluggable boards.

I refer to stackable as a vertical stack and pluggable as a horizontal set of boards.

I will update this post later with photos, so here goes (initially without photos). I will describe my boards because they will be used in the photos.

Stackable (vertical)

My BaseBlade1 board has an inner square set of 4x9 connector holes to permit my 1"sq boards to be stackable. Because it may be required to stack both on top and underneath, I use a normal set of header pins to achieve this.
This method also reduces the minimum height between pcbs. Check your boards will still stack with this reduced height between pcbs.

• The male pins I supply can have the spacer between the pins removed after soldering. Ensure that you can do this easily with your pins before proceeding.
• Ensure you keep the 4 sets of pins aligned. I use a shunt to hold separate sets together, or a female socket.
• I insert the male pins into the pcb upside down, but still from the top. Leave just the minutest space between the top of the board and the spacer that spaces between the pins so that a tiny screwdriver can be inserted to remove the spacer later.
• This permits a sufficient length of the pin to be exposed under the pcb for a standard female connector to be plugged into these pins.
• Solder the pin(s) on the underside of the pcb, ensuring only the bottom of the pin(s) are soldered at the pcb - i.e. do not allow the solder to rise up on the pin as this will affect the connection if it is used.
• Now, on the top side of the pcb, carefully remove the spacer between the pins, ensuring you do not damage the pcb either.
• Now you have sufficient length on the pins on both sides of the pcb.

This method can also be used with short shunts to minimise the pcb height requirements.

To put a stack of boards on top...

My CpuBlade can be stacked (either as the primary prop or together with a prop on the BaseBlade1). The method I use on the CpuBlade that stacks next is...

• Solder the 4@ 1x9 Female Straight connectors (with long pins)
• My connectors have a single spacer inserted onto the pins at manufacture on top of the female section. I like to remove this spacer to minimise the height between board although this is unnecessary. Gently ease out the spacer with a fine screwdriver until you have a gap. Then, with the pins down on a firm surface (you may damage the surface so dont do this on your best table) you can insert the screwdriver between each set of pins and push down moving the spacer gradually off the pins, a little at a time on each successive pins, back and forth, until completely removed. Be careful not to bend the long pins in the process. (perhaps I should have ordered them without the spacers, but I do want the spacers sometimes and the minimum order was 1,000)
• Insert the 4 sets of pins into the pcb from under the pcb, so that the female connection remains on the underside, and the pins are revealed on the top side of the pcb.
• Either plug pins into the underside female or shunts on the top side to ensure the 4 connectors remain aligned.This is important!
• Once aligned, solder the top of the pcb to the pins, once again being careful not to run the solder up the pins.
• This forms a stackable pcb with the female underneath and the pins exposed on the top.

If you are now requiring to stack the CpuBlade onto the BaseBlade1 and they both have props fitted, then all prop pins plus reset, power (5V) and ground will be in parallel.

For this reason, I provide an additional set of 4@ 1x9 female straight connectors with long pins. These can be used between both these boards to allow only those parallel connections required, by removing unrequired pins from these additional connectors and using them between the two boards. Alternately, the pins can be bent at right angles to provide access to them. This method saves cutting pins from the bottom board and keeps it flexible.

The MemBlade sits atop the CpuBlade and is provided with the connector fitted and the top pins cut or bent. The power/gnd pins are bent at right angles and so are the gnd/reset/p31/p30 pins (for downloading) and the remaining pins are trimmed. This is because I cannot test the pcb without
the connector being soldered, and I cannot post the board cheaply because of height if I dont trim them.

The ClockBlade (RTC and battery) can be stacked between the CpuBlade and MemBlade and its 4@ 1x9 connectors are soldered as per the CpuBlade.

Pluggable (horizontal)

The BaseBlade1 is supplied with a number of connectors...

• The optional fitting of the center 4@ 1x9 pins are described above in the stackable section.
• P0 & P2 connectors are 2@ 1x14 female right angle connectors fitted underneath the pcb, and soldered on the top of the pcb.
• Before soldering P1A, fit P!B as follows (if required)...
• ****(need to explain here)****
• P1A connnector is 1@ 1x6 female right angle connector fitted underneath the pcb, and soldered on the top of the pcb. Note that a 1x6 is not provided - a 1x14 is provided which can be cut down by removing the 7th pin and then cutting with a hacksaw or other method - I use a pair of wire cutters and then file the edge flat. A set of 1x6 female straight with long pins is also provided and these pins can be bent at right angles to be used.
• The connector marked I2C 1x4 pins should be fitted next (ir reqired)...
• ****(need to explain here)****
• P3A & P3B provide two positions to fit the 1x6 pin male right angle pins for connection to a PropPlug (or equivalent such as the my FT232 board). The pinout is 5V/Gnd/reset/P31/p30/nc and permits the 5V to be supplied from my FT232 board from the USB port. The center 4 pins conform to the standard PropPlug.
• P3A is fitted when these pins are desired to protrude out from the pcb, and P3B is fitted when these pins are desired to not protrude from the pcb/dase.
• P3A or P3B is fitted, with the pins inserted from underneath the pcb and soldered to the top of the pcb.
• If the center conectors are soldered and trimmed underneath, or not fitted, or soldered traditionally, then this method makes it easy to fit the board into a Hammond 1551 R or S box, by just modifying the lid section.
• Finally, a set of 2x3 (two 1x3) pin headers may be fitted for the shunts, or wires may be made permanently if desired. Normally a shunt would be fitted to connect IN to P15.

Dr_Acula

Can you post some photos - this sounds interesting but I'm not entirely clear what you are doing.

I've just got a shipment of these http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/50x-Arduino-8-Pin-Stackable-Female-Shield-Headers-Tall-Breadboard-Stacking-USA-/150677756888?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2315181bd8

Search for "arduino header" and they come up with a variety of lengths - 3 6 8 etc.

Two advantages I can see. First is that you only need one row of holes. This means that on the Gadget Gangster format, you don't have to choose if a board will be an "outer row" or an "inner row" board. And the second is that taller components don't matter.

These headers are not as common as the standard header. And the pins seem smaller than wire wrap pins, which means they also fit into a breadboard without permanently damaging the sockets.

Cluso99

Drac: Yes, they appear to be the same style headers that I use. Sorry I cannot post photos until I am home again. However, there are photos here www.clusos.com/home and my other stackable and pluggable threads.

The total length is 18.45 or 19.15mm (don't have vernier with me) with the female section being 8.5mm plus an additional spacer of 2.54mm (which can be removed) totalling 11.05mm. The pins are 0.64x0.40 (not the normal 0.64sq) but do fit the normal pin stake sockets. These connectors are stackable. I also have longer 1x6 with a total length 23.25mm. Let me know if you want some (I will not be home till Sunday night).

Basically, what I do is I build the pcb with all connections and I place an additional connector between stacks (with any pins removed where I dont want a thru' connection). That way I dont keep modifying the pcb.

Note that these are slightly wider overall, so they don't quite but together lengthwise. It is ok if you want to join 2 but joining 3 together will not work properly without a little filing on the plastic ends. It is simple enough to cut down to a shorter length.