BOE X1 plug available ?

Don Pomplun

Is there a reasonably priced (not $5 like Digikey) 20 pin IDC ribbon cable plug available to match the X1 connector on the BOE?

Why? Once the students have mastered the art of sticking wires into the proto area, I have pre-wired lab experiments that I would like to plug into the BOE to develop & exercise programming skills.
TIA
Don

RDL2004

You could make them yourself for less than $1 each probably, but you would need to buy all the parts and a crimping tool. The crimping tool is about $12 I think. I bought one years ago to make floppy and hard drive connector cables.

- Rick

Don Pomplun

Thanks, but I want IDC.
Regards,
Don

RDL2004

Yep,·the data cables are·what I was talking about. The flat ribbon cables with IDC connectors at each end.

http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&productId=73251

The price has gone up a bit since I bought mine.

It looks like about 40 cents each for the connectors, another 15 cents each for stain reliefs, and cable at about 50 cents a foot, so more like $1.50 per cable. Plus your time and the cost of the crimper. I guess whether it's worth it or not·depends on how many you need and how much you value your time and trouble.

·- Rick



Post Edited (RDL2004) : 3/2/2006 6:53:39 PM GMT

RDL2004

Well, sorry to say but I was thinking that the X1 connector was pins on the board, unfortunately, now that I'm home and can look at the board I see it is a socket type and you will need a cable with pins on the end that plugs into the BoE. These are harder to make and I don't know of any that are IDC type. The only way I know of to make these is where you have to individually crimp each pin and then you can't easily use the flat ribbon cable. Probably more trouble than it's worth to do it this way.

What I would probably do is use 0.1 inch male headers as sort of a socket to socket adapter. I do this when breadboarding sometimes to turn the breadboard socket holes into pins. Just plug the header into the socket then plug your female connector onto the header. With the male headers, usually one end is too short (meant to be soldered to a pcb) but the other end is longer than it needs to be, so just push the pins through the plastic part (they slide pretty easily) till they are about the same length on each side.

The part number at Jameco for a (non-polarized) 20 pin IDC socket connector that looks like it will work is 138325CB (45 cents, page 138 in catalog 261). the double row 20 pin male header is part number 53479CB (59 cents, page 133 in catalog 261). These were the only double row headers I found in their catalog, they seem a little expensive to me, but they are gold plated.


- Rick

Don Pomplun

Too Bad (for me). I found DigiKey IDC male , but at $5.

Was hoping for a cheaper solution. Thanks for the try.
-- Don

Don Pomplun

Thanx Rick.
I'm following that idea and trying the pin-to-pin headers.
-- Don

Don Pomplun

X1 connector folowup . . .

I'm using the 20 pin male headers, as suggested, from Jameco. They work just fine.
Now I have to machine a little block to set it in so I can squash it in the vise and end up with all pins equally pushed out on both sides.
-- Don