Stacking PCB's

I am looking for some kind of connector that will let me stack several of the same PCB on top of each other. Something that will have pins sticking out the bottom and sockets directly on top so if I had 2 of the same board they would just plug into each other. Do they make connectors like that? I have seen socket headers that look like they would work if only the pins were a little longer. Anyone here know of somewhere I can buy something like that?

Samtec makes lots of stacking connectors. Check their website.

I can't seem to find what I am looking for there. I saw plenty of connectors to stack and solder boards. What I am looking for is a plug/pin combination so I can solder it to each board then plug and unplug boards on top of each other. In other words, a non permanent stacking connector. They may have it there but I did a fairly extensive systematic search of the .100 connectors and didn't see anything.

I'm not sure I made myself clear. I don't want to stack just 2 boards but 3 or 4 or 5 or however many, and I want all of those boards to be exactly the same and the connections to be plug and unplugable.

Samtec makes several types of connectors to plug circuit boards together. If you want to stack a bunch of cards in any order you put matching sets on the boards. Male on one side and female on the other. Their connectors are very good, I used them while working at L3 on their RCB-2000 telemetry system in engineering and on the production floor.

Our boards had to stack in one order only, but some of the signals went through the board to another set of connectors. You can even order a custom length if you need to. I'm sorry I don't have any part numbers. They moved the plant out of state and I don't have any contacts there anymore.

Here is a list of PC/104 connector manufacturers

As others have said, Samtec make connectors which can do this. Just put a male connector on one side of each board, and the corresponding female connector on the other side. E.g SFM on the top and TFM on the bottom

See also:

Obviously, it will easier with surface mount connectors, since the through hole parts cannot be placed directly opposite each other.

Gareth.

Chris, you may want to look for the connector system used with PC104 boards. These are essentially reconfigured ISA bus computer boards that are made to stack just as you requested. The typical installation is an embedded processor, where the CPU is on a little mother board, and if you want to add (say) an A/D converter board you just plug it on top. Any other options, you just keep stacking them up.

Hope this helps!

Bob Masta dqatechATdaqartaDOTcom D A Q A R T A Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis

That is almost exactly what I am looking for. I want 2 single row 16 pin connectors but a single 4 row should work fin too, I will just need to put standoffs at the other corners of the board. Thanks!

That was the good news. The bad news is I can't find anywhere to buy them with out getting a minimum of $50 worth of them.

Try one of these:

(maybe digikey)

For thruhole boards, this would not be possible. Can't solder the connector to the board. However, for surface mount, just use any male/female connector pair. This will have an alignment issue. Harold

Top Poster --- PLONK!

Then PC-104 products must not exist since they use exactly this type of connector.

Sorry to burst your bubble Harold, but I just installed several sets of stacking connectors by soldering them onto a boards Friday.

Here is the Samtec catalog pages for the connectors we use -

To solder them with an iron, you push the long square tails through the board holes from the top side of the board until the socket bottoms against the board and solder the pins down next to the board on the backside. If you are using the three row SSQs, hand soldering the center row of pins is difficult but it can be done. For reflow soldering, you put solder preforms on the connector pins (or buy connectors with preforms already installed), push the connector all the way down on the board and reflow using hot air.

I believe a tool is required to press the connector into the board. Is that correct?. The solder type of connector is not stackable. Harold

Plonker -

Thanks James Harold