What's Up with Surface Mount Terminal Blocks

Jun 26, 2007 7 Replies

Surface mount terminal blocks...yeah.. I can easily imagine a terminal block being ripped off the circuit board by too much pull on the wires.



I looked for SMD terminal blocks (3 screw terminals, for~18AWG) on Digikey... I didn't find any...Maybe I missed it.. So I searched the web..Weco..has some SMDs.



But what's going on at Digikey..? Is it that surface mount terminal blocks not so popular? And what helps to keep a SMD terminal block stuck to a PCB? Do I glue? Adhesive tape? Use huge copper pads? D from BC


I think id be happier with a through hole type, or at least bolted/riveted to the board.

You can get plug in type terminal blocks wich are basicaly like a normal plug and socket, but where the plug is effectivly the terminal block.

Colin =^.^=

Lack of stress?

use a real block with pins

martin

They actually work fine in low vibration environments. Adding several small vias to the trace (or copper flood if the part is large enough) helps to anchor the connection to the board and prevents the copper from delaminating or otherwise pulling free.

The worst part is actually controlling the oven well enough to prevent the plastic from scorching while still getting a good reflow. Not all terminal blocks can be put through an oven. I use alot of Phoenix Contact parts, and none of the parts with green plastic can handle the oven.

Chris

Sufrace mount terminal blocks?? This sounds like a really bad idea.....

Next thing you know, we'll have surface-mount definite purpose contactors....

-mpm

Yeah..I know.. But I'm going for a full SMD design.. I'm using terminal blocks to allow for connection of any cut length of wire. There's a very good chance I'll just bend the leads of a normal terminal block and surface mount it... I'll also epoxy it to the PCB. D from BC

I use those 0.1" headers and just solder them horizontally to the side of the pcb, or use the right angle types, but I'd stop short of doing that with terminal block types.

it would be easier to do a few solder joints by hand than to glue it anyway.

Colin =^.^=

We already have those. The surface is a subpanel.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

"it\'s the network..." "The Journey is the reward" speff@interlog.com Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com

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