On Fri, 20 Aug 2004 14:41:23 -0500, Thomas P. Gootee <
tomg@...>
wrote:
> Thanks, to everyone who replied so far, for the good suggestions and
> information!
>
> This re-design is still in the very early stages. I don't know if this
> is too off-topic. But I'll post a sort of summary of the different
> board/connector options I'm considering (mostly copied from an email
> that I sent to a friend, recently, about this stuff). Maybe some of you
> can set me straight, or offer some practical tips, or some ideas.
>
I didn't read all of your post but i will tell you a story a good teacher
told me some
time ago.
He was working for a company making TVs, and had a new design to make.
Recently they had hired a guy which should make the units more reliable,
by statistics and such.
He was to check all new designs.
Well, my teacher designed the new TV as usual with plug-in cards.
After he was done he showed it to the reliability guy to be checked.
This guy only asked him if he is mad using several hundred connections.
He told him he an forget about the plug-in cards because the statistics
say they
will fail too often. That meant a major redesign of the unit of course.
That was the last Plug-in type TV he built, from then they only used
single boards or
soldered connections.
so i wouldn't say connectors make things reliable.
Another issue is upgradeability. I expect every single one of your
customers
to be well able to solder and even design circuits.
Do you really believe a PCB for all the front-plate elements is a good
idea?
It would be MUCH harder to add an additional connector or something then.
If i were you i'd just put a solder pin in every wire pad. Then solder the
suitble pug to the wire and done. You can easily take it apart with no
redesign at all.
Cheapest, fastest, and IMO userfriendliest.
I would only use "combined" connectors where it makes sense.
E.g. a parallel communications port will not be wired with individual wires
or connectors. A power supply is on the border. A combined connector would
be nice to prevent reversing, but then it is not much hassle to plug 2
individual
connectors. I would not combine "unrelated" signals (e.g. a horror to
debug).
If you want my advise forget about that. Leave your design as it is with
solder pins/connectors
where now the wires are. Otherwise you make your PCBs HUGELY complicated,
with very little gain.
If I were your customer i would prefer it simple, so i can make changes.
Remember, your are
not making a consumer electronics device, you are dealing with
professionals.
By the way i'm also planning to make a curve tracer some day. But it is
very far down
on the list and i usually just crank up a circuit for the particular case
needed.
ST