Homebrew PCBs

> > Sigh.
> > And my original comment was alligator clips tend to fall 
> off striaght 
> > pins.
> > Look folks, round and round it goes, where it stops only ST knows.
> > Tony
> 
> 
> Any my response to that was that alligator clips are the 
> wrong tool to go  
> about the job, and that suitable sockets should be used, 
> which reply you  
> attacked by saying they'll fall off as well.
> You know this is email, it is easy to go back and look what 
> someone said,  
> so don't try to turn around the facts:
> 
> Tony:
> 
> > > > I think he meant you can use it as a test pin, ie clip 
> an alligator>  
> > > clip to it to take measurements.
> > > > Might not be overly successful, real test pins are 
> flared> > at the  
> > end> > to stop the clip falling off...
> > > > Tony
> 
> ST:
> 
> > > Who says you can not simply make test leads with header sockets?
> > > Much better than a clip lead.
> > > You can also buy round solder pins that are excellent for> this  
> > purpose, with matching female connectors.
> 
> Tony:
> 
> > Sheesh.  You can make your test pins out of barbed wire for 
> all I care.
> > Just don't complain when the leads fall off after you bump it.
> > Tony
> 
> 
> My point was, and is, that square header pins are excellent 
> test pins,  
> especially if you use the proper (free to build, cheap to 
> buy) test lead  
> to probe them (with a 0.64mm socket on the end). Examples of very  
> reputable manufacturers show they they too believe square pins are  
> suitable test pins. You subsequently claimed use of square 
> pins means poor  
> homebrew quality (remember: ghetto tech).
> 
> If you would just believe that square header pins are 
> accepted industry  
> standard for test pins, and not a botch job, and that 
> alligator clips are  
> simply not the most suitable tools to use on them, then i 
> wouldn't have to  
> repeat myself all the time.


Must be a peculiar property of the internet where two people who agree on
something can go around and around and around and around and bore the rest
of the world shitless.  Or decides that Poland needs invading or something.

Once more, slowly, with picture.  In colour too!

Exhibit One:
http://www.jaycar.com.au/products_uploaded/productLarge_5515.jpg.  Look
children, a component.  If you have a double sided boards, and you solder
both sides of a lead, you can made a via.  If you don't cut the lead short,
you can use it as a test pin.

Exhibit Two:
http://www.jaycar.com.au/products_uploaded/productLarge_1183.jpg.  An
alligator clip, so called because it looks like the jaws of one.  Ain't that
cool?  You can uses these to connect to your test pins.  Sweet!

Exhibit Three & Four:
http://www.jaycar.com.au/products_uploaded/productLarge_1487.jpg,
http://www.jaycar.com.au/products_uploaded/productLarge_7558.jpg.  Don't
like using component leads?  A bit too ghetto?  Bit flimsy for you?  Well,
try these!

Exhibit Five: http://www.bbc.co.uk/parenting/images/300/bw_crying_girl.jpg.
This is you after you clip an alligator lead to exhibit one, three or four
and it goes wrong.  The smoke really gets in your eyes after it leans over
and shorts something out, and having to clip the damn things back on all the
time gets annoying.  Thank $deity for teddy, he understands.  (Yeah, black
and white.  Sorry!)

Exhibit Six:
http://www.jaycar.com.au/products_uploaded/productLarge_1189.jpg.  Or you
could use these.  Don't need no stinking test pins, you can hook then
direcly to the leg of an IC if need be.  Won't short and won't fall off.
Yay!

Yes, alligator clips suck.  Yes, there are better things.  Gosh, that's what
I said, wasn't it?  Alligator clips fall of pins?  Which is why the message
is titled 'stupid simple tip', not 'this is the way you are supposed to did
it like all the research labs and manufacturers and people with letters
after their names do'.  Yeah, and they get cheap sometimes too.

No doubt ST will respond with a carefully constructed response that says
exactly the same thing as this one, advancing the field of Homebrew PCBs
exactly nowhere.  Imagine what would happen if it was something important.
Meantime, I'll go and do something more interesting, like watching the grass
grow.  (hmm, needs mowing.)

Far out, brussel sprout.  I'll have what you're smoking.

Tony

(Yeah, I've too much free time)