Homebrew PCBs

Hmmm.  Good idea! though probably not manufacturable.  I get how
single row would work.  It looks like the dual row stuff is close
though there is some slop with the 62 mil boards I'm using. Do you
bend the pins for a tighter fit?   Still it does increase the
"footprint" of the board for mounting - i.e. you need a larger case to
mount it in.  

Using a right angle header gives a vertical orientation and it
wouldn't have to be at the edge for single row stuff (thus not
increasing the size of the PCB footprint).  I gave it a try using a
single row right angle header.  Not bad at all.  It seems pretty
strong though repeated (ab)use might tell a different story.  Pads
would need to be in the range of 300 x 70 mils - at least that's the
size of the pads on the board I tested and it looks about right.  I'll
post a picture if anyone wants.  It would be cool to take the pad
width down to 40-50 mil to allow more generous space for a trace in
between.  I'll have to make a test board for that.  A quick look
through the mouser catalog didn't reveal any shorter RA headers but
that would allow reducing the length of the pads (150 mil would be
nice...) as the overall footprint is a bit large.

I don't have any right angle dual headers to try but that might work
well at the edge since one could push the pins a little closer to get
a tighter fit.  Guess I could use 2 right angle rows back to back
though alignment would be a bit tricky but no vias to drill if well
laid out.

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "cybermace5" <cybermace5@y...>
wrote:
> 
> > The best solution is to SMD as much as you can.  Anyone seen decent
> > SMD headers?
> > 
> > Phil
> 
> 
> Most of them are pretty small, for mylar cable etc. But with .06" PCB
> it's easy to put SMD pads on the edge of the board and solder 0.1"
> single or double row headers pointing out from the edge. Also works
> for solder-cup DB connectors.