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Connecting up very small, curved pins.

As part of an engineering project I have got two nanosecond clock modules for measuring time-of-flight of radio signals, but I'm unsure how to connect them as the pins are unlike any I have seen before.

The clock module itself is about 12.5mm square, with 7 pins on each side, the pins step from about 0.7mm at the top to 0.4mm at the end (see datasheet here: http://www.mouser.com/ds/2/308/MC10E137-D-96374.pdf) the spacing between the pins is around 0.5mm.
The tricky part is how to solder to these pins as they are curved underneath the chip (see pictures). Currently I can only think of bending the pins to act as through-hole pins, bending them further to act as surface-mount pins or soldering single core wire directly to them (very weak, messy and generally a bit of a bodge...).
If anyone has any experience of using similar components or can think of any better way to do it then please let me know.
Kind regards,
Andy
20170402_213435-1.jpg 20170402_213455-1.jpg 20170402_213626-1.jpg 20170402_213931-1.jpg
 

davenn

Moderator
Currently I can only think of bending the pins to act as through-hole pins,

NOOOOOO please don't

bending them further to act as surface-mount pins

they can already be used for that as they are
or use the correct IC socket like this wi8th the appropriate pin count

SurfaceMountSocket.jpg

th


I don't know of any in that style that are designed for through board mounting

some one else may do so


Dave
 

(*steve*)

¡sǝpodᴉʇuɐ ǝɥʇ ɹɐǝɥd
Moderator
This package is certainly not impossible to hand solder. A surface mount socket for it may be (but isn't too hard with an oven).
 
I agree with Audioguru, only above kind of chips are around ever since i remember myself (more than 30 years). I think this specific kind needs stencil and hot air station to be soldered.

You could try soldering them directly on the PCB by creating a solder "hill" between the side of the chip and the PCB surface. Here is a video that may help a little.



I don't know of any in that style that are designed for through board mounting

I beleave you can bend the legs straight, underneath and mount it on a BCB through hole.
 

(*steve*)

¡sǝpodᴉʇuɐ ǝɥʇ ɹɐǝɥd
Moderator
Oh, and the pitch is 1.27mm, comparatively huge and almost trivial to hand solder if you know what you're doing.
 
Thank you everyone for the helpful and informative replies, I think I will get hold of two of the plcc-28s just because connecting to them is a lot easier and less permanent than soldering directly to the chip (and I haven't got the means to manufacture a breakout board).

Another question I have is regarding connecting the counter to a raspberry pi so as to use it's 1.2 GHz clock. I know that there can be problems with signal attenuation at such high frequencies in longer wires. Would anyone know what I'll need to do regarding impedance or a maximum length of a connector?

Andy
 
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