PCB pins and PCB receptacles are electronic interconnect devices for printed circuit boards (PCB).

• PCB pins are male connectors.
• PCB receptacles are female connectors.

Both are made of metallic elements or alloys and available in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Screw-machined terminals. Video Credit: Advanced Interconnections Corp. / CC BY-SA 4.0

Mounting Styles

PCB pins are terminals on components which use through-hole technology (THT), a mounting style which inserts leads through holes in the board and then solders the leads in place on the opposite side. With through-hole connections, pin receptacles provide an electrical path from the component lead through the contact via the terminal or housing. The inner contacts or clips of a PCB receptacle feature a multi-line or multi-finger style that can accommodate round, square, or rectangular component leads.

Surface mount technology (SMT), a popular alternative to processes that use PCB pins, adds components by soldering component leads to the top surface of the board.

Types of Pins

Suppliers of PCB pins and PCB receptacles offer many different types of PCB pins:

• Double-tail header pins
• Edge-mount pins
• Nail-head pins
• Solder-cup terminal pins
• Slotted terminal pins
• Solder-mount PCB pins
• Solderless press-fit PCB pins
• Spring-loaded pins
• Surface mount pins
• Swage terminal pins
• Turret terminal pins
• Wire crimp pins
• Wire wrap terminal pins
• Wire termination pins

Most PCB pins are single-ended or double-ended and have a plated shell.

Materials

PCB pins are constructed of several different materials.

• Brass alloys
• Phosphor bronze
• Tellurium copper
• Beryllium copper
• Beryllium nickel

Plating materials for PCB pins including the following:

• Copper
• Lead
• Gold
• Silver
• Tin
• Nickel
• Palladium

Specifications

Some suppliers specify PCB pins in inches (in) or fractions of inches. Others use metric measurements such as millimeters (mm).

• Pin diameter
• Dimensional accuracy
• Board thickness
• Mounting-hole size

Types of PCB Plugs

Suppliers of PCB pins and PCB receptacles offer are many different types of PCB plugs. Examples include:

• Receptacles with or without a standard tail
• Receptacles with a wire-wrap tail
• Receptacles with a turret
• Surface mount receptacles
• Wire crimp or termination receptacles

PCB receptacles that are designed for molded plastic or drilled circuit boards may use a barb for improved retention.

A knurled shell is sometimes used to provide retention without rotation.

Shells with through-holes are designed for boards with long pins, or PCBs that require stacking.

Materials

PCB receptacle materials include

• Brass alloys
• Beryllium copper

PCB receptacle plating materials include

• Tin
• Lead
• Gold

Specifications

Some suppliers specify PCB receptacles in inches (in) or fractions of inches. Others use metric measurements such as millimeters (mm).

• Lead size
• Current rating
• Board thickness
• Dimensional accuracy
• Mounting-hole size

Standards

MIL-DTL-32139/5 - Connectors, electrical, rectangular, nanominiature, single row, plug, polarized shell, pin contacts, vertical PCB through-hole type

MIL-DTL-32139/7 - Connectors, electrical, rectangular, nanominiature, single row, plug, polarized shell, pin contacts, horizontal PCB through-hole type

MIL-DTL-32139/6 - Connectors, electrical, rectangular, nanominiature, single row, receptacle, polarized shell, pin contacts, vertical PCB through-hole type

MIL-DTL-32139/8 - Connectors, electrical, rectangular, nanominiature, single row, receptacle, polarized shell, pin contacts, horizontal PCB through-hole type

References

Image Credits:

Newark / element14 (1,3,4) | Plastronics Socket Company, Inc. (2)