18 way pin header from 10 +8

[Faringdon]

Hi,
If we want a 18 way straight, single row, 2.54mm pitch , (unshrouded) pin header, then theres no reason why we  cant do it with a 10way and an 8way next to each other?
...from the datasheet, this would seem perfectly acceptable......any gotcha's with it?

PIn header
https://datasheet.lcsc.com/lcsc/1811151651_TE-Connectivity-6-146276-0_C306214.pdf

[rea5245]

Male pin headers can be placed side by side. Females cannot - the ends extend a little too far.

[tooki]

There do exist female headers that are designed to be stacked end-to-end. But they’re hard to find, and unfortunately I don’t know of any parametric search that includes that as a parameter to filter by!

[mariush]

You'd probably have to shave a few mm of plastic off one end to get them right.

It would be easier to get a 20 pin or a 40 pin and cut 2 pins off the 20 pin, or cut the 40 pin in half. I often used nail clippers to cut the plastic between pins, leaves a nice cut.

Go for 36 pin or 40 pin and cut 18 pin segments

ex

74k+ 40 pin 85c : https://lcsc.com/product-detail/Pin-Headers_BOOMELE-Boom-Precision-Elec-C2337_C2337.html
24k+ 40 pin 105c: https://lcsc.com/product-detail/Pin-Headers_JILN-12251140CNG0S115001_C429959.html
23k+ 40 pin 105c "gold plated" :  https://lcsc.com/product-detail/Pin-Headers_BOOMELE-Boom-Precision-Elec-C2334_C2334.html

16.7k 40 pin 105c circular pins : https://lcsc.com/product-detail/Pin-Headers_BOOMELE-Boom-Precision-Elec-C9742_C9742.html



For dual row...

20 pin should be mass produced / available due to them being used for usb 3 headers , same for the 10 pin variety.

40 pin - 9455 in stock - https://lcsc.com/product-detail/Pin-Headers_JILN-12251220ANG0S115001_C429965.html

20 pin
- 13800+ in stock - https://lcsc.com/product-detail/Pin-Headers_XFCN-PZ254V-12-20P_C492427.html
- 2950+ in stock - https://lcsc.com/product-detail/Pin-Headers_DEALON-DZ254R-22-20-63_C2935926.html

or even go for 80 pin, it can be cheaper than buying 20 pin or 40 pin

8500 in stock - https://lcsc.com/product-detail/Pin-Headers_JILN-12251240CNG0S115001_C429948.html
23000+ in stock - https://lcsc.com/product-detail/Pin-Headers_BOOMELE-Boom-Precision-Elec-C2333_C2333.html

[tooki]

Harwin actually sells a specialized tool for cutting header strips, the Z1022-00. But at almost $350, one would sure have to be cutting a lot of them…

I recently saw a video of how pin headers are made. They don’t snip them to length, they use saws.

[mon2]

Sharing the details of Jane in Shenzhen who is a manufacturer of such male / female pins - can customize to suit. Have met and dealt with her for a number of years. They supply many of the other online vendors who claim to be manufacturers but yet have 2-3 month lead times. Proof is on how quickly they can customize your product. Have seen customized pins in less than 7 business days from this vendor. Perfect results. Highly recommended.

SHENZHEN JINLING ELECTRONICS CO.,LTD.
UL NO.:E362810/E472355/E484895
Address:E Block ,Yusheng Industrial Park,Beside ZhouShiRoad,JiuWei,Xixiang,Bao'an District,Shenzhen,China
Alibaba:https://szjiln.en.alibaba.com/
Http:www.szjiln.com
Email:jane[at]szjiln.com/ janeszjiln[at]gmail.com

[TomS_]

If a 20 way header is more easily sourced and requires less mucking about during assembly, maybe its just easier to use 20 pins and have 2x NC pins. At least you can just stuff the board without having to worry about how many pins need to be cut off or combined from multiple off cuts.

[eugene]

I'd go one step farther and make note that 36 and 40 pins are the standard bulk lengths. In many cases, if you order 18 pin headers they will be cut from 36 or 40 pin strips.

I would buy 36 pin lengths and break or cut them in half. No special tools required. Use a pair of pliers to break each strip in half to get two 18 pin strips. Could make a pretty simple jig if you have a lot of them.

But yeah, as has been stated, you can stuff a 10 pin next to an 8 pin, though if they were cut from longer strips then there might be a burr that needs to be removed. There is the additional challenge that the two strips won't line up perfectly without some kind of fixturing. The idea is that any strip is likely to be leaning slightly one way or the other. Snug fitting holes in the PCB will help, but the tips of the two separate strips might be slightly misaligned if they're not held in position while soldering. This could make it difficult to slide on a single 18 pin female connector. Obviously, a single continuous strip will not have that problem.

[themadhippy]

This could make it difficult to slide on a single 18 pin female connector.

plug a spare female connector in to get things aligned before you  start soldering