Genderless magnetic connectors

[zii]

Hi,

Looking for pogo/spring contacts with magnets (magsafe-like snapping) that are genderless, meaning that the same unit could be connected to identical unit. Could not find such thing as an integrated/one-piece solution.
Need only a single electrical contact (1P).
Ambivalent, self-mating, genderless (let me know if you have an ideas for other keywords).

I came up with a solution assembled from multiple parts - see the (hopefully) self-explanatory picture.
Two of those blocks when slid around on a table (and not flipped over), should be able to be connect them in any of the two orientations (well actually all four sides, as you can guess from magnets, but haven't sketched PCB here to all four).

Though, even the pogo pin pair with mixed gender does not exist with that black plastic molding I have drawn, I have to use separate pins without molding for assembly,

Any better ideas would be appreciated.

/ Cheers,
Zigmars

P.S. You have a guess for what this is... 1P contact.

[amyk]

"Hermaphroditic connector" is the term you're looking for.

[mtwieg]

I came up with a solution assembled from multiple parts - see the (hopefully) self-explanatory picture.

Your photo shows a pair of contacts on each side. Did you mean you want to connect one circuit (with two contacts)?

Do you want the connection to be board-to-board, wire-to-board, wire-to-wire, etc?

You might be interested in the magnetic charging cables/connectors used in many cheap consumer electronics, see below. I don't think I've ever seen these with a single contact though.

I don't think these sorts of connectors are standardized at all though. And finding the components to make your own is difficult.

[zii]

Yes, that's what I meant:

The need is for a single contact 1P,
but the only way I know to make the solution possible (which requires it being symmetric), is to have 2 of them in mixed gender 1 + 1 config.

Maybe a male & male contact/connection would be another option (though I suspect that would significantly worsen contact resistance - intersection is more like a point than a ring/circle).

Ah, yes, I failed to mention that indeed I am looking for board to board solution.

Thanks for the ideas. As low cost of manufacturing as possible is another requirement (have near to no experience for organizing large batch manufacturing). So this seems even a harder problem.
All in all, I thinking now over how (un)realistic this is & what I have gotten myself into.

Initially I was aggressively wanting to go as SMD as possible (no wires flapping in the breeze), but I guess Chinese manual labor is an option as well, isn't it? And I should consider that as well...

[tooki]

Yes, that's what I meant:

The need is for a single contact 1P,
but the only way I know to make the solution possible (which requires it being symmetric), is to have 2 of them in mixed gender 1 + 1 config.

Maybe a male & male contact/connection would be another option (though I suspect that would significantly worsen contact resistance - intersection is more like a point than a ring/circle).

Ah, yes, I failed to mention that indeed I am looking for board to board solution.

You can use two leaf spring style contacts, like the kind used for battery packs ( https://www.digikey.lv/short/hmb49j71 ), or literally use the springs intended for AA batteries ( https://www.digikey.lv/short/0bjv9mn8 ).

Also, there’s no reason the two parts have to be right next to each other; you could also probably scoot them apart a bit, or use magnetic connectors instead of your magnets. (Those are also in the first link above.)

[zii]

Anyone of interest - Alibaba was the answer.
Found a hermaphroditic 3P+3P pogo connector by accident!
On Alibaba this one is called "hybrid male and female".

Not exactly what I need, but very close.
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/8-0A-High-Current-3-0_1600587965649.html

[tooki]

Why can’t you use that??

[zii]

cost prohibitive mostly.
probably size too.

[mtwieg]

You mean the $1.60 USD cost is prohibitive, or the 1000 piece MOQ?

Maybe you can contact the seller and ask if they have a version with just two pins.

I did a bit more searching and found there's a vendor names EDAC which sells right-angle pogo pin connectors with the magnetics built-in (3-6 contacts). But they are all gendered, unfortunately.

I think there's a good reason such connectors don't exist off the shelf. There's very few applications where such a thing would make sense. To get reliable mating, you'd need compression/spring contacts. And to be hermaphroditic (i.e. half male and half female), the male contacts would have to stand "proud" outside the protection of its housing/enclosure. Such a thing would probably not last very long in the real world...

[zii]

Yes, the $1.60 is way too much.
Though I ordered samples for these anyway.

From the same seller ordered 50x 2P male + 50x 2P female for around $0.30/unit (a bit more like the cost I am looking for), these ones:
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Edge-Surface-Mount-PCB-2-5mm_1600404699176.html

The idea is to go buy and assemble connector quantities of say 10 000 to 100 000 at some point.

Thanks for sharing the link, I am wondering though, how good do these magnets hold in there? Could I be dropping PCBs with these magsafe-style connectors on the floor constantly and not getting magnets loose quite soon? I guess spending on some good glue - required.

And I have similar sentiments about my requirements being quite niche (and maybe impossible to find an economic solution).
Though in theory, this should be at least doable by recessing male contacts and protruding outwards the female ones.
See the image attached.

Well, I could get each contact separately and in assembly place a female + a male side by side.
Though, not sure what the alignment success rate would be coming out of oven
Who knows, maybe an undersized pad + solder wetting forces would do miracles? (Definitely no expert in that.)

Though, another (more significant) issue I am having - this particular seller has not responded about any tape & reel options or consideration to take care of that for large quantities.

[zii]

Could it make any sense to try and do just a connection of a single male pogo against a single male pin? (or smth else against itself?)
It would probably break after 3 hard misalignments tries, right?

or maybe rolling ball pogo ("omniball" was it... that I saw max-mill advertise).

gold plated bare magnet disc against itself? (no clue how would you mount it rigidly, at low cost & connect to PCB reliably)