Electronics > Projects, Designs, and Technical Stuff
User Configuration without DIP Switches or Header Pins
NivagSwerdna:
Here's an example...
Now there are several things that don't work here... firstly the JP2 solder options don't flow very well... and secondly this really isn't a practical method for end users... it's just too small and fiddly.
Oh... and I do need the end user to be able to change these. <- Critical requirement
NivagSwerdna:
--- Quote from: bson on July 26, 2020, 05:46:50 am ---50mil is pretty small...
...
(Yes, I know you didn't want headers or jumpers, but they do work nicely! :))
--- End quote ---
Maybe that is the answer.
mariush:
The footprint kinda sucks for jumpers.
here's an example ... click on the picture ... See J1..J4 : https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/newhaven-display-intl/NHD-0216XZ-FSW-GBW/NHD-0216XZ-FSW-GBW-ND/2165850
I've also seen basically the Yin Yang symbol - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yin_and_yang - with a bit of separation between the two sides ... a drop of flux and then a touch of solder and the surface tension would make good connection.
Another reasonable option would be the footprints usually used for calculator and keyboard keys... something as simple as a U and E shape with the - between the U 's traces.
ex a simplified version of this : https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/231293/studying-the-pcb-of-a-70s-calculator-what-were-they-thinking
or this : scroll down : https://www.petervis.com/Calculators/sharp-el-506h/sharp-el-506h.html
For a one time thing you could have 0 ohm resistors / jumper links ... make square/rectangular cutout in the pcb just big enough for the body of a resistor and put smd pads on the edges of the cutout ... have wire links or resistor across the hole in the pcb with leads soldered to the pads ... end user can just get scissors and cut the jumper link or resistor off.
like people above told you ... you have 50mil (1.27) jumpers, you have 2 mm jumpers and headers, there's options.
phil from seattle:
I use both header/jumpers and solder connections (semi circular - 6 mil gap). dip switches take up too much space (and are so 1970s). The solder jumpers can be put on the bottom of a PCB so they are kind of "free" but at the cost of losing some users. I sell boards that require soldering so it's not a problem for my customers. 0 ohm resistors are basically the same as jumpers though larger and require a part - that's why I prefer jumpers.
But, frankly, if you are targeting customers that can't solder, you probably should go a different direction - some sort of soft configuration.
NivagSwerdna:
--- Quote from: phil from seattle on July 26, 2020, 02:23:35 pm ---some sort of soft configuration.
--- End quote ---
I wonder what the least overhead soft configuration would be... I could add a very cheap small microcontroller to hold config (maybe not on the example above but on more complex designs)... but still would need some simple programming tool for the end user...
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