Same Sky Devices vs. Promax: Pogo Pin Connector Comparison

Same Sky pogo pins appear on plenty of engineering shortlists, and so do Promax pogo pins. The choice between them is simple. You either buy a catalog part through distribution, or you have a pin built to your drawing. Same Sky makes the first route easy. The catalog is broad, distributor stock ships quickly, and one account can cover several component types. Promax Pogo Pin covers the second route, designing and building custom pins in its own factory, from first drawing to mass production.

The harder call comes when a stock pin almost fits your enclosure. It might miss on stroke, on current, or on pad shape. That’s usually where a Same Sky pogo pin vs Promax comparison starts.

If you haven’t yet decided whether to socket the pin or solder it to the board, settle that first, because it changes which pins will fit.

What this Comparison is Based On

These two companies sell in very different ways, and that difference decides more than any single rating. This comparison draws on each company’s published documentation, trade press coverage, and Promax’s verified production records. Where Same Sky hasn’t published a commercial term, the tables read Contact for details rather than an estimate.

Ratings only compare fairly when both sides state the test method behind them, which is what IEC 60512-1 and the connector test series under it exist for. Six dimensions carry the comparison: manufacturing base, samples and minimum orders, plating and materials, lead time, certifications, and how each company protects your drawing.

Same Sky vs. Promax at a Glance

Same Sky and Promax Pogo Pin both supply spring-loaded contacts, but they reach your bench by different roads.

Same Sky is an Oregon-based component brand that sells its pogo pins mainly through distributors as one line in a broad catalog. Promax designs and builds pogo pins in its own Dongguan factory and ships them directly.

With Same Sky, you pick an existing part that ships quickly and design your product around it. With Promax, the pin is designed around your product, which takes longer but removes the compromises a near-fit part brings.

The table below compares the two companies on headquarters, supply model, ratings, certifications, and IP terms, using the facts each one publishes.

Table 1. Same Sky vs. Promax at a glance. Every Same Sky term not published by Same Sky reads Contact for details.

Category	Same Sky	Promax Pogo Pin
Headquarters	Lake Oswego, Oregon, USA, with roots near Portland dating to 1989	Dongguan, Guangdong, China, founded in 2014, with a US office in Gary, Indiana
How parts are made	Designs and markets components. Trade press reports contract manufacturing partners in Asia	Designs and builds in its own factory, from drawings to mass production
How you buy	Mainly through authorized distributors. OEM pricing and custom designs by direct contact	Direct from the factory
Where pogo pins sit	Same Sky Devices pogo pins are one line in a broad audio, interconnect, motion, relay, sensor, switch, and thermal portfolio	Core business, alongside spring-loaded connectors, magnetic connectors, and test probes
Catalog or custom	Broad standard catalog. Custom designs on request	Custom-first, with standard configurations available
Published ratings	Up to 25A on high-current models and up to 100,000 mating cycles, by model	Up to 40A and 120V, with 100,000+ mating cycles, by configuration
Mounting options	Surface mount, through-hole, wire mount, right-angle tail, double-ended, contact pads	SMT, through-hole, high-current, double-ended, right-angle, bending-type, solder cup
Certifications	ISO 9001:2015. Others: Contact for details	ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, IECQ QC080000
Patents	Contact for details	22+ in pogo pin technology
NDA and NNN terms	Contact for details	NDAs and non-circumvention agreements signed on request
Notable clients	Contact for details	Including Huawei, Xiaomi, and Amphenol, company-stated
Best for	Standard pins needed quickly, small builds, one-vendor sourcing across many component types	Custom geometries, higher current, sealed designs, volume programs under signed IP terms

Who Actually Builds the Pins?

Two suppliers can quote the same pin and still differ on who you talk to when that pin changes. Settle that question before your drawing goes out, not after the first sample disappoints you. The answer is also the core of any Same Sky vs. Promax connector decision.

How Same Sky makes and sells its pins

Same Sky runs its business from Oregon. Pogo pins are one line in a range that also covers audio, relays, sensors, switches, motion, and thermal parts. The company rebranded from CUI Devices in 2024, keeping its model numbers, sites, and distribution network.

Trade press covering that change reports contract manufacturing in China, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Thailand. Which partner builds the pogo pins isn’t published, so ask your Same Sky or distributor sales rep directly. Sales run mainly through authorized distributors, with OEM pricing and custom design by direct contact.

How Promax Pogo Pin makes and sells its pins

At Promax Pogo Pin, we design and build our pins inside one Dongguan factory, from first drawing to mass production. The site covers 15,000 m² and employs more than 300 people, including over 20 engineers. Those engineers work on the same site as the line, so a drawing question reaches the people cutting the part.

We sell direct, and we don’t resell any other brand’s connectors. That matters when a pin needs revising midway through a build, or when a part is difficult to make and the fix needs an engineer rather than a sales rep. It matters again if a batch fails inspection, because the people who made the part are the ones investigating the cause.

What the supply route changes for your build

Buying through a distributor puts a markup and an extra step between you and the factory that machines the part. In return, you get local stock, credit terms, and a sales rep who knows your account.

Buying direct removes that extra step, so a tolerance or design question goes straight from your engineer to the one making the part. The trade-off is less off-the-shelf stock, since most direct orders are built to your drawing.

Neither route is better across the board, and plenty of hardware teams use both. The right choice depends on where your project is right now. Many teams prototype with catalog pins because they’re quick to get. They then switch to a custom pin once the design settles and the catalog part no longer quite fits.

Can You Test Before You Commit?

Both companies let you test before you commit, but the route depends on whether you need a catalog part or a custom one. Catalog pins can be bought in small quantities through distributors, while custom pins go through a sample round built to your drawing.

Buying catalog pins in small quantities

Catalog pins are easy to try because distributors break them into small quantities. Same Sky lists an online sample request form on its site, and its newest high-current family is priced from 100 pieces through distribution.

For a prototype needing two or three pins next week, that route is quick and low risk. Check the datasheet’s working height and force range against your stack-up first, because those two numbers decide whether the sample tells you anything. Same Sky doesn’t publish minimum orders or sample terms for custom pins, so you’ll need to ask them directly.

Getting a custom sample into your hands

A custom pin follows a different path because the part doesn’t exist until somebody draws it. We provide free samples for qualification, and minimum order quantities are quoted against each design.

In our experience, a sample round catches fit problems no datasheet predicts.

Stroke, force, and pad contact only tell the truth inside the real housing. Send your housing drawing with the pin request where you can, since the mating gap matters as much as the pin. Budget for at least one sample round before committing tooling or a production slot.

Which Platings and Materials Can You Specify?

Plating is where a connector quietly decides its own service life. Two pins built to identical drawings can behave differently once their finishes begin to wear.

Why a contact stays steady over its life

Same Sky publishes gold-plated contacts across its pogo pin line, with underplate, base alloy, and thickness listed per model datasheet. ASTM B488 is the common specification for engineering gold plating, and it gives a fair basis for comparing finishes.

At Promax, we specify plating by application on the drawing, choosing Gold, Nickel, or Palladium-Nickel to suit the job. A steady contact rarely comes down to one coating. Barrel and plunger machining, spring selection, plating control, assembly, and inspection all have to hold together across a run.

Our mass production yield stays above 99%, and we credit that to managing those steps as one process rather than separate stations. Current capacity behaves the same way, moving with barrel size, alloy, plating, and process capability. For more on that, see how the contact interface behaves over thousands of cycles.

Why tolerance depends on the part

Ask a supplier what tolerance they hold, and an honest answer starts with a question back. What a shop can hold depends on the part’s design, its material, its size, and the line’s process capability. A short plunger and a long, slim barrel won’t hold the same band on the same machine.

A tolerance quoted without those dependencies is a marketing claim rather than an engineering commitment. Confirm achievable tolerance against your own drawing during design review, where stroke, force, and fit get set at the design stage.

The table below compares what each company publishes on contact finish, materials, plating control, and temperature range.

Table 2. Platings and materials. The same Sky figures come from published documentation only.

What you specify	Same Sky, per public documentation	Promax, per verified records	What it decides for you
Contact finish	Gold-plated contacts across the pogo pin line	Gold, Nickel, Palladium-Nickel, and other finishes chosen by application	Wear, corrosion resistance, and cost per part
Barrel and spring materials	Per model datasheet. Contact for details	Selected against the force and travel the design needs	Whether spring force holds up across the duty cycle
Plating thickness control	Per model datasheet	Set on the drawing to match the cycle target	How long the contact survives wear
Temperature range	−40 to 85°C on the CPG family	Material and plating matched to the enclosure’s environment	Whether the contact survives where it’s mounted
Non-standard finishes	Contact for details	Specified from the first drawing review	How early the materials conversation starts

How Fast Can Each Supplier Get Parts to Your Bench?

Lead time depends less on the supplier than on whether the part already exists. A stock pin can ship within days, while a custom pin has to be designed, sampled, and approved first.

When a stock pin already fits

Nothing beats a part that already sits on a shelf. Same Sky states that it keeps manufacturer lead times low and distributor inventory high, so stock pins can often reach you within days. For a prototype running against a deadline, that speed often settles the question.

Custom lead times aren’t published, so ask their team and write down what you’re told. A quoted date you can hold someone to beats a general reassurance.

When the pin is built to order

Built-to-order work runs on its own clock, and ours starts with an engineering reply within 1–3 days. Samples typically reach you within two weeks. Once your testing signs off, mass production ‌takes 3–4 weeks, depending on pin complexity and order size.

Against a shelf, that looks slow, and for a catalog-fit design it is. The calculation changes when a near-fit pin forces a housing revision, because a redesign usually costs more weeks than a custom pin does.

A near-fit part can also cost you in quieter ways. Shims, spacers, or adapter boards added to make a stock pin work bring extra parts and assembly steps to every unit. A pin running near its current or stroke limit may pass testing but wear out early in the field. In each case, a pin built to fit from the start is often the quicker route to a product that ships and stays working.

Which Certifications and IP Protections Come With Each?

Certifications show how a supplier runs its quality, environmental, and safety systems, while IP terms decide what happens to your drawings once you send them. Both are worth checking before a design leaves your hands.

What the quality paperwork covers

Certificates matter most on the day an auditor asks you to prove your supply chain. Same Sky is certified to ISO 9001:2015 and provides its quality manual on request. It also publishes RoHS and REACH compliance resources, covering the EU rules on hazardous substances and chemicals. Other certifications aren’t listed publicly.

Promax holds four certifications. ISO 9001 covers quality management, ISO 14001 environmental management, and ISO 45001 workplace health and safety. IECQ QC080000 covers hazardous substance process management, which is the one to check when a customer audits your materials compliance.

Ask either supplier for certificate numbers and expiry dates rather than logos on a web page. Then check them against the issuing body’s register.

Who protects your drawing, and how

A standard Western non-disclosure agreement (NDA) mainly stops your information from becoming public. With manufacturing in China, the sharper risk is somebody using your drawing or selling it around you. A non-disclosure, non-use, and non-circumvention (NNN) agreement is written to close that gap.

Promax signs NDAs and non-circumvention agreements on request, and your files go straight to the team building the part. Same Sky hasn’t published a policy on either agreement, so raise it directly before sending a drawing.

One further question applies to any contract-built custom part: does your agreement reach the shop floor where the pin is machined, or stop at the brand you bought from?

When to Choose Same Sky

Plenty of jobs don’t need a custom pin, and treating them as if they do wastes budget. A standard catalog pin that matches your pad layout and ships this week is the right answer. Tooling a custom part when a stock one does the job adds cost and delay for nothing.

Small builds and prototypes suit the catalog route too, because distributor stock removes the wait. Teams already buying audio parts, sensors, and switches through one distributor gain a third advantage. A single vendor covers more of the bill of materials, which simplifies purchasing.

When to Choose Promax Pogo Pin

The picture flips when the pin has to be designed rather than picked. Custom geometry, a non-standard pitch, a sealed housing, or current above catalog ratings are all reasons to have the pin built to your drawing, which is the work Promax is set up for.

Promax also suits larger production runs. Buying factory-direct avoids a distributor markup on every unit, and one signed agreement with the factory that builds the part protects your drawing entirely.

Our engineers have taken more than 8,000 custom designs from first drawing to production, so an unusual request is ordinary work here. That experience shows up at design review, where our engineers can often flag a stroke, force, or plating issue before any tooling is cut. Catching it early usually means fewer sample rounds and fewer surprises once production starts.

Which Projects Suit Each Supplier?

Sourcing calls get easier when you test them against a real situation instead of a feature list. Structural fit here means the supply model matches the job, not that either company builds a better pin.

The following is a pogo pin connector comparison by project type, pairing each situation with the better structural fit and the reason behind it.

Table 3. Pogo pin connector comparison by project fit. Structural fit means the supply model suits the job, not that either company builds a better pin.

Project situation	Better structural fit	Why
Prototype that needs a working pin this week	Same Sky	Distributor stock takes the wait out of the schedule
Standard dock or test contact at modest volume	Same Sky	A catalog part skips tooling and a custom qualification
One vendor for buzzers, fans, and connectors on the same bill of materials	Same Sky	Existing distributor accounts cover several component types at once
Charging contacts sealed into a wearable housing	Promax	The pin and pad have to be shaped around the enclosure. See also: sealed pogo pin connectors built for wet environments.
Current load above a catalog pin’s rating	Promax	Capacity depends on barrel size, material, and plating, so it’s a design job
Magnetic connector matched to a housing	Promax	Magnetic connectors are built in 1–22 pin configurations to suit the product
Volume program with the drawing under NDA and non-circumvention terms	Promax	The drawing stays with the factory that builds the part

Find the row closest to your project, then check which supplier it points to. Projects that point to Same Sky are usually served faster and more cheaply by a catalog part. Projects that point to Promax usually save money with a pin built to your drawing. A near-fit part tends to reveal its problems late, after tooling or housing decisions are already locked.

Many projects fall into both groups, and you don’t have to pick one supplier for everything. A common split is catalog pins for test rigs, fixtures, and early prototypes, where speed matters more than a perfect fit.

The shipping product then gets a custom pin sized to its housing and qualified for its current and cycle load. Planning that split early lets you prototype quickly without locking a near-fit part into production.

Which Route Fits Your Program?

Same Sky and Promax solve the same connection problem from opposite ends of the supply chain. A stock pin that fits your design favors the catalog route, while a pin that must fit your product favors the factory route.

Send Promax Pogo Pin a drawing, or even a rough sketch with your stroke, current, and space limits. Our engineers will review it, tell you what’s realistic, and arrange free samples for your own testing.

Same Sky Devices vs. Promax FAQs

Is Promax a distributor or reseller of Same Sky parts?

Promax isn’t a distributor or reseller of Same Sky parts. We manufacture our own pogo pins in our Dongguan factory and don’t resell other brands’ parts. The two are separate companies with separate product lines, and each quotes, builds, and warrants its own parts.

Are CUI Devices pogo pins the same as Same Sky pogo pins?

CUI Devices pogo pins are the same parts as Same Sky pogo pins. Same Sky is CUI Devices under a new name, and the company kept its model numbers, sites, and distribution network. A CUI part number from an older bill of materials should still resolve to the same component.

Can a custom pin replace a Same Sky pin without a board change?

A custom pin can often replace a Same Sky pin without a board change when it’s drawn to your existing pad layout, working height, and mounting style. Fit still depends on the part’s design and the process capability behind it, so confirm with samples before you commit. Plan a short requalification even when the footprint matches exactly.

Can I mate a Promax pogo pin against another brand’s contact pad?

A Promax pogo pin can usually mate against another brand’s contact pad, if the pad’s plating and geometry suit the pin’s plunger tip and spring force. Test the mated pair together rather than the pin alone, because contact resistance belongs to the pair. Ask both suppliers for the pad specification they design against.

What should I retest when moving from a catalog pin to a custom one?

Retest contact resistance, cycle life, and fit inside the real housing when moving from a catalog pin to a custom one. Reference the IEC 60512 test methods in your qualification plan so both sides measure the same way. Record the results so any later supplier change has a baseline to beat.

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