Last Updated on September 12, 2023 by Tony
A spring-loaded pin connector is a kind of electrical connector mechanism, it is known for the durability and resilience of its electrical connection to vibration and mechanical shock.
The Pogo pin has taken its name from its resemblance to the Pogo stick. It provides a highly durable and precise interconnect solution that is ideal for several applications in the ever-evolving world of electronic interconnects.
The electronic testing industry widely employs pogo pins and connectors to ensure high quality, low resistance, compliant connections in modern electronic applications.
Let’s look at the structure of these connectors and the materials used for their construction!
Structure of Pogo Pin Connector
A pogo pin connector is composed of three elements: a plunger, a barrel, and a spring. These three parts form the basic construction of the connector.
As soon as a force is given to the pin, the spring compresses, and the plunger is forced to travel within the barrel.
Many times, for high current, the pogo pin connector with 4 pieces is required, it usually includes a ball or T-pin based on three elements.
As a result of the barrel’s form, the plunger is kept in place and the spring is prevented from forcing it out when the pin is not locked into position.
An appropriate amount of space between the plunger and barrel is required for a pogo pin to slide smoothly.
When there is movement or vibration, the plunger is normally tilted slightly to the right to prevent transient disconnections and to provide a continuous and constant connection.
Materials Used in the Construction of Pogo Pin Connectors
The plunger and barrel of a pogo pin connector are often made of brass or copper, which serves as the base material.
A thin layer of nickel is put into the base material before it is finished. Gold plating is commonly used by manufacturers to improve the contact resistance and life cycle of their products.
The springs, on the other hand, are composed of spring steel or copper alloys. Connectors are available in a variety of shapes and sizes on the market today.
You will be able to obtain the ones that are most appropriate for your requirements.
Pogo Pin Connectors and Their Types
Pogo pin connectors or spring connectors allow you to easily assemble and disassemble, as well as have high durability and reliability.
They can be utilized in a variety of applications, such as a cradle, antenna, or battery, to name a few examples.
These pins are available in a range of heights and pin pitch configurations on the market. The following are some examples of common types of connectors:
| Pogo Pin Connector Type | Description | Common Applications |
|---|---|---|
| Through Hole Pogo Pin Connector | Used for through-hole mounting. | PCB components with leads attached via plated through holes. |
| Right Angle Pogo Pin Connector | Mounts horizontally onto a PCB at a right angle. | PCB to PCB connections. |
| Double Ended Pogo Pin Connector | Two-plunger and one-barrel mating connector. | High contact reliability and two-directional connections. |
Through Hole Pogo Pin Connector
This connector is used for through-hole mounting. Through-hole mounting is the process of attaching PCB components with leads to a printed circuit board (PCB) via plated through holes.
For a long time, this technology was the dominant force in the electronic manufacturing business. Through-hole connections are available in a variety of working heights and pin counts, depending on the manufacturer.
Certain types of this connector also allow you to change the number of pins by breaking the housing.
Right Angle Pogo Pin Connector
The right-angle connector allows you to mount horizontally onto a PCB. These connectors differ in the number of pins they have.
The number of pins may vary from a single pin to multiple pins. It provides a high-reliability method to connect PCB to PCB.
Double Ended Pogo Pin Connector
It is a two-plunger and one-barrel mating connector. The two-piece connector has a floating function, and it has two contacts that securely and safely mate for high contact reliability.
The line-up usually comes in 3 to 6 pins. It offers high shock resistance, improved vibration, and a high degree of flexibility in design as it enables two-directional connections.
Advantages of Pogo Pin Connectors
Pogo pins have many advantages that distinguish them from other connector types. Let’s have a look at these advantages!
Best User Experience
Pogo pin connectors are convenient for use. They have made engineering simple and interesting to operate, besides providing a user-friendly experience on a large scale.
They are known for giving their users an improved experience, especially when they are automatically aligned to the devices.
The Best Connector for Small Spaces
Most of the connectors available in the industry are either small and fragile or big in size and stable. However, a spring-loaded connector combines the two desirable features: they are small and stable.
They can survive up to 1 Million compressions while being extraordinarily small in size. This feature is attributed to their specific spring design that retains its stability and size at the same time
High Tolerance Connectors
Pogo pin connectors are known for their high tolerance to material deformations. The high travel feature of these connectors can compensate for small production errors.
While other types of connectors usually fail in tolerating even a slight deformity. This feature has made pogo pin connectors an absolute favorite of engineers across the industry.
Highly Durable Connectors
Pogo pin connectors are vertically compressed. This directional compression of all parts significantly reduces the wear on each part.
While a connector is inserted, two sheets of metal scratch onto each other thus deteriorating the outer plating with time, which in turn reduces the current carrying capacity.
However, this cannot happen in the case of pogo pin connectors as the only frictional element here is the interaction between the barrel and plunger.
This feature makes spring-loaded connectors more durable than other connector types.
Assembly is one of the main considerations while designing a device. There is no need for manual alignment when using a broad-to-board connector that makes use of pogo pins.
These connections provide excellent flexibility in terms of assembly sequence, as well as the ability to assemble all parts in a short amount of time.
This makes them an extremely popular choice among engineers, dealers, and end-users all around the world.
Engineers can even use pins, such as the screw pin, to combine the functions of mounting and connecting at the same time.
Applications of Pogo Pin Connectors
Pogo pin connectors are widely used in industrial as well as consumer electronics in a variety of applications.
In Electronic Products
During the previous few decades, there has been a significant increase in the number of mobile revolutionary applications and wearable gadgets.
This increase has been accompanied by improvements in the quality of electrical device designs as a result of the advancement of technology.
As a result, electronic components such as pogo pins and connectors that are reliable and long-lasting are becoming increasingly popular among manufacturers.
When it comes to the transmission of signals and currents in electronic items, a Pogo pin connector is a great choice.
It is frequently used in Bluetooth sets, smartwatches, power banks, and e-cigarettes, among other things.
In Healthcare
The use of spring-loaded connections in the disciplines of health care and medicine is bringing about significant advances in these fields.
Precision components are required for the majority of medical devices in order to conduct testing. They also require steadiness for the transfer of electrical current.
Pogo pin connectors, which provide module charging components for medical device devices, are able to meet both of these needs.
The highly desirable characteristics of these connectors have resulted in major innovative services being provided to the fields of healthcare and medicine.
They are found in a variety of devices like wearable monitors, blood glucose meters, ventilators, and other similar devices
In the Augmented and Virtual Reality Market
The AR/VR market is growing exponentially and is expected to reach 161.1 billion US dollars by 2025.
Technologies based on tablet and mobile devices, such as AR/VR, are rapidly becoming successful participants in a variety of areas including e-commerce, interior design, architecture, and educational institutions.
The AR/VR technologies necessitate the use of components with high data transmission speeds.
The pogo pin connectors have the potential to be used as components in virtual reality and augmented reality technology
Conclusion
Pogo pin connections play an important role in the electronic industry, and they are widely used by engineers and commercial users alike to connect electrical devices.
Due to the fact that they provide particular properties that distinguish them from other connector types, they have completely transformed the electronics industry.
Healthcare and communication are only two examples of how applications may be found in almost every critical aspect of life.
Electrical connectors like these are the most robust, flexible, trustworthy, and desirable connectors available on the market today.
Pogo pin connectors are available in a variety of sizes and forms, depending on their functionality and intended use.
These connections are available from a number of different companies. Depending on your requirements, you can acquire them online or from a local supplier.
There is no denying the fact that spring-loaded connections, also known as pogo pin connectors, have played a pivotal part in the evolution of technology and the development of human civilization.
