Web page on connectors

Bill - I am not exactly sure about what you need but I did an article on connectors several years ago - see:

http://www.trainelectronics.com/Articles/Connectors/index.htm

Hope that helps.

dave

Headers

Bill,

It looks like what you need are male and female headers.  But these are not NEM651 or as small as the TCS micro connectors.

Male Header

Female Header

All kinds of Headers

Regards,

My February column . . .

will discuss making connectors out of 50-pin headers that are available through my old store, Litchfield Station.

http://www.litchfieldstation.com/xcart/product.php?productid=999003204

Connectors

I have used, Miniatronics Micro Mini Connectors . Two, three and four pin connectors with attached wires.

i have stripped headers for pins also. Broke off the plastic and put shrink around the pins.

My Roundhouse steamers came with six wires between the loco and tender. They could be configured to look like hoses.

The factory installed six pin connectors where hidden up in the tenders.

Rich

Kevin, as usual, you are a wonder................

........I have been looking for a supplier of these in bulk on-line for a while.  Have you had experience with these folks?  Thanks.

Peter

Adafruit

Peter,

Note these headers have a 0.01 spacing.  They are not as fine as NEM651 or the TCS micro connectors.

I do have experience with the fine folks at Adafruit!

Adafruit is a great company to deal with.  I have ordered from them several times and have never had one problem.  Their products are some of the best documented and well supported that you will find, IMO.

Making them is easy...

Adafruit: pack of 5 X 36 pin headers $2.95  pack of 10 X 30 pin Male headers for $4.95 

Do note.  These headers have a spacing of 0.1" while the NEM 651 plugs have a 0.05" spacing so these headers will not fit those plugs.  THe much more expensive headers at Litchfield are the 0.05" variety.  See below for a bulk source.

As for how to make them:

1. Decide how many pins you want in your connector and use pliers or diagonal cutters to break the male pins apart at the appropriate spot.

2. On the Female header. pull the pin from the pin position next to the last pin in your connector.

https://www.adafruit.com/images/1200x900/598-02.jpg

3. Then cut through the empty position with diagonal cutters and file off the edge of your connector smooth.

https://www.adafruit.com/images/1200x900/598-01.jpg

4. Solder wires to the pins on the Female socket you just made.

5. Solder wires on the short Male header pins, insert the long ones in the female sockets.

6.  Don't forget some heat shrink just like TCS micro does in the link below.

http://tcsdcc.com/Customer_Content/Products/Supplies/Connectors/Micro_Conn/index.html

Remeber these are not NEM651 compatible, nor are they as tightly spaced as the TCS micro connectors, at 0.039"  See below for a source.

Regards,

Micro Connectors and NEM 651 in BULK

eBay turns out to be the source for this stuff.  Same basic instructions on a smaller scale.

NEM 651 size

10pcs. - 1.27mm, (0.05") 50 PIN, Female Straight Single Row Header Strip

10pcs - 1.27mm, (0.05") 50 PIN, Male Straight Single Row Header Strip

TCS Micro Connector size

10Pcs 1mm, (0.039") 50 Pin Female Single Row Straight Pin Header Strip

10Pcs 1mm, (0.039") 50 Pin Male Single Row Straight Pin Header Strip

@ Bill

Is this what you were ultimately looking for?  Sorry for the digression.

2.54mm Gold Plated 40 Pin Breakaway Male Header - Round Machine Pin

12pcs 2.54mm 40Pin Break Away Female Headers - Swiss Machine Pin

micro connectors

Try these links:

http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/850-10-050-10-001101/1212-1337-ND/3757587

male 50 position strip.

http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/851-87-050-10-001101/1212-1364-ND/3757614

female 50 position strip.

You can cut these to the length you need (carefuly!)

Sams Dad

@Sams..........got a question................

..........every time I look up stuff from Digi-Key, I cannot for the life of me figure out HOW MANY I am buying?!  In your example link, I'm guessing 1 unit is 80 pins/sockets.  Is that correct?

Thanks,

Peter

Digi-Key

You are buying 1 strip that contains 50 pin positions for $7.13.

Alan............Thanks so much......................

...............for that Information and where to find it.  Sure a lot cheaper than a hobby vendor.  I think I paid .80 per pin/pair.  $40 vs 14 and change!

Peter

You may also like to try...

Jameco electronics. Sometimes they have better prices on machined header pins.

Hope this helps...

Taz...

Jameco.com

Thanks Bruce Petrarca!

The link you provided shows exactly what my answer is!  A Decoder Buddy with either 8 or 12 function (lighting) outputs with resistors already included.  Just solder the LED leads to the small connector board and connect the small connector board, and the job is done.  Simple and straightforward.  Separate the shell from the frame easily!

Nick

Multi-pin 0.1" connectors

These are a very common item in the electronics world, particularly in through-hole circuit boards. Yours appear to be thickly gold-plated, at the high end of what's possible. Pins range from tin-plated on up to gold of various thicknesses and hardnesses. It is very rare to find shells for these; they are meant for PCB mass production.

Typically male connectors have a short end (for the PCB) and a long end. Female connectors are usually a block with tails for the PCB. These are often 2 by XX pins, for example to wire in a DB-9 connector you would have a 1x10 or 2x5.

Sources include DigiKey, Mouser,, and many others. One mega-source is McMaster-Carr, a catalog-based distributor. Large quantity distribution is often handled through companies like Avnet and Arrow.

micro connectors

These machine screw sockets & pins are relatively expensive compared to other connectors such as the 0.025" square post on 0.100" center variety.

The square post types can come apart in moderate to high vibration. Hence, cables ties and other means are used to prevent this.

This style of socket is extremely resistant to disconnecting due to vibration and most EEs I know prefer them for high vibration environments. Internal leaves angled into the receptacle bite into the round pin making a good gas-tight connection. Disconnecting takes much more effort than making a connection. Note that the really cheap versions of these lack the two internal plated leaves.

Some model engines do suffer from high vibration levels.

micro connectors

Try allelectronics  out of cal. or I think I have found some on amazon 

I got a bunch of these from a B2B manufacturer 15 years ago

They were called SIP or DIP (means single in line or double in line) socket connectors when I bought them, and you could order them to any specification (head diameter, length of pin, depth of socket). I've heard them called IC sockets or solder cup headers. They are integrated circuit chip connectors in the world of computers and probably have lots of names.   I asked for a sample pack and got about 200 in various configurations of blocks (2-10 either single line or double line).  I only went back to purchase some because I felt guilty getting as many as I needed in the sample!  Still only spent about $15 for nearly a lifetime supply.  Although I was a student, they probably thought my "edu" email account meant I was with the university IT or engineering department!

Almost anything electronic can be found cheaper than retail packaging from a business to business supplier or manufacturer, and most now sell direct if you ask nicely.  Digikey is nearly retail now, but the prices are still good.  Keep going down to about page 3-8 in a google search and you'll often find those companies that don't pay Google to put their info up at the top. They focus on manufacturing and not on marketing and keep their prices lower in a very competitive market.

Using them, you just have to have a quick solder technique or you can melt the plastic.  Either that, or pull them out of the plastic, solder to the wire and then press fit back into the plastic after they cool.

Best of luck to you.

another way to use them,

is to remove them from the socket, and make them into single-wire connectors. Solder one up as a "female", a second one up as a "male".  Plug them together, and a bit of heat shrink seals the deal. You can still disconnect any time you need to.  If you need to make the connections polarity-sensitive, use a yellow or white heat shrink, and use coloured permanent markers to indicate which wires are paired.

Lots of uses for the old "machined IC sockets" in my inventory.

Blair

Engine to Tender Connector

Soundtrax make a 9 pin connector to go between the engine and tender.  It is DBX 9000.  They mount on the engine draw bar pin and, while not cheap are worth it.

http://www.ovrtrains.com/SoundTraxx-DBX-9000-Locomotive-to-Tender-Wiring-Kit.html

I just bought some of these

You can cut to any length.
Each plastic section with a pin in it is 2.5 mm
You get 400 pins for $1 of the male and the female are $2 for 400

Female:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/10PCS-PCB-Panel-Female-IC-Breakable-2-54mm-40pin-Single-Row-Round-Header-Socket/281683121810
 

Male:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/10PCS-40Pin-1x40P-Male-2-54mm-Breakable-Pin-Header-Strip-40P-Blue-Color-Best-New/283647724600

Mismatched?

Those look like square pins and round sockets.  Will that work?

Micro Connectors with solder cup

Another option I've been using are the Mill-Max Manufacturing interconnects from Digi-Key they were a little tricky to find but offer a header strip that can be broken up into what ever length you need.  The pins are on .100" centers  and differ from others in that they feature a solder cup to attach your wire too.  The strips have 64 pins.

Male connector strip   https://www.digikey.com/products/en?keywords=ed10164-64-nd

Female connector strip   https://www.digikey.com/products/en?keywords=ed90338