ADS1256-RP2040 GPIO front panel with flex PCB
In this video, I show you how I replaced the previous JST SH 1.0 terminal-based mess with a neat, flex PCB-based solution. Now I can very easily connect my front panel to the main PCB with just three components. This huge improvement makes the board much more easy to manufacture.
Additional information
So, as I mentioned in the introduction, the GPIO part has been substantially redesigned. Previously, I used two JST SH 1.0 terminals, one with 13 pins, and another with 15 pins. So, in total, 28 wires had to be soldered on the front panel. Since the front panel has a limited area where the soldering can be performed, I had to use a set of 1 mm pitch holes on the front panel. This made the soldering very cumbersome and difficult. I also had a difficult time crimping the wires, so I ended up using pre-crimped wires. But even with this shortcut, assembling the front panel was a tedious task.
One day, on Instagram, one of my followers messaged me and recommended that I should avoid soldered wires and look into automotive connectors. Along with this suggestion, I ended up looking at FPC/FFC terminals and cables. The terminals were easy to find, and they are actually surprisingly cheap! The cable was a bit different. The terminal-terminal distance is approximately 15 mm. I tried to find such a flex cable, but I could not. The shortest I could fins was around 30 mm. So, I ended up designing my own flex PCB and got it manufactured by PCBWay. The cables turned out to be perfect.
If you like this kind of content and want to support me, please consider joining my YouTube membership!
