Prototype Electronics Sourcing From China
1 resources tagged with "Prototype"
At the prototype stage, the parts that matter most are the cheap-but-fiddly ones: 2.54mm pin headers, Dupont jumper connectors, and 0.1" board-to-wire interconnects that let you breadboard and iterate fast. China is the default source for these, with bulk pin headers costing cents per strip, but plating matters — gold-flash contacts hold up to repeated mating cycles while tin headers corrode and lose continuity. Standard pitches are 2.54mm, 2.0mm, and 1.27mm, and you can mix through-hole (SIL/DIL) and SMD in the same order.
For prototyping, the trap is ordering by price alone and getting tin-plated headers that fail after a few dozen insertions. We confirm pitch, plating (brass base, gold vs tin finish), and current rating per pin so your bench parts behave like the production part you'll later specify.
Wiki (1)
FAQ
What pitch should I order for prototype pin headers?
2.54mm (0.1") is the standard for breadboards and Dupont jumpers. Use 2.0mm or 1.27mm only when your footprint or space constraints require it — mixing pitches by mistake is a common prototype error.
Does plating matter on cheap prototype headers?
Yes. Gold-flash contacts survive repeated mating during iteration, while tin-plated headers oxidize and cause intermittent connections. For anything you'll plug and unplug often, specify gold plating.
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