What is the H-Pin?

Millions of electronic devices are performing systematically and as expected because of an innovative component so small that it’s barely noticeable to the naked eye.

Manufacturers know this component as the H-Pin. The H-Pin belongs to a family of stamped spring probe pins used in semiconductor burn-in and functional tests, programming, and system-level product connector applications.

As the market drives to pack more electronics into either very small or very large packages, stamped spring probe pin connectors are leading the pack as a powerful and intelligent space-saving device to reduce the real estate occupied by the connector itself.

Why the H-Pin was Created

We designed the H-Pin in 2005 as a response to the limitations of the Pogo Pin. While pogo pins solved many issues, their complex assembly process made high-volume production challenging to fulfill, and the hidden components made it hard to identify issues and diagnose performance problems during testing.

By turning the pogo pin inside out, we reinvented the entire process of making spring probe pins. We created patented designs that would be easy to produce with an economy of scale—replacing screw-machined parts with stampings and post-production validation tests with in-line, real-time QC inspections. 

We developed a fully-automated production system with reel-to-reel, high-volume manufacturing rather than batched processing. Complete visibility of all the parts enabled us to detect early failures in components, increasing component reliability and taking us closer to zero DPPM (defective parts per million).

Why Manufacturers Trust the H-Pin:

• H-Pins provide the electrical and mechanical performance of spring probe pins but are produced quickly and in high volumes, making them very cost-efficient.
• Our fully-automated process ensures that H-Pin number one and one million are perfect matches.
• The open architecture only has three components: two stampings and a spring. Fewer parts mean fewer things that can go wrong.
• From extreme temperatures to miniaturized sizes, our pins can increase the functionality of your application.
• Greater access to raw materials means production never shuts down or slows down during supply chain issues.
• H-Pin automation increases our capacity for work by removing the threat of labor shortages.

Increased Functionality in a Smaller Space

At Plastronics, we are called upon because the goal is to get the most functionality out of the smallest space. Even the most miniature catalog connectors are too large for what many electronics companies need to meet miniaturization demands.  

For example, the T033, at 1.00mm compressed height, can deliver a maximum current of 4.8 Amps with a signal performance rating of 50.1GHz at -1dB. Not all applications will require a solution such as this. Still, suppose a purely vertical solution is needed. In that case, this is the closest to an invisible interconnect possible without the risks and challenges of a hard-soldered connection while still giving the designer 0.26mm of pin travel to allow for tolerance stackups between adjacent boards.

With the H-pin, medical devices, essential telecommunications, military electronics, and other industry electronics can create the products they envision, at the dimensions they need, without sacrificing quality or interconnectivity.

Stress Testing and Quality Control

We work with semiconductor test leaders using high-temperature operating life (HTOL) and highly accelerated stress testing (HAST) processes, which only strengthens the structure of our H-Pin manufacturing efforts. The tests provide an operational survivability test of computer chips and board assembles before leaving the manufacturing factory. Our connectors are tested and proven to survive these extreme conditions before your electronics kit assembly.

Our assembly processes facilitated us in implementing automated inspection and measurement into each manufacturing step. In other words, we’ve got eyes looking at our inter-components at the stamping, before assembly, and when it comes out of the assembly – even at the end when it goes into the insertion machine.  

Manufacturing Process

Typically constructed of 4-5 components that include a drawn barrel, a wound spring, and two screw-machined plungers, the pogo-style pin is tedious and expensive to make. A traditional pogo pin is assembled by hand or by a semiautomatic process with pins hand-shuttled from one step to the next at the rate of 200-600 per hour. 

The automated H-Pin stamping process can produce 3,500 per hour while increasing the quality, reducing lead time, and keeping costs low. By automating the process, the spring-loaded probe pins can cost 30-50% less, depending on quantities, and are made in various lengths and pitch sizes as low as .2mm. Reducing the number of components also increases reliability.

How the H-Pin Helped Prevent a Large Scale System Failure

On numerous occasions, customers call us to fix issues with existing applications that use catalog connectors. Initially, we’re called to advise as material science experts, but we quickly find ourselves advising on supply chain management and manufacturing process control. In almost every case, they have fallen victim to the promise of quick & easy and, in most cases, cheap connector solutions.

The hidden dirty secret of many catalog connectors is that many of the components are made at multiple sites by various vendors, some unknown to the connector maker themselves. Springs and plating quality are the two biggest culprits in connector failures, with the issues showing up as contact opens or shorts due to oxides/corrosion, spring fatigue and/or spring set.

Our early assessments focus on materials and then move to supply chain management and then ultimately end with a contrast in process controls implemented in the H-Pin manufacturing plan as compared to how bulk-made catalog products are sourced and made.

Case Study: Poor Plating, Bad Springs, and Pin Design Susceptible to Application Conditions

We were asked to look at a power management application that a first glance was a perfect fit for a bulk made catalog contact. Still, two key misinterpretations in the original application design existed: spring material and the working environment.

The spring material was unsuitable for reflow temperatures causing spring relaxation and set during board assembly. The compromised springs did not have the force nor travel required for the design stack-up. The unpredictable nature of the semi-automated pin assembly process left the contact construction susceptible to moisture and other airborne debris that led to corrosion issues over time. In the end, the application suffered contact opens and shorts and ultimately system failure. 

The H-Pin spring material is stainless steel and rated for sustained temperatures above 260C and its open architecture allows for predictable and measured plating conditions. The spring is designed at stress levels well below spring material standards, so it will never take a set or loose contact force. The spring and the open design survive the highly accelerated stress testing of semiconductor devices. In short, the H-Pin easily solved the issues at hand partly because of the technology and because the Plastronics team put their name on the design and took the challenge personally. We do not sell bulk solutions – we provide solutions. 

How to Work with Plastronics on the Next Build

 These innovations explain why the H-Pin provides users with unparalleled reliability and performance through a less expensive and less timely process. And that makes more technological innovations possible for an expanding number of global creators.

Our team has decades of experience with strong supply chain partners. We spent the past 12 years alone re-thinking how to create pins and connectors. We’ve pushed the boundaries of what they can do and how small they can be.

Plastronics patented H-Pin contact technology and process has helped the semiconductor industry make their devices as small or large as possible, more powerful, faster, and with world class quality. 

This same technology is now helping with interconnect solutions in applications from military interposers to complex medical devices.

Plastronics has the application experience and available resources to help you optimize your next design. Reach out to Plastronics to schedule a quick consultation.

Source: Plastronics