Too Many THT Components

[sphawes]

Version Number

REV04

Bugfix or Enhancement

Enhancement

Description

The mobo uses a tremendous amount of THT connectors. These are very time consuming to populate and solder, all manually.

Suggested Solution

Convert as many THT parts to SMT as possible, to automate both placement and soldering.

[sphawes]

After checking out the scope of easily accessible SMT connectors that have a good track record with strength, I chose the JST PH family. The motherboard needs 2, 3, 4, and 6 pin variants, all ideally in a straight-up configuration, which the PH family provides. They also support up to 2 amps per pin, which is plenty for our applications.

Reference: https://www.jst.com/products/crimp-style-connectors-wire-to-board-type/ph-connector/