[TowerTalk] DIN Connectors You Can't Solder To

[Jim Lux]

-----Original Message-----
>From: John Becker <johnb3030 at comcast.net>
>Sent: Nov 20, 2007 7:48 AM
>To: towertalk at contesting.com
>Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] DIN Connectors You Can't Solder To
>
>I've been following this thread with interest since I need to buy an 8
>pin DIN connector myself for the band data connector of my FT-1000.
>
>I notice in Jameco's catalog that they now have many products available
>in both conventional and "RoHS compliant" versions, and this includes
>DIN connectors. I will certainly NOT be ordering an RoHS compliant DIN
>connector.
>
>It seems obvious that the design of the DIN plugs is such that they are
>surely intended to be hand soldered.

the *original* design of DIN plugs (which are what, 40 years old by now?) may have been hand soldered, and the current manufacturers may be duplicating the look, but I'll bet that the vast majority of them are crimped then potted.  Or, they have specialized tooling to hold them while machine or hand soldering.

Sort of like D-sub connectors.  Yes, you can get them with solder pots terminals, but getting good soldered connections that are reliable is a lot of work.  It's much faster to crimp (or solder) them individually, then insert the pins/sockets into the shell.


 That raises the question of what
>the manufacturers of the RoHS compliant version are doing to ensure that
>this is possible. There must be a type of wire solder and flux that is
>RoHS compliant. Otherwise why make an RoHS compliant connector which
>requires hand soldering? What solder and flux should be used?

They might be making the same old connector, except with different plating.  All the mfr tooling remains the same, and that leaves the problem for the buyer of the connectors to figure out how to use them.  This is not unique to DIN connectors.

As with all electronics assembly technology, there's a certain amount of process experimentation and craft involved. When you first learned to solder, no doubt you hosed up some connections pretty well. 

Personally, I hope that miniDIN connectors with a dozen or more contacts go the way of the Dodo and Apatosaurus. They are a pain to hand assemble, they really aren't very robust (it's easy to break/bend a pin without realizing it when mating).  For example, modern cellphones and iPod type devices have a whole raft of high density connectors that are designed for multiple mate/demate cycles without damage. 





>
>I'm also wondering in the case of the original poster, who received
>unsolderable connectors with some ICE filters, if it is possible that
>ICE obtained their connectors from the least expensive source possible,
>and if that source was possibly some off-brand third world vendor who
>wasn't terribly interested in quality control. Is this an isolated
>problem or one which many have experienced?
>
>Does anyone know who actually makes DIN connectors?

HiRose is one company.  There's quite a few mfrs if you look through catalogs from Newark, Mouser, and the like.

Jim, W6RMK