Surface mount component pads

Abstract

Abstract Pads for surface-mount components are formed in elongated rectangular openings in a circuit board directly from stripped portions of insulated hookup wire, thus eliminating additional interconnecting hardware parts and dependency on printed circuitry. For each pad, the wire is formed into a U shape by pressing the wire into the opening from a wiring side the circuit board with a press-driven mandrel shaped to place side portions of the loop at ends of the opening, and a solid, spring-loaded or adhesive filler inserted into the opening between the side wire portion to anchor the loop in place. The bridge portion of the loop, forming the pad, may be positioned so as to be recessed slightly below the circuit board surface so as to capture component leads in the depressed cavity with solder barriers between pads. Alternatively the pad may be located flush with the circuit board or slightly protruding, the location being determined by the travel of the press-driven mandrel. As a further alternative, the loop may be made to protrude prominently so as to form a terminal post which may be utilized for wire or component lead connection or for a test terminal. Wire pairs interconnecting pairs of such pads or protruding terminal loops may be twisted together in the process to provide twisted pair interconnection lines for high speed digital transmission. Interconnection wiring in accordance with this invention is highly compatible with the concept of forming helical terminals as taught by the inventor in U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,146, which may utilize identical or similar hookup wire and fabrication tooling in common with the present invention, including twisted pair aspects.

Inventors

• 👤 Troy M. Watson

Bibliographic Details