A connector in electronics is a device that connects a group of wires to a printed circuit board (PCB) or another group of wires, or directly connects two PCBs, thus enabling connectivity to transmit electrical power or signal.
What is wire to board connector?
The wire-to-board connector is a type of connector that connects a group of discrete wires to a printed circuit board. They vary in circuit sizes (number of contacts), number of rows, pitch (pin-to-pin distance), current rating, applicable wires, etc.
Circuit Size
Number of Rows
Pitch (pin to pin distance)
There are board connectors, wire connectors, and terminals in a wire-to-board connection system.
A board connector (also known as PCB header or PCB connector) is a connector that is soldered onto a printed circuit board, which connects with a wire connector.
Wire connector (also called housing) holds the crimped wires for mating with the PCB header.
Wire-to-board connectors are often categorized by the soldering technology and wire termination technology as follows.
- SMT (Surface Mount Technology) Type – PCB Connector
- Through-Hole Type – PCB Connector
- Crimping Style – Wire Connector
- IDC (also known as IDT) Connectors – Wire Connector
SMT (Surface Mount) Type - Board Connector
An SMT connector is mounted directly onto the surface of a printed circuit board. There are side entry (right angle) type and top entry (vertical or straight) type.
SMT connectors are usually packaged in reels for automatic processing, which reduces cost and improves quality.
But the processing equipment is expensive.
The good news is that there are EMS (Electronic Manufacturing Service) providers worldwide who offer the processing service.
Through-Hole Type - Board Connector
A through-hole connector is soldered after the contacts are placed into drilled holes on the PCB. It creates a stronger bond between connectors and the PCB.
The advantage of a though-hole connector is that it is perfect for larger components that will undergo high power, high voltage, and mechanical stress.
The Disadvantage of the through-hole type is that you have to drill multiple holes in the PCB. Which increases production costs and limits available space on the PCB.
Note that nowadays, for some through-hole connectors, you can also have them in a reel package for manufacturing automation.
Crimping Style - Wire Connector
A crimping-style wire connector is a connector housing (often made of plastic) that holds the crimped wires for mating with a PCB header.
Crimping is a simple and fast process that forms a solid connection by squeezing contact terminal and wire together, with a hand crimping tool or a crimping machine.
Good crimping creates an air-tight seal between the terminal and the wire. Which results in long-lasting, reliable connections.
To understand the crimping process, please view how to crimp Molex micro-fit.
IDC (as known as IDT) Connectors - Wire Connector
An IDC connector (Insulation Displacement Connector) is a wire connector in which the terminals (contacts) are pre-installed into the plastic housing.
After wires are connected to an IDC connector, it mates with a PCB connector.
There are two main types of IDC connectors in wire to board category.
One type is used with discrete wires. The other type is used with ribbon cable (this type of IDC connector is also known as ribbon cable connector).
A ribbon cable is pretty simple and fast to assemble. When you have all materials prepared, a simple press with a simple tool is enough to complete the assembly.
The disadvantage of ribbon cable is the connection is inflexible, as it is just multiple discrete wires in parallel.
Zeakka offers a wide range of wire to board connectors from 0.8 mm pitch to 6.2 mm pitch.
If you have any questions, or you would like to choose a wire-to-board connector for your project, please contact us!