Dimensions of the Nano 4

Official Hardware Nano Family Nano R4
1

Is the dimensions of the Nano 4 board slightly off?

I got my Nano 4 yesterday, not with the headers already presoldered

I preceded to solder the pin connectors. The last one seems to not be straight. Is it because the dimensions of the board is slightly off when using it on the breadboard. There was nothing I could have done to straighten it

2

Please post some clear 'photos illustrating your problem

3

I will do that tomorrow

4

The pins are in a strip, how is it that only one is not straight? Pictures will help.
I use a stack of perfboard to hold the pins and NANO as I solder them. What did you do to align them?

5

I used the breadboard, like in all tutorials

6

You soldered in the breadboard? That is a bad idea, it acts as a heat sink and damages the breadboard as well.

7

WhatsApp Image 2025-09-08 at 13.36.48_3a87c4e8
WhatsApp Image 2025-09-08 at 13.36.48_3a87c4e8971Ă—577 111 KB

This is the photo of the soldered nano board, as you can see its not straight on the right

8

The heat isn’t for long enough to damage the breadboard

9

A breadboard is not a good fixture. If you require greater precision, take stock of your work as you go and make corrections early on.

10

The way to solder the two strips of pins successfully is:

  • Solder just the two end pins of each row of pins,
  • Then examine for the pins for being perpendicular to the board.
  • With only two pins soldered, any mistakes can be corrected.
  • Only when you are satisfied that the positioning is correct, solder the rest of the pins.
11

Having seen the 'photo, I think the point that @ardyhat is trying to make is that if the pins were perpendicular to the board then they would not fit into his/her breadboard

However, I am more inclined to believe that the problem lies with the breadboard rather than with the Nano

I wonder, for instance, whether he/she plugged the pins into breadboard sockets either side of the breadboard central gutter, which I would expect to be spaced at .1 inch pitch, or whether one side was plugged into one of the power strip row of sockets along the edge of the breadboard, in which case all bets on spacing are off

12

From the engineering diagrams in the documentation for the Nano R4, they seem correct to me.

But if you doubt them, 10 seconds spent measuring the distance between the rows with a vernier caliper will prove or disprove the idea.

13

The rows of pins in a breadboard will allow movement toward and away from the center gap. The 5 or so contacts in each row are formed from a channel of folded conductive metal.

14

What you normally do is plug the pin header first into the breadboard, then put the Nano on top and then solder the pins.
If you did it in the wrong order then it might not fit.
Leo..

16

Aren’t all breadboards standard pitch of 2.54mm with a 1mm hole?

17

I have no idea why you are asking me that question.

18

All I'm aware of are 1/10" / 2.54mm spacing, no idea of the hole size.

The header pins can tilt along each row. If you have ever seen a breadboard in pieces, each row has a u-shaped channel of some type of conductive, springy metal. The channel applies a spring force against the pin from each side, but lengthwise the pin is free to tilt. I've always done as @JohnLincoln mentions, solder a pin or two and check that the pins are aligned properly before continuing.

There are some good pictures about 1/3 of the way down on this page https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/how-to-use-a-breadboard/all if you want to see what it looks like.

19

So that’s both inappropriate and off topic. Would you like to remove the post or should I do that for you. Bear in mind if I have to waste my time removing it for you, you will be spending some time away from the forum.

20

@ardyhat is enjoying a short break from the forum

21

The pitch is 0.1in the hole size can vary.