How to raise a component from a circuit board

Other Hardware General Electronics
1

Hi

Please bear with me if the answer is ridiculously obvious.

If I solder my OLED display directly into the stripboard I'm using to prototype, and fit the pins of the oled breakout board snugly up against the stripboard, the display doesn't sit high enough to reach the face plate I'm using in front of the stripboard.

Of course I could simply solder it without sitting the breakout board directly on the stripboard, but is there a better (i.e. more secure) way?

I've been staring at PCB headers on uk.mouser.com for the last hour and can't figure out what I need! Are the called "pcb risers", "header sockets", or what?

I need an extra 2.8mm height.

Can someone please tell me what to google for because without knowing the name of the thing it's pretty hard!

(Or am I doing it all wrong?)

2

hazymat:
If I solder my OLED display directly into the stripboard I'm using to prototype, and fit the pins of the oled breakout board snugly up against the stripboard, the display doesn't sit high enough to reach the face plate I'm using in front of the stripboard.

Of course I could simply solder it without sitting the breakout board directly on the stripboard, but is there a better (i.e. more secure) way?

I've been staring at PCB headers on uk.mouser.com for the last hour and can't figure out what I need! Are the called "pcb risers", "header sockets", or what?

I need an extra 2.8mm height.

How many pins on the OLED and what arrangement (space between rows)?
Maybe low profile IC sockets would suit.

3

Thanks for the reply (god knows what I'm doing up at this time...)

It's an I2c display so only 4 pins in a single row.

My problem is that I can't find varying height sockets. Are such things commonly found?

4

Hi, most oled displays have mounting holes in the corners. Could you use m3 screws and nuts to hold it the right distance above the stripboard? You might have to widen the stripboard holes and cut the surrounding tracks (or make them ground tracks) to avoid shorts.

Alternatively, there are adhesive pcb standoffs made entirely out of plastic, but you might not find any exactly the right height.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HAMMOND-1421PCB1-8-PCB-STANDOFFS-/181444693430?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Components_Supplies_ET&hash=item2a3ef24db6

Paul

5

You can solder wires to the pins of the display and make them as long as you want.

6

Try googling "socket strips", also have a look at the Samtec site

They have many options of varying heights and insertion depths.

Rob

7

hazymat:
Thanks for the reply (god knows what I'm doing up at this time...)

Whereabouts are you? Sounds like you're in the UK.

It's an I2c display so only 4 pins in a single row.

My problem is that I can't find varying height sockets. Are such things commonly found?

You can't get shorter than a low profile socket, but different manufacturers have different heights for 'low profile'.

8

2.8mm is about the thickness of the insulating strip on male header pin strips, use
these to solder the module to the board? Assuming its 0.1" pitch (you mention
stripboard so that's v. probable).