PCB Headers

Does anyone know where I can obtain 2x8 right angle PCB headers for the IO Pi Plus?

The Molex 90122-0768 right angle header should work on the IO Pi Plus.

They are available from Farnell and RS

Does anyone know a flat cable to connect to this pin header?

A 16-way 2.54mm IDC cable should work for connecting to the pin header.

Farnell does them in 150mm and 300mm lengths.

Alternatively, you could make your own cable using a 16-way IDC connector and some 1.27mm pitch ribbon cable.

Would it be possible to produce a variant of the IO Pi Plus board with right angle headers already fitted? I'm sure this would make a great board even better and would be of value to your customers.

We will look at making a variant in the future with the headers added. The main reason why we leave the connectors bare at the moment is that some people want to solder wires directly onto the board while others want to use right angle or straight headers. There is also the problem that some people want to use the interrupt pins which would need a 12-way connector with two of the pins removed but having the two extra pins on the end would get in the way of using a 16-pin IDC connector.

At the moment we do not have any of the right angle headers in stock for the IO Pi but next time we place an order with our connector supplier we will order some headers and either provide the option of having them pre-soldered or supply them separately so users can fit them themselves.

Ok, so when I look at the PCB board it looks like it was designed for a 20-pin wire-to-board connector like a MOLEX 90130-3220. Can you confirm that I'm seeing that right? Are there other, better choices?

http://www.newark.com/molex/90130-3220/wire-to-board-connector-header/dp/26M7917?MER=bn_level5_5NP_EngagementRecSingleItem_2

The IO Pi Plus was designed to work with the MOLEX 90130-3220 right-angle connector or the 70246-2004 style straight connector.

If you plan on stacking more than one IO Pi Plus on a Raspberry Pi then the right-angle connector would be a better option as the clearance between the boards isn't big enough to fit the straight socket and a plug.

Quote from andrew
The IO Pi Plus was designed to worth with the MOLEX 90130-3220 right angle connector or the 70246-2004 style straight connector...

Thank you Andrew, that was very helpful!

One more question. On the power connector I can see that it has holes for the 5mm screw terminal PLUS two more holes. Is there a specific socket that was designed for? There isn't a dimension on the two extra holes.

The two narrower holes are 2.54mm spacing. On the original version of the IO Pi Plus, the power connector was 2.54mm pitch, designed to work with our 2.54mm screw terminal. When we designed version 2 of the IO Pi Plus we added the holes to use a 5mm screw terminal but kept the 2.54mm holes to give people a choice in what type of connector they want to use.