Re:DFI GHF51: AMD Ryzen R1000 on a Raspberry Pi Sized Board
by elcritch on Thursday March 19, 2020 @09:40AM
(#22627369)
To build on that, you can also secure the USB-C connector with a small dab of epoxy or locktite. Many devices I've pulled apart put a dab of epoxy on connectors to secure them so it's a known technique. A small dab still lets a technician break it if need be for repairs.
Re:DFI GHF51: AMD Ryzen R1000 on a Raspberry Pi Sized Board
by dheera on Thursday March 19, 2020 @03:03PM
(#22630538)
The USB-C connector is surface-mounted, so that makes it super easy to be torqued off by the massive cantilever that is the USB-C plug. I regularly have entire connectors ripped off PCBs but that has never happened with cheap, industrial connectors like the various ones Molex produces (and they're dirt cheap).
Molex has very sturdy through-hole power connectors as well as plugs that are lower profile and won't torque off the connector as easily. 2-pin Mini-Fit Jr. would work pretty well.
Or XT30 even. I love XT30 connectors.
However, I disagree that the Molex connector is inherently superior to USB-C. I am abundantly familiar with the incongruity of a wall wart in an embedded application, but all you need for the power supply is 5V delivered over a USB-C connector. I understand an appeal for a latching or screw-secured connector, but a pin header connector is neither of those. USB-C doesn't easily fall out, it's just another connector.
Another answer is to hack a USB 2.0 C-C cable [1] in half, pull back the shield, heat shrink over the shield and 30 AWG data wires, crimp ferrules on the 26 AWG power wires, and run those to my screw terminals of the existing embedded 5V power bus.
[1] https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=27907