GB2282714A

GB2282714A - Electrical adapter

Info

Publication number: GB2282714A
Application number: GB9420453A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gareth David Simpson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1993-10-11
Filing date: 1994-10-11
Publication date: 1995-04-12
Also published as: GB9320867D0; GB9420453D0

Abstract

An adapter enables one or more electrical or electronic components such as ic to be converted to a Zig Zag or staggered connection configuration; one or more components having a non-Zig Zag connection configuration can be converted to a Zig Zag connection configuration. The adapter comprises a substrate 1 having a first face for the reception of the one or more electrical or electronic components and a second face, and a connection block 2 having a Zig Zag or staggered output lead configuration 3 mounted on the first face or the second face, whereby the adapter enables one or more electrical or electronic components to fit a standard Zig Zag connector and simulate an existing component having a Zig Zag output lead configuration. The substrate 1 comprises a pcb to which the output and component leads are connected, and supports interconnecting tracks and ground planes. <IMAGE>

Description

ADAPTER The invention relates to adapters for enabling one or more electrical or electronic components to be converted to a Zig Zag connecting configuration.

In the electronics industry there are many different methods for connecting components to printed circuit boards or the like. Many integrated circuits have a dual in-line, or DIP configuration. The dual in-line configuration is a standard form of package used for integrated circuits. It consists of a ceramic or plastic casing containing a lead frame. The frame is used to form the connections to the bonding pads of the integrated circuit and is connected to output pins arranged in two parallel lines at opposite sides of the package. The number of pins available varies usually from about 8 for smaller circuits to 48 or more for large circuits. The output pins are arranged so as to pass through component mounting holes in a PCB and be soldered to tracks on the reverse side. Traditionally the majority of integrated circuits in use today are of the dual in-line DIP configuration.

In recent years surface mounted components have become available and the output pins of these packages are designed to be soldered directly to the surface of the component side of a PCB rather than passing through holes in the PCB and being soldered from the reverse side.

Even more recently, a so-called Zig Zag package has become available. Zig Zag packages also have two parallel rows of output connections, but the rows are much closer to one another than on dual in-line DIP packages or surface mount packages and are staggered so as to produce the characteristic "Zig Zag" appearance. Zig Zag packages are also known as ZIP packages.

Effectively, ZIP packages are dual in line packages which are mounted along one edge.

ZIP packages are becoming increasing popular as they tend to offer certain space saving advantages.

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to obtain the required device in a ZIP package for a particular application.

According to one aspect of the present invention, an adapter is provided for enabling one or more electrical or electronic components having a non-Zig Zag connection configuration to be converted to a Zig Zag connection configuration, the adapter comprising a substrate having a first face for the reception of the one or more electrical or electronic components and a second face, and a connection block having a Zig Zag output lead configuration is mounted on the first face or the second face, whereby the adapter enables one or more electrical or electronic components to fit a standard Zig Zag connector and simulate an existing component having a Zig Zag output lead configuration.

The adapter may enable a Zig Zag (ZIP) component, or components, having a connection configuration which, by reason of electrical or spatial characteristics is not compatible with the existing component, to simulate the component.

Preferably, the connection block comprises an elongate strip of electrically insulating material having a plurality of transversely protruding, longitudinally evenly spaced connection pins passing therethrough from a first transverse side to a second transverse side.

The substrate may be rigid or non-rigid.

Preferably, each connection pin has a first end mounted to the second face of the substrate and a second, free end.

The free ends of the connection pins are arranged in Zig Zag configuration whilst the first ends are preferably all in line with one another. Preferably, the first ends form connection pads.

Preferably, each of the connection pads is electrically connected to at least one component lead connecting part.

The component lead connecting parts may comprise electrically conducting terminals for connection to the one or more electrical or electronic components.

The connecting parts may comprise solder terminals.

The one or more electrical or electronic components may comprise integrated circuits The integrated circuits may have a dual in line DIP connection configuration.

Alternatively, the one or more electrical or electronic components may comprise surface mounting components or one or more Zig Zag components. In a further alternative, the electrical or electronic components may be discrete components.

The adapter may enable one or more integrated circuit packages having a non-Zig Zag connection configuration to be substituted for an integrated circuit package having a Zig Zag connection configuration. In such an application, electrical connections are provided connecting the component lead connecting parts to the first ends of each connection pin so that pin-for-pin compatibility of the one or more non-Zig Zag configuration integrated circuit packages with the Zig Zag configuration integrated circuit package is achieved.

The substrate may comprise a double sided printed circuit board.

Electrical connections to the substrate may be in the form of soldered connections or, for instance, electrically conducting adhesive or any other suitable electrically conducting means.

In addition to mounting the one or more electrical or electronic components on the first face, one or more other electrical or electronic components may be mounted on the second face.

The substrate may be provided with grounding planes for radio frequency interference suppression.

The invention includes adapters having one or more electrical or electronic components mounted thereon and includes printed circuit boards having one or more of the adapters connected thereto.

By way of example, a specific embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of an adapter according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a bottom view of the adapter of Figure 1 as viewed from arrow A in Figure 1; Figure 3 shows the component mounting side of the adapter of Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 is a side view of the adapter of Figures 1 to 3 as viewed from arrow B in Figure 1; and Figure 5 is a side view of a second embodiment of an adapter according to the present invention.

Referring to Figures 1-4, the adapter shown comprises a substrate 1 and a connection block 2 having a number of connection leads 3 one end 3a of each connection lead 3 being physically and electrically connected to the substrate 1, and the other end 3b of each connection lead being a free end.

Referring to Figure 2, it can be seen that the free ends 3b of the connecting leads have a Zig Zag configuration, i.e. they are arranged in two parallel rows, one row being staggered with respect to the other.

The ends 3a are connected to conducting paths such as solder traces 4l2g which are electrically connected to conducting pads 51-2S- The pads 51-28 connect through the substrate 1 to the pads 6,28 on the component mounting side of the substrate. The pads 6l28 thereafter lead to component mounting points 7l2S. Each of the pads 71-28 are, in use, directly connected to a single pin of a surface mounted integrated circuit package (not shown). It can be seen therefore that each pin of the package is connected to an equivalent pin having a Zig Zag output configuration.

The connection block 2 and leads 3 are mounted on one side 8 of the substrate and the package is mounted on the other side 9. It should be noted that because of this configuration, a particularly compact adapter is achieved as, in practice the connections to one row of legs of the DIP package can actually be made at a position physically lower than the mounting positions of the ends 3a and on the reverse side of the substrate 1. In this manner, the dimension H of the substrate 1 is minimised.

Referring to Figure 3, ground plates 10, 11 are provided. These ground plates act as radio frequency interference suppressors.

The particular manner in which the connection block 2 is mounted to the substrate 1 enables a minimum height of adapter to be achieved. In situations where the height of components above a PCB is particularly critical, the substrate 1 may be connected to the connection block 2 in such a manner than when mounted on the PCB, the substrate 1 is not perpendicular with respect to the PCB. In this manner, a further height saving may be achieved.

A second embodiment, optimised for width critical applications is shown in Figure 5. In the second embodiment, corresponding items have like references.

By mounting the connector block 2 and leads 3 on opposite sides of the substrate from the package, as in the first embodiment, it will become apparent that using thick packages such as small outline J-lead will produce an adapter which is considerasbly wider than the original ZIP component that it is intended to replace. For applications that require a thinner adapter, it is possible to move the package from side 9 to side 8 so that both the block and leads 2,3 and the package are on the same side of the substrate 1 detailed in Figure 5. By reducing the height of the connector block 2 and length of leads 3, the overall height of the adapter can be kept to a minimum, the connecting traces 4 and the pads 5 being altered as necessary.

The adapter of the present invention enables many types of electrical and electronic components to be converted to a Zig Zag output lead configuration and the scope of the invention is not confined to integrated circuit packages. Discrete component may also be mounted in similar fashion. The Zig Zag adapter enables a larger number of components to be connected to a given circuit board than would otherwise be possible.

As well as enabling greater component density, preferred embodiments of the invention actually exhibit greater strength than convention ZIP packages which they replace.

For particular applications, actual connections to each of the pins of the adapter may be varied according to requirements.

The reader's attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Claims

1. An adapter for enabling one or more electrical or electronic components having a non-Zig Zag connection configuration to be converted to a Zig Zag connection configuration, the adapter comprising a substrate having a first face for the reception of the one or more electrical or electronic components and a second face, and a connection block having a Zig Zag output lead configuration mounted on the first face or the second face, whereby the adapter enables one or more electrical or electronic components to fit a standard Zig Zag connector and simulate an existing component having a Zig Zag output lead configuration.

2. An adapter according to claim 1, in which the adapter enables a Zig Zag (ZIP) component, or components, having a connection configuration which, by reason of electrical or spatial characteristics is not compatible with the existing component, to simulate the component.

3. An adapter according to claim 1 or claim 2, in which the connection block comprises an elongate strip of electrically insulating material having a plurality of transversely protruding, longitudinally evenly spaced connection pins passing therethrough from a first transverse side to a second transverse side.

4. An adapter according to claim 3, in which each connection pin has a first end mounted to the first face or the second face of the substrate and a second, free end.

5. An adapter according to claim 4, in which the free ends of the connection pins are arranged in Zig Zag configuration whilst the first ends are preferably all in line with one another.

6. An adapter according to claim 4 or claim 5, in which the first ends form connection pads.

7. An adapter according to claim 6, in which each of the connection pads is electrically connected to at least one component lead connecting part.

8. An adapter according to claim 7, in which the component lead connecting parts comprise electrically conducting terminals for connection to the one or more electrical or electronic components.

9. An adapter according to claim 7 or claim 8, in which the connecting parts comprise solder terminals.

10. An adapter according to claim 9 as dependent upon claim 8, or claim 9, in which the one or more electrical or electronic components comprise integrated circuits.

11. An adapter according to claim 10, in which the integrated circuits have a dual in line DIP connection configuration.

12. An adapter according to claim 10, in which the one or more electrical or electronic components comprise surface mounting components or one or more Zig Zag components.

13. An adapter according to claim 10, in which the electrical or electronic components are discrete components.

14. An adapter according to any preceding claim, in which the adapter enables one or more integrated circuit packages having a non-Zig Zag connection configuration to be substituted for an integrated circuit package having a Zig Zag connection configuration.

15. An adapter according to claim 14, in which electrical connections are provided connecting the component lead connecting parts to the first ends of each connection pin so that pin-for-pin compatibility of the one or more non Zig Zag configuration integrated circuit packages with the Zig Zag configuration integrated circuit package is achieved.

16. An adapter according to any preceding claim in which the substrate comprises a double sided printed circuit board.

17. An adapter according to any one of claims 1-15, in which the connection block is mounted on the first face of the substrate.

18. An adapter according to any preceding claim, in which electrical connections to the substrate are in the form of soldered connections or, for instance, electrically conducting adhesive or any other suitable electrically conducting means.

19. An adapter according to claim 16, in which one or more electrical or electronic components is or are mounted on the second face.

20. An adapter according to any preceding claim, in which the substrate is provided with at lease one grounding plane for radio frequency interference suppression.

21. An adapter according to any preceding claim, having one or more electrical or electronic components mounted thereon.

22. A printed circuit boards having one or more adapters according to any preceding claim.

23. An adapter substantially as described herein with reference to and as shown in figures 1-4 or figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.