BERKELEY, CA – Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) has developed a method for interconnecting printed circuit boards without requiring soldering or additional components.

These narrow board-in-board connectors reportedly can handle higher voltages and mechanical stresses compared to currently available miniature connector technologies. Multiple boards can be connected into a variety of shapes, including stacked vertically, run sequentially in a series, or connected at various angles to create 3-D shapes.

Potential uses span from aviation electronics to thin sensor probes.

This new PCB with board-in-board interconnectors relies on established PCB manufacturing techniques; is inexpensive compared to pin connector alternatives; does not require soldering; is customizable into 3-D shapes; provides opportunities in high-stress applications or where the devices are subject to vibration; and can handle high voltages.

PCBs are shaped in a 5mm format, similar to a pencil, with each end of the board containing an array of angled slots, or a series of pins shaped like miniature jaws with barbed teeth that lock two PCBs together. The angled slots create a spring-loading mechanism that reportedly eliminates the need to solder PCBs and ensures robust connections that withstand vibration.

“These new types of PCB interconnects open up a world of design opportunities for electronics,” said Stijn Wielandt, a researcher in Berkeley Lab’s Earth and Environmental Sciences area. “The strong locking mechanism means simple assembly and less breakage in applications that produce mechanical stress or vibrations on circuit boards. The compact format also allows for use in 3-D components.”

The connector can handle higher voltages, which opens opportunities in the field of power electronics, for example in solar power, battery packs, and motor control.

This technology is now available for licensing.

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