PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD LINERS AND INSERTION METHOD AND APPARATUS

1,220,647. Making printed circuits; assembling force-fits. AMP Inc. 25 June, 1969 [1 July, 1968; 30 July, 1968; 12 Feb., 1969], No. 32030/69. Headings B3A and B3U. [Also in Divisions F2 and H2] A terminal element for use in circular holes 26 of a printed circuit board 20, e.g. of epoxy resin, (not shown) comprises a tubular sheet-metal member having an arcuate end 6, and an oval end 4 having its major axis greater than twice the radius of arcuate end 6, the terminal element optionally including an open seam 8 and a finger-like retaining member 10 with an 'ear' formation 16. Each terminal when assembled in a hole in a printed circuit board is resiliently retained therein and is engaged by an external lead wire which is electrically connected to the terminal by, e.g. dip soldering. Insertion of the lead wire in the terminal opens out the formation 16 to abut an edge of the hole thereby preventing the terminal from moving in one direction during handling before soldering. A method of assembling such elements in the holes of a printed circuit board consists in using a template 22 (Fig. 5) having holes 28 corresponding to those in the printed circuit board, each hole 28 being filled with a terminal element from a plurality of them placed on the template, the entry of the terminals being effected by vibratory means. Terminals so lodged are transferred into holes 26 of the board 20 by the action of punching members 32 which are fixed underneath a plate 24 mounted in a machine (Figs. 13 and 17, not shown) which also includes other plates, guide posts extending into bushing supports through ball bearing retainers, aligning pins and components to hold warped printed circuit boards straight while the terminal elements are inserted through the template holes into the printed circuit board holes.