In the electronics industry many products require electrical tests which include
"Kelvin" (dual contact or 4-wire) connections to multiple pins, in order to provide
reliable low resistance measurements. This Miniature Kelvin Contact allows unique test setups, and flexible placement on custom circuit boards, which make it desirable for many electronic test applications.
BACKGROUND:
Many electrical tests require low resistance "Kelvin" (dual contact or 4-wire) connections to the electrical
point of interest, which allows for correction or elimination of the resistance inherent in the measurement
system itself. Typically the commercial contacts used to interface with pin type applications involve large
“alligator clips” or other awkward contacts with large wire bundles (four wires per pin tested), which frequently damage the very pins being tested. For testing groups of pins (headers and pin arrays), such Kelvin contacts are just not feasible.
DESCRIPTION:
This Miniature Kelvin Contact uses two double ended “POGO” contacts contained in an insulating housing
to make the 4 wire connection to a single pin, and provides that connection directly to a circuit board. This
Kelvin Contact Assembly engages the tip of the test pin and compresses to maintain electrical contact with
the end of the pin. Contact forces of both pogo pins are in line with the pin, minimizing side load stresses on
the test pin.
The opposite end of each contact assembly is mounted directly to a common circuit board, which eliminates
separate wiring, and allows pins and contacts to be placed in any desired location, providing flexible interface with product connections and unrestricted pin spacing. As products and test contacts continue to shrink, providing a flexible, repeatable and reliable test interface solution will become increasingly important.
ADVANTAGES:
This Miniature Kelvin Contact provides several desirable improvements over these existing technologies,
including:
- Reliable and repeatable test connections
- Minimized physical damage to the part or pins being tested
- Minimized bending damage (side loading) of product pins
- Direct interface to circuit board
- Elimination of wire bundles
- Eliminated wiping damage to test pins
- Small physical package
- Flexible positioning to accommodate testing of virtually any pin pattern and spacing
APPLICATIONS:
This Miniature Kelvin Contact allows unique test setups, and flexible placement on
custom circuit boards, which make it desirable for many electronic test applications,
including:
- Component and product test systems within the electronics and
computer industry
- Reliability testing applications within the aerospace industry