Two-row connector blocks are ubiquitous in small-run and hobbyist PCB designs. Pitches of 0.1" or 2mm are the most common, and there are all sorts of options for board-to-board or board-to-wire connectors. The problem is that pin numbering schemes vary wildly.
Pin numbering schemes I've seen include:
- DIP-style counterclockwise:
- Zig-zag between the two rows:
- Down one row then the other, but NOT counterclockwise:
In my experience, getting the pin numbers wrong is one of the most common sources of PCB heartbreak. I've done a lot of wire patching to correct 6-pin header layout mistakes… and I've thrown away boards with 70-pin header errors.
My question is: Are there industry standard terms for these (or other) 2-row pin numbering schemes?
I would love to have a short, reliable way to specify these schemes, to allow saying things like "We're using a 14-pin 0.1" header with zig-zag numbering" (or whatever).
Although standardized names with the broadest possible user base are (obviously) better, I realize that there probably isn't one true answer to this question. I'd appreciate answers about how these schemes are named even within smaller subsets of the industry, as long as you're clear about the scope of use (e.g. "At company X we always called the second scheme 'shoelacing'").
Best Answer
If not the connector is made to a certain specification, say IEC60603-2, there is nothing that says that the manufacturer can't make it anyway he like.
And I have not seen a "default" standard yet.