Electronic – What are the standard connectors used on 12V hobby batteries

In 1921, the Morris U.S. Patent 1,376,154 was issued for a so-called "wireless" or "cordless" lighter. This lighter eliminated the cables and the mechanism for winding and unwinding them. The igniter was heated in the socket then removed for use.

Twelve volt automobile plugs are standardized in the United States by UL Standard 2089 regarding vehicle battery adapters. This standard covers plugs and cord sets that insert into cigarette lighter receptacles.

The sockets and mating plugs are defined in the ANSI/SAE J563 specification

Those three are listed in wikipedia. Turns out that these don't really have a fixed name past lighter receptacle/socket/assembly/etc. Anyone knows what you mean by just calling it a cigarette lighter assembly. Even the above standards don't give them a special name, but you have to purchase the standard to read the entire thing so they might have a name buried in them.

Digikey has them as "cigarette lighter assemblies" under the batteries category (doesn't make sense I know) http://www.digikey.com/catalog/en/search?filters=18648

For starters, that connector has an insertion force of 0.75 Newtons per pin. There's 110 pins. Converting to lbs and multiplying by the number of pins gives us almost 17 pounds of force to insert.

Q1: 17 Pounds of force doesn't sound like a lot, but when you're pushing that into a PCB you can easily bend/warp the PCB to the point that components that are already soldered will get messed up-- especially BGA's. You will need some sort of bench press to push the connector in, and some sort of jig to hold the PCB so it doesn't bend too much.

Q2: Make sure that the plating of the hole is the correct thickness. Also, make sure the PCB thickness itself is going to be good with that connector.

Q3: Check with the manufacturer on the solder-ability of the connector. It might have platings on it that are more suitable for pressing than soldering. Also, the plastic used might not stand up to soldering temperatures. Even if you can solder it, you might want to make "some" of the pins press-fit if only to hold the connector in place while you solder it. If only 4-12 holes are press-fit then flexing and insertion force will be much more manageable.

In all cases, there is probably information on the manufacturers web site that addresses these issues with more accuracy than what anyone here could give you. Check for application notes and white papers. If you are doing volume production then call your mfg rep or distributor for help.