Connectors

GM862 SMD Connector

DB9 Serial Connector

Barrel Power Jack

Mini-USB SMD connector

MicroSD/Transflash Socket

UEXT: universal expansion connector. The standard UEXT connector consists of ten pins (two rows of five, with 0.1" spacing) and supports I2C, SPI, and RS-232 serial communication, as well as carrying +3.3V power and common ground. -- Wikipedia: UEXT

JTAG connectors?

ideas#better data cable ideas

Some connector companies in no particular order: Samtec, Molex,

Rather than wiring a connector up directly to a CPU, one typically has some input protection between them.

The SFE Footprint Library includes a few connectors.

Mark Whitis has a list of "common pitfalls of Micro Development Boards". He describes how the 26 pin connectors on his Mark Whitis Microcontroller Development Board avoid those pitfalls and have many non-obvious features that make them superior to many other connectors.

Massmind: "Maximum interconnect options from minimum board space" discusses a board pattern that gives you the option of plugging in any one of a variety of different connectors.

Connectors and data cable ideas are further discussed at Ideas#better_data_cable_ideas.

Power-only USB connectors and cables

• Adafruit. "USB C SMT / THM Jack Connector - Power Only".

• Simon Lewis. "Make a USB Cable 'power Only'".
• Charlie Sorrel. "How (and why) to make your own power-only USB cable".
• "I want to make a USB C charge only cable".

• Jeff Smoot. "An Introduction to Power-Only USB Type C Connectors".
  • Jeff Smoot. "An Overview of USB Type-C in Power-Only Designs".
  • Reddit "USB Type-C devices & hardware" : comments on "An Introduction to Power-Only USB Type C Connectors"

• "How can I tell charge-only USB cables from USB data cables?".
• "Using USB-C as a power source".
• "What is the max USB cable type-A male to type-c male Volt/current/Wattage possible?".
• "USB Type C Power Delivery ... max length?": "Is there a maximum length for a charging only cable?"

• Matthew Lai. "Designing with USB-C: Lessons Learned": "Type-C connectors tend to be much harder to solder ... Power-Only SMT ... simpler connectors that only have power and the CC pins ... [such as] Korean Hroparts TYPE-C-31-M-17."

• "GCT 6 Pin USB Type-C for Charging": "GCT USB Charging Connectors": GCT USB4125, GCT USB4135, GCT USB4515, GCT USB4715 Waterproof IP67 USB Type C Connector, GCT USB4180, GCT USB4130, GCT USB4140, GCT USB4175. All these USB C connectors have 6 contacts: the CC1 and CC2 pins used for USB PD negotiation, the 2 GND pins, and the 2 VBUS pins.

"Directive 2022/2380 will require any electronical hand held devices marketed in the EU to contain a USB-C charging port." -- "EU 2022/2380 directive - Are you (USB Type-C) compliant?"

USB-C breakout boards

• SparkFun. "USB-C Breakout": "breaks out the USB-C connector's VBUS, GND, CC1, CC2, D+, and D- pins intro a 0.1" pitch header"
• SparkFun. "SparkFun Serial Basic Breakout - CH340C and USB-C": "USB-to-Serial adapter ... The pinout of the Serial Basic mimics the common DTR/RXI/TXO/VCC/CTS/GND pinout ..."
• Adafruit. "Simple USB C Socket Breakout": "it doesn't break out all the pads - it just gives you the classic 4 USB pins" Vbus, D-, D+, GND.
• Adafruit. "Adafruit USB Type C Breakout Board" and "USB C Breakout Board".
• Adafruit. "USB Type C Socket - SMT Inline Breakout Board". with nearly all of the 24 pins broken out.
• Pololu. "USB 2.0 Type-C Connector Breakout Board": "The USB-C connector’s 24 tightly-spaced pins make it difficult to use in a hobby project or prototype design. This breakout board helps by providing access to the connector’s pins for power (VBUS and GND), USB 2.0 differential data (D+ and D−), Configuration Channel (CC), and Sideband Use (SBU)."
• Pololu. "USB 2.0 Type-C Connector Breakout Board".
• PMD Way. "USB 3.1 Type C Male to Female Breakout Test Board".
• Tinkersphere. "Male USB C Breakout Board" and "Female USB C Breakout Board".
• Newegg. "USB-C Male Plug Connector [Breakout Board"].

Reduced pin count USB connectors and cables

• Tony P. "How to add USB Type C to your USB 2.0 projects": "replace the micro-USB / mini-USB ... 24 pin connectors are really unfriendly packages. They are very dense making it incredibly hard to reliably solder. The solution to this is to use a reduced pin count type C. ... "TYPE-C-31-M-12" ... by Korean Hroparts Elec [is a] 12 pin USB Type C connector"
• Sparkfun. "Reversible USB A to C Cable - 2m": "Supporting USB 2.0 speeds and charging up to 2A, ... the flexibility of a thinner cable and the wonderful feel of a reversible ... USB-A connection. ... This cable has the D+/D- wires along side large-gauge VBUS/GND wires."
• SparkFun. "Connector Basics: USB Connectors": "USB-B Connectors ... is bulky, but robust, so in applications where size is not an issue, it's the preferred means for providing a removable connector for USB connectivity."

• Matthew Lai. "Designing with USB-C: Lessons Learned": "Type-C connectors tend to be much harder to solder ... The standard is also much more complicated, though as we will see shortly, actual implementation is VERY simple if we just want to use it to replace micro-B in USB 2.0 devices (as opposed to hosts). ... USB 2.0-Only SMT ... connectors ... omit all the pins not required for USB 2.0... [such as] the Korean Hroparts TYPE-C-31-M-12 (LCSC part number C165948)."

• Morten Christiansen, Synopsys. "Converting Existing USB Designs to Support Type-C Connections"

• "USB Type-C Alternative with fewer signal wires".

Magnetic connectors

• Adafruit. "Magnetic USB Type-C Plug Tip" and the matching "USB A or Type-C to Type-C Cable with Magnetic Tip - 1 meter long".

• "USB Type-C Alternative with fewer signal wires": some of the answers mention magnetic connectors.

• Adafruit. "DIY Magnetic Connector - Right Angle Five Contact Pins". A set of 2 halves that magnetically attract.

Further reading

• SFUPTOWNMAKER, SparkFun member #23999 "Connector Basics".