Hobbyist soldering of USB C connectors - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: rea5245
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2022, 10:15:34 pm
content: I'm still using mini-B USB connectors in my hobby projects because soldering a USB C connector looks really hard to do. Has anyone attempted hand-soldering those things?

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2022, 10:35:20 pm
content: It depends on the connector type. Something like thishttps://www.aliexpress.com/item/33004501788.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.731b1f99ZY9xkNis very easy to solder by hand. The pins are well exposed and accessible.There are others that are impossible to solder without reflow soldering or hot air and those are hard to do by hand, mostly because quality control is virtually impossible.

author: sleemanj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2022, 11:26:42 pm
content: If you are only using for power then there are 6 pin variants of the sockets which only expose power and CC pins (you can even get 2 pin ones that only expose power but I don't think that would be very compliant)Similarly there are reduced pin count sockets for doing only USB-2 over Type-C

author: ve7xen
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2022, 11:58:55 pm
content: There are also THT USB2 only connectors available. e.g. I have used GCT USB4085-GF-A. It's about the finest pitch THT part I've seen (0.85mm), but still pretty easy to hand solder. Even some SMT micro-B footprints are pretty difficult to hand solder, with the very short tails partially hidden under the structure, same problem with USB-C.

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 02, 2022, 12:01:23 am
content: I know, not really what you asked, but I am very lazy and like things like thesehttps://www.ebay.ca/itm/353810684688

author: rea5245
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 02, 2022, 12:25:29 am
content: Quote from: Alex Eisenhut on January 02, 2022, 12:01:23 amThat would be fine for hobby projects. Though it would be so much easier to use if they had put through holes in it.

author: sleemanj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 02, 2022, 12:37:34 am
content: Off topic, but in writing my post I checked LCSC to make sure I wasn't mis-remembering, less than 2 hours later I get an email from AliExpress '"usb c connector pcb" picks'

author: DrG
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 02, 2022, 01:07:39 am
content: Quote from: rea5245 on January 02, 2022, 12:25:29 amI would expect that those are out there alsohttps://www.amazon.com/Treedix-Type-C-Breakout-Connector-Converter/dp/B096M2HQLK/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=usb+c+breakout+board&qid=1641085774&sr=8-3, although I have not gotten around to adding a few.

author: NorthernWing
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2022, 01:12:13 pm
content: https://lcsc.com/product-detail/USB-Connectors_XUNPU-TYPEC-304J-BCP16_C2835315.htmlI've been using these for everything - they're good for USB 2.0 over a Type-C connector and are quit easy to solder down. You get power, D+/D-, and SBU/CC. There are power-only connectors out there too if you're just trying to get power to a board. Watch out for the length of the shield pins on these, most of them are short which I'm assuming is intended for an 0.8mm PCB.Most of the fully populated Type-C connectors have a row of SMT pins underneath the connector body which I've given up on trying to assemble by hand at this point.

author: Hydron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2022, 02:33:47 pm
content: Some of the fully populated mixed SMT/THT parts might be doable by hand without much bother - the THT bit means no hidden SMT pads underneath. e.g.https://www.we-online.com/catalog/en/COM_3_1_THR_SMT_TYPE_C_RECEPTACLE_HORIZONTAL

author: eugene
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 04, 2022, 06:12:30 pm
content: I haven't tried USB C connectors, but one trick I have used to solder SMD micro HDMI connectors to prototype PCBs is to put some solder on the PCB pads first with a soldering iron (and a microscope.) Then hold the part in question on top of the solder blobs and use a hot air rework tool to 'reflow' the solder.I understand that a hot air tool is not something that most hobbyists have, but it is not out of reach if this is something that you are serious about. I use something like this and it works well enoughhttps://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001954545890.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.363c37372kx3U2&algo_pvid=0a3e62bb-61ac-4e28-a1a7-ec12cd2c7f34&aem_p4p_detail=2022010410061911848516281394910036327671&algo_exp_id=0a3e62bb-61ac-4e28-a1a7-ec12cd2c7f34-34&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22sku_id%22%3A%2212000018214832490%22%7D&pdp_pi=-1%3B121.5%3B-1%3BUSD+118.95%40salePrice%3BUSD%3Bsearch-mainSearchThere are less (and more) expensive devices available, but I cannot testify to their suitability.