Patent ID: 7964956

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a circuit; a substrate having a surface on which the circuit is mounted; multiple conductive leads extending, in an orthogonal manner relative to the surface, through the substrate to electrically connect the circuit to a host circuit board, each conductive lead having a contact element at an axial end thereof opposite the substrate to attach the axial end of the respective conductive lead to a surface mount pad of the host circuit board, wherein each contact element has a larger surface area than a cross-sectional area of the respective conductive lead as viewed along an axial direction of the respective conductive lead; and a standoff disposed on each contact element, each standoff having a smaller cross-sectional area than the cross-sectional area of the respective conductive lead as viewed along the axial direction of the respective conductive lead, the standoffs providing a spacing between the contact elements and the corresponding surface mount pads of the host circuit board, the spacing and the smaller cross-sectional areas of the standoffs allowing a deposit of solder between each contact element and the corresponding surface mount pad whereby the solder deposit contacts a surface area of the contact element greater than a surface area of the respective standoff and substantially equal to a surface area of the corresponding surface mount pad to enhance a strength of a solder joint formed between the contact element and the corresponding surface mount pad.