Patent ID: 7025640

Claim:
A method of forming an electrical connection in through-holes defined in a circuit board substrate, comprising: providing a circuit board substrate having first and second surfaces and through-holes extending between said first and second surfaces; providing a pin block, said pin block comprising a dielectric housing having a body and at least one stand-off, said body having a board mounting face and an opposed mating face, said at least one stand-off extending from said board mounting face; providing conductive terminals, each having first and second ends, each of the terminals being positioned in said pin block such that said first and end extends through said body between said board mounting face and said mating face; providing first conductive pads on sad first surface of said circuit board substantially adjacent said through-holes; placing solder paste on said first conductive pads spaced apart from the through-holes; assembling said pin block and said terminals to said circuit board substrate, such that each of said terminals is placed into one of said through-holes such that said first end is exposed for electrical connection with a mating element on said first side of said circuit board and said second end is exposed for electrical connection with a mating element on said second side of said circuit board, and further such that said board mounting face of said pin block faces the first surface of the printed circuit board and said at least one stand-off placed between the terminals and against said first surface of said circuit board substrate to locate said pin block a sufficient distance from said circuit board to enable a solder fillet to form between said conductive terminal and said first conductive pad; and re-flowing said solder paste to flow solder into said through-holes and form solder fillets that electrically connect said terminals with said first conductive pads; the method further comprises the step of placing a stencil over said through-holes prior to said step of placing solder paste on said first conductive pads to prevent said solder paste from being placed in said through-holes and said method further comprises the step of removing said stencil prior to said step of placing said terminals into said through-holes.