How can I connect my small PCB with sensor to the bigger PCB?

My small PCB is mounting a very sensitive fragile sensor on the top surface that has to be wire bonded to the PCB, so I am trying to design a smaller PCB that can be surface mounted to the bigger PCB. How can I get some kind of thin footprint for interconnecting the two PCB boards?

PCB Design
December 4, 2023

You can just put plated half holes on the edge of the small board and then solder it directly to the large board. This skips having a connector all-together. Many board manufacturers can do this.

#PCB Design

Oliver Smith

Oliver is an experienced electronics engineer skilled in PCB design, analog circuits, embedded systems, and prototyping. His deep knowledge spans schematic capture, firmware coding, simulation, layout, testing, and troubleshooting. Oliver excels at taking projects from concept to mass production using his electrical design talents and mechanical aptitude.

Oliver Smith

What Others Are Asking

What are the black spots in lead-free solder joints on PCB?

I am prototyping a PCB, using Chip Quik’s “SMDSWLF.031, a Sn96.5/ Ag3.0/ Cu0.5 solder with 2.2% no-clean flux. I find that the black spots appears frequently in larger pads on my board. I wonder if it is because I left the soldering iron more time heating the solder and that burnt the flux. What is that black residue? Is that a sign of a bad joint or maybe bad soldering technique?

Oliver Smith December 1, 2023

Is paste mask layer, both top and bottom layer, necessary for THT components?

I know the paste mask layer is also called the stencil layer. It’s only used for assembly. I want to know if the paste mask layer (both top and bottom layer) is necessary for through hole components. For SMD components I know the paste mask layer is required to solder the components. Is it necessary for through hole components?

Oliver Smith November 27, 2023

How can I remove tenting on vias after assembly for debugging?

I have two BGA parts on a PCB, with a 32 bit wide bus with a few control lines and a clock line connecting them. Almost all of these traces are only on internal layers. There looks like a signal integrity problem on the bus. The good news is that the board only has parts on one side, and all the vias are through-all. Can anyone suggest good ways to remove the tenting over the vias so they could be probed with an oscilloscope, or at least be able to solder 30 gauge wire to them?

Oliver Smith December 1, 2023