Answers to some frequently asked questions

What elements should I include in my tester design?

You will want some easily identifiable way to tell that your board has passed test. For standalone testing jigs, including a piezo buzzer and LED light are a simple way to indicate when a test has completed successfully.

Bread-board friendly Piezo Buzzer
Piezo buzzers are used for making beeps, tones and alerts. This one is petite but loud! Drive it with 3-30V peak-to-peak square wave. To use, connect one pin to ground (either one) and...
$1.50
In Stock
Single LED lit up green - 3mm.
Need some indicators? We are big fans of these diffused green LEDs, as featured in the LoL shield. They are fairly bright so they can be seen in daytime, and from any angle. They go...
$4.95
In Stock

Do I need a clamp on my test jig?

For tests that take longer than a few seconds, adding a clamp to your tester design can greatly speed up your process by freeing up your hands to do other things while your board is undergoing test. 

Adafruit carries a variety of the same clamps that we use in our own tester designs, including a variety of sizes and styles depending on the size and shape of the board being tested.

Video of a white hand manipulating a toggle clamp to press a PCB onto a prototype tester with pogo pins.
*Ka-thunk* Pin down that PCB with our Toggle Clamp, a sturdy and reliable way to quickly press and release with precision! A pogo-pin bed is a great way to connect and...
$4.95
In Stock
Video of a white hand manipulating a toggle clamp to press a blue rectangular board.
*Ka-thunk* Pin down that PCB with our Toggle Clamp, a sturdy and reliable way to quickly press and release with precision! A pogo-pin bed is a great way to...
$3.95
In Stock
Video of a white hand manipulating a toggle clamp to press a PCB onto a prototype tester with pogo pins.
*Ka-thunk* Pin down that little PCB with our Toggle Clamp, a sturdy and reliable way to quickly press and release with precision! A pogo-pin bed is a great way to...
$3.95
In Stock
Angled shot of a yellow Fixture Clip.
Doesn't this fixture clamp look like a character in a Pixar movie?  If you just drew two little eyes on it then you could just imagine it hopping around on nifty,...
$0.95
In Stock

Should I order my PCB, mill it, or use a proto shield?

Order PCB: If you have the PCB design, want a longer-lasting tester, and don't mind waiting for a bit.

Mill PCB: If you have access to a milling machine and want to quickly and accurately create a prototype of your tester design.

Use proto shield: If you don't have the exact design for your PCB but have the general direction of how your tester will work.

Animation of an assembling and disassembling Adafruit Proto Shield for Arduino.
This prototyping shield is the best out there (well, we think so, at least), and now is even better with Version R3 - updated for the most compatibility with just...
Out of Stock

What happens if some copper breaks off from my milled PCB?

  • Sometimes when placing pogo pins in a milled PCB, this can happen.
  • The copper film is quite delicate which can cause the copper layer to rip off sometimes. If this is the case don't fret it!
  • Just grab some thin, solid core wire.
  • Next, expose some wire on each end.
  • Now use some tweezers and create a small loop on one end. This end will be for the pogo pin.
  • Re-place the pogo pin in the affected area going through this wire.
  • Solder wire to pogo pin.
  • Later when soldering pins to the pcb, make another loop with the wire, place around the adjacent pin, and solder in place. 
Large spool of Wire Wrap Thin Prototyping & Repair Wire
This stuff is called "wire-wrap wire" because it used to be used for wire-wrapping high-speed digital circuits on a special kind of contact board. It's pretty rare to see wire-wrapping in...
$7.50
In Stock

This guide was first published on Feb 07, 2020. It was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

This page (FAQ) was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

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