When to Use Stacking Headers

Stacking headers are basically just larger, taller female headers. They come in handy when you want to be able to take your Feather and FeatherWing boards apart, or if you want to plug them into a solderless breadboard.

They're great for prototyping, and sturdy enough for permanent use in most projects.

Wear eye protection when cutting header parts. Often pieces fly through the air and could injure someone if not careful.

How to Solder Stacking Headers

Place the stacking headers into the board so that the long pins poke through the two rows of breakout pads. Make sure the long pins are sticking out the bottom.

To make it easier to keep these in place, you can use some tape to hold down the two header pieces. Tacky clay also works, whatever you've got handy!

And Solder!

Be sure to solder all pins for reliable electrical contact.

(For tips on soldering, be sure to check out our Guide to Excellent Soldering).

Start by soldering the first row of header.

Now flip around and solder the other row completely.

When you are finished, check that your soldered joints are nice and shiny.

Solder male headers to your topmost board and they will plug right in to the stacking headers, which you can then plug in to another stacking header or into your solderless breadboard.

This guide was first published on Nov 04, 2020. It was last updated on Nov 04, 2020.

This page (Stacking Headers) was last updated on Oct 04, 2022.