Stacking Hats + 2x20 pin ribbon?

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Spiris
 
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Stacking Hats + 2x20 pin ribbon?

Post by Spiris »

Hello, I'm new to tinkering with the rasberry pi. I'm currently running windows IoT with my Pi 3 and the Adafruit GPS hat. I'm wondering if it's possible to have my GPS hat with a 2x20 pin ribbon attached to my Pi3 at the same time with some sort of configuration using the extra long headers? Reason being is i'd like to be able to have access to some of the GPIO pins so i can run LED's and servos etc while simultaneously having GPS from the hat. If this is possible can someone explain what hardware I'd need to stack the GPS hat with my 2x20 pin robbon and the order they are added onto the 2x20 pins of the Rasberry pi 3. Thanks so much!

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adafruit_support_mike
 
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Re: Stacking Hats + 2x20 pin ribbon?

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

If you want to build circuits in a breadboard, you can use a Pi Cobbler or T-Cobbler:

https://www.adafruit.com/product/2029
https://www.adafruit.com/product/2028

These are the stacking headers you'd want for the GPS Hat:

https://www.adafruit.com/product/1979

The pins will extend above the Hat and you can plug the Cobbler's IDC cable onto them.

The Hat pinout also has a row of holes connected to most of the useful GPIO pins though. You can solder wire directly into those, or use headers and jumpers:

https://www.adafruit.com/product/392
https://www.adafruit.com/product/598

https://www.adafruit.com/category/306

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Spiris
 
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Re: Stacking Hats + 2x20 pin ribbon?

Post by Spiris »

adafruit_support_mike wrote:
These are the stacking headers you'd want for the GPS Hat:

https://www.adafruit.com/product/1979

The pins will extend above the Hat and you can plug the Cobbler's IDC cable onto them.

https://www.adafruit.com/category/306
Thank you for the great answer to my question! Are there standoffs that work with the adafruit hats and the extra long headers?

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adafruit_support_mike
 
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Re: Stacking Hats + 2x20 pin ribbon?

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

We don't have anything specifically sized for that, but to be honest it's been years since I paid for a pre-made standoff.

I use M2 bolts and nuts, and 1/4" HDPE water/air/vacuum tubing, all of which you can get from just about any hardware store. Cut chunks of tubing to the length you want with a sharp blade, slide the bolts through them, and presto, you have standoffs.

You can also use 4-40 bolts and/or threaded rod. Those are slightly bigger than the 0.1" mounting holes in most PCBs, but FR4 (the epoxy material PCBs are made from) taps beautifully. You can cut the threads into the PCB itself and use the board as the nut.

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jimjulian
 
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Re: Stacking Hats + 2x20 pin ribbon?

Post by jimjulian »

Hello,

One of the things I think are useful when expanding the functionality of a Raspberry Pi, is a GP{IO expansion board/hat.
I currently have one with three 2x20 headers. The extra headers come in handy when multiple I2C devices are used.
Currently, I can mount 2 ADS1115 analog-to-digital converter modules, a PCF8591 multi-function breakout module,
a real time clock (RTC) DS-3231, and an eight channel multiplexer module.

The use of such a board leaves the Raspberry Pi header in tact should you decide to change some things.

I have questions about the reliability of jumpers in the long term. New jumpers placed just once may last a long time,
but over time, they may work loose, stretch, or develop contact resistance. Soldering is more secure,
but alters the header pins making jumper use difficult if not impossible.
Stackable headers with long pins can become a more secure replacement for jumpers and still
maintin the usability of the original header.

Jim J.

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adafruit_support_mike
 
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Re: Stacking Hats + 2x20 pin ribbon?

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

Yeah, those are tradeoffs you have to consider when using any kind of connector.

In functional terms, male pin header will last forever. It would take massive amounts of wear to change the physical dimensions of a pin enough to measure.

Female header is pretty much the same. The forks are designed to flex without deformation, so they can survive thousands of insertion cycles.

Stamped metal wire terminals do deform with use, and will become iffy within a few dozen insertion cycles.

Soldered connections are the most reliable, but are a bit less convenient than mechanical connectors. Functionally, they can be disconnected and reconnected about as many times as stamped terminals before the copper foil starts to delaminate from the board.

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