Recommend me a connector for direct wire to PCB

[praveen]

Dear all,
I am new to this forum and new to Electronics Product Design.
I was designing a modular system blocks which can be interconnected to create circuits and explain concepts to students and beginners. The modules are quite tiny (20mm to 50mm wide). I want some method to connect the signals across these modules. My initial idea was to use 2.54mm pitch headers and using Jumper wires to connect them. These headers come in strips which can be broken and used. But breaking female connectors is not an ideal solution. I tried searching for individual connectors and found some from Samtec, Amphenol and Molex. The availability of so many options just overwhelms me . The cost for those connectors are also pretty high. $0.20 for a single connector will quickly sum up to a huge amount when I have multiple modules.

I was wondering if I could totally eliminate the need for jumper wires and connect hookup wires directly to the board. What is the cost effective and low area solution for fitting wires directly to PCB (for very low power application). I do not want to use screw terminals as they are not friendly to connect and disconnect quickly. Am looking for something so simple like pressing wires in a breadboard but on a PCB.
Thanks in Advance

[John B]

If female 2.54mm pin headers are too expensive, I think you're out of luck.

[praveen]

  I mean buying them as strips are very inexpensive.
But the exact configuration like 2 contacts, single contacts, 4 contacts, they turn out expensive per piece. Any alternatives other than breaking the strips?

[mindcrime]

Am looking for something so simple like pressing wires in a breadboard but on a PCB.

How about something like these Wago 2065 connectors?

https://www.designworldonline.com/five-reasons-the-2065-connector-is-a-reliable-alternative-to-manual-soldering/

https://www.newark.com/wago/2065-100-998-403/tb-wire-to-brd-1way-18awg/dp/52AC9171

They appear to meet the "simple" requirement, but note that they are just as expensive as (or more expensive than) the other options.

[mariush]

You will get discounts if you buy in volume, so a good option would be to design your boards so that they use the same connector or multiples of same connector, even if not all pins / wires are needed.

Also, it's worth focusing on commonly used connectors.
For example,  2.54mm/0.1" 2x5 headers are very common because they're used as USB 2.0 headers on motherboards and for other purposes (COM headers, audio headers etc) so they're mass produced and they're usually kept in stock in higher quantities.

So even if your board needs only 6-8 pins, use a 2x5 header and leave 2 pins unused.  If your board needs 12pins or more, put  2  2x5 headers, maybe with one pin spacing between the connectors to make it easier to solder (or one header / connector on each edge of the card).

They're 10 cents a piece if you buy 100 on Digikey, and if they're 10 cents on Digikey, they're much cheapers at stores like tme.eu which important brands the big distributors don't, and probably 2-3 cents each on LCSC or other ebay places.

 

[praveen]

Thank you for the suggestion.

Will definitely consider this. 

[praveen]

Thank you for your reply.

Also, it's worth focusing on commonly used connectors.
For example,  2.54mm/0.1" 2x5 headers are very common because they're used as USB 2.0 headers on motherboards and for other purposes (COM headers, audio headers etc) so they're mass produced and they're usually kept in stock in higher quantities.

Good idea. But the reason why I did not consider that is because of the area constraint. My boards are very tiny and they need just around 3-4 connectors. Also I want the inputs and outputs connectors to be isolated. Anyways thanks. I guess I would have to consider the alternate stores.

[nali]

You might find it easier and cheaper in the long run to re-spin your board to accommodate slightly bigger and more common connectors rather than hunt around trying to find connectors both small and cheap enough for your purpose. After all, the application doesn't sound like it needs to be constrained size-wise.