Help finding strange connector for a ESP-16 pressure scanner

[zigunov]

Hi, all, hope you're doing alright! Just wanted to see if any of you got an idea of what this connector is (perhaps it's a custom connector?).

I broke this as I was assembling some experiment in aerodynamics; and when I got a quote from the manufacturer I was absolutely outraged! They're charging $700 for the replacement cable. $700 for a damn cable?!! I wonder if these cables are made by Swedish virgins. 

I took some measurements, and the end that is broken is a 3 row, 4pins/row, staggered arrangement, 2.54mm pin spacing and row spacing. The pin diameter, though, is 0.47mm, which is strange (headers of 2.54mm pitch are 0.75mm pin diameter). I'm genuinely thinking of making a little PCB and making my own replacement connector for this. If I do so, I'll post the kicad design (perhaps someone else may find this) in a Github page later this weekend. But I just wondered if anyone had an idea of what this connector is / whether it really is a custom hand-made thing.

Hope you have a great weekend!

[zigunov]

In case you want to make one yourself, I'm attaching the Kicad design. I sent it to manufacturing; hopefully it'll work =)

[voltsandjolts]

That is such a terrible design it could only be custom made.
Perhaps it was designed to be broken so they could charge $700 for the replacement.
There is only one broken pin, maybe it wasn't used!

[perieanuo]

using pogo pins and 3d printer, for those $$$, you have the printer bonus and a future-repairable design
for $700, in some countries in EU, you buy the virgin 

[zigunov]

 

That is such a terrible design it could only be custom made.
Perhaps it was designed to be broken so they could charge $700 for the replacement.
There is only one broken pin, maybe it wasn't used!

Turns out the broken pin is an important signal pin. But I agree, this is a terrible design. Believe it or not, this is made by TE connectivity 

using pogo pins and 3d printer, for those $$$, you have the printer bonus and a future-repairable design
for $700, in some countries in EU, you buy the virgin 

Can you tell me which countries would that be? Asking for a friend 

[perieanuo]

romania  sorry for being offtopic

[aqibi2000]

Why not do the sensible thing and chop off this broken connector and the other side it connects into and replace it with something better?

[tooki]

That is such a terrible design it could only be custom made.
Perhaps it was designed to be broken so they could charge $700 for the replacement.
There is only one broken pin, maybe it wasn't used!

Turns out the broken pin is an important signal pin. But I agree, this is a terrible design. Believe it or not, this is made by TE connectivity 

Out of morbid curiosity, do you have a model number or series name?

[zigunov]

There we go! Fixed it =)
In 3 hours of work got us to save $2100 (we had 3 broken cables!). I call that a win!

Here's the design Kicad files for someone who may face the same issue in the future!
https://github.com/3dfernando/ESP16_Connector

[zigunov]

Out of morbid curiosity, do you have a model number or series name?

Sorry, I didn't see your post! This is a cable that comes with the ESP-16 (see https://www.te.com/usa-en/product-CAT-SCS0065.html)  pressure transducer. It doesn't seem to be sold separately, except if you contact TE connectivity; for the heinous price of $700. 

The device itself is $4600 new, or at least that's about what we paid for it.

[tooki]

There we go! Fixed it =)
In 3 hours of work got us to save $2100 (we had 3 broken cables!). I call that a win!

Here's the design Kicad files for someone who may face the same issue in the future!
https://github.com/3dfernando/ESP16_Connector

Nice! I wouldn’t be surprised if the original cable isn’t built in a similar way, inside its black overmolding.

Out of morbid curiosity, do you have a model number or series name?

Sorry, I didn't see your post! This is a cable that comes with the ESP-16 (see https://www.te.com/usa-en/product-CAT-SCS0065.html)  pressure transducer. It doesn't seem to be sold separately, except if you contact TE connectivity; for the heinous price of $700. 

The device itself is $4600 new, or at least that's about what we paid for it.

Yyyyeah. That’s total “we’ll charge whatever we want for the cable because the kind of organizations that use this stuff don’t care about money” pricing.

[lunacyworks]

If you are using a custom designed connector, this pdf might help explain why the original cable was so expensive.
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19950023032/downloads/19950023032.pdf

Seems the device is rated for cryogenic temperature range.

[tooki]

If you are using a custom designed connector, this pdf might help explain why the original cable was so expensive.
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19950023032/downloads/19950023032.pdf

Seems the device is rated for cryogenic temperature range.

Nope, the regular version of that module is not cryogenic, having an operating range of -25C to 80C. (The NASA paper expressly talks about temperatures of -190C.) I think it’s fair to assume that if the OP were dealing with the cryogenic version, they’d have the funding to buy it.

[lunacyworks]

If you are using a custom-designed connector, this pdf might help explain why the original cable was so expensive.
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19950023032/downloads/19950023032.pdf

Seems the device is rated for the cryogenic temperature range.

Nope, the regular version of that module is not cryogenic, having an operating range of -25C to 80C. (The NASA paper expressly talks about temperatures of -190C.) I think it’s fair to assume that if the OP were dealing with the cryogenic version, they’d have the funding to buy it.

I suppose I should have been clearer with my comment.  Since the original cable needed to endure extreme temperatures it probably justified the cost.  Thus creating a new less expensive option seems viable if your use case excludes extreme temperatures.