Test Pins / Pogo pins.
A. Understanding POGO pins & Classifications of Pogo/Test pins
● POGO pins are also known as spring-loaded pins, spring-loaded probes or spring probes.
● A Pogo pin is a type of electrical connector that is used in electronics to establish a
connection between two printed circuit boards and in the electronics testing industry.
● They are used for their improved durability over other electrical contacts and the
resilience of their electrical connection to mechanical shock and vibration.
● A basic spring-loaded pin consists of 3 main parts: a) Plunger b) Barrel c) Spring.
● When force is applied to the pin, the spring is compressed and the plunger moves inside
the barrel. The shape of the barrel retains the plunger, stopping the spring from pushing it
out when the pin is not locked in place.
● The pogo pin usually takes the form of a slender cylinder receptacle containing two sharp,
spring-loaded pins.
● Pressed between two electronic circuits, the sharp points at each end of the pogo pin make
secure contacts with the two circuits and thereby connect them together.
● The bottom of the plunger is usually a bevelled structure, whose function is to ensure that
the pogo pin keeps the plunger in contact with the inner wall of the tube during operation,
allowing electric current to pass through the plunger and tube to ensure stability and low
impedance of pogo pin.
● A spring-loaded pin needs to have a slight gap between the plunger and barrel so that it
can slide easily, momentary disconnections can happen when there is vibration or
movement. In order to counter this, the plunger usually has a small tilt to ensure a
continuous connection.
● When pogo pins are used in a connector, they are usually arranged in a dense array,
connecting many individual nodes of two electrical circuits.
● They are commonly found in automatic test equipment in the form of a bed of nails,
where they facilitate the rapid, reliable connection of the devices under test (DUTs).
● In one extremely high-density configuration, the array takes the form of a ring containing
hundreds or thousands of individual pogo pins; this device is sometimes referred to as
a pogo tower.
● The pins themselves must be hard, yet plated with a substance that provides for reliable
contact. Within the body of the pin, the plunger must make good electrical contact with
the body lest the higher-resistance spring carries the signal.
, ● Spring-loaded connectors may be combined with magnets to form a strong and reliable
connection – a technique that has been employed extensively for consumer electronics
such as high-frequency data transfer.
Advantages of Pogo Pin:-
● Pogo pins are easier to plugin, with no accidental rip-off of the cable. Pogo Pins also have
a longer service life.
● Pogo pin connector has a relatively small size, which can save space better, and the
contacts are more accurate and stable.
● Different pogo designs maximize the stability of the current flow by increasing the
number of contact points inside the pin.
● Pogo pins are produced with high precision turning machines and don’t require a mould
as it is the case for other connectors that are using a stamping process.
● The trend towards miniaturization in the electronics industry is continuing. No other
connector has a better space to current ratio than a pogo pin.
● The increasing complexity of todays’ electronics increases the assembly costs and
difficulty significantly. Pogo pins not only reduce the manual labour time for inserting
cables of pins but also open up new design and arrangement options for industrial
designers and engineers.
● Small errors in the production often lead to unstable connectors as they do not properly
touch the surface of their counterpart. Pogo pins allow extremely high tolerances in the
production and thereby decreasing the likelihood for errors.
● Pogo pins have a far superior lifetime as compared to other connector types as they
minimize the mechanical strain on the parts.
Disadvantages of Pogo pins:-
● Pogo pin connectors require high precision and accuracy, which is easy to cause a high
failure rate.
● The contact point of the pogo pin connector does not move when compressed. When
there is foreign matter or dirt in the contact part, connection failure is prone to occur.
Application of Pogo Pins:-
● Spring-loaded connectors can be used for a wide variety of applications. Their application
varies from charging applications to high-frequency signal transmission.
● Pogo pin is connected to the charging antenna of Bluetooth earbuds for low impedance
and anti-interference.
● Pogo pin in is used for charging connection of mobile phones, power bank, wireless and
Bluetooth speaker and smart door lock for stable high current long life.
● Pogo pins are mainly used in Printed circuit board (PCB) testing, Integrated circuit (IC)
testing, In-circuit testing, Battery testing and other electronics testing.
● Pogo pins are also used in smartwatches, memory cards, computers and in battery
terminals of laptops.
● Pogo pins are also essential in electronics products of automotive, medical devices, and
aerospace devices.
A. Understanding POGO pins & Classifications of Pogo/Test pins
● POGO pins are also known as spring-loaded pins, spring-loaded probes or spring probes.
● A Pogo pin is a type of electrical connector that is used in electronics to establish a
connection between two printed circuit boards and in the electronics testing industry.
● They are used for their improved durability over other electrical contacts and the
resilience of their electrical connection to mechanical shock and vibration.
● A basic spring-loaded pin consists of 3 main parts: a) Plunger b) Barrel c) Spring.
● When force is applied to the pin, the spring is compressed and the plunger moves inside
the barrel. The shape of the barrel retains the plunger, stopping the spring from pushing it
out when the pin is not locked in place.
● The pogo pin usually takes the form of a slender cylinder receptacle containing two sharp,
spring-loaded pins.
● Pressed between two electronic circuits, the sharp points at each end of the pogo pin make
secure contacts with the two circuits and thereby connect them together.
● The bottom of the plunger is usually a bevelled structure, whose function is to ensure that
the pogo pin keeps the plunger in contact with the inner wall of the tube during operation,
allowing electric current to pass through the plunger and tube to ensure stability and low
impedance of pogo pin.
● A spring-loaded pin needs to have a slight gap between the plunger and barrel so that it
can slide easily, momentary disconnections can happen when there is vibration or
movement. In order to counter this, the plunger usually has a small tilt to ensure a
continuous connection.
● When pogo pins are used in a connector, they are usually arranged in a dense array,
connecting many individual nodes of two electrical circuits.
● They are commonly found in automatic test equipment in the form of a bed of nails,
where they facilitate the rapid, reliable connection of the devices under test (DUTs).
● In one extremely high-density configuration, the array takes the form of a ring containing
hundreds or thousands of individual pogo pins; this device is sometimes referred to as
a pogo tower.
● The pins themselves must be hard, yet plated with a substance that provides for reliable
contact. Within the body of the pin, the plunger must make good electrical contact with
the body lest the higher-resistance spring carries the signal.
, ● Spring-loaded connectors may be combined with magnets to form a strong and reliable
connection – a technique that has been employed extensively for consumer electronics
such as high-frequency data transfer.
Advantages of Pogo Pin:-
● Pogo pins are easier to plugin, with no accidental rip-off of the cable. Pogo Pins also have
a longer service life.
● Pogo pin connector has a relatively small size, which can save space better, and the
contacts are more accurate and stable.
● Different pogo designs maximize the stability of the current flow by increasing the
number of contact points inside the pin.
● Pogo pins are produced with high precision turning machines and don’t require a mould
as it is the case for other connectors that are using a stamping process.
● The trend towards miniaturization in the electronics industry is continuing. No other
connector has a better space to current ratio than a pogo pin.
● The increasing complexity of todays’ electronics increases the assembly costs and
difficulty significantly. Pogo pins not only reduce the manual labour time for inserting
cables of pins but also open up new design and arrangement options for industrial
designers and engineers.
● Small errors in the production often lead to unstable connectors as they do not properly
touch the surface of their counterpart. Pogo pins allow extremely high tolerances in the
production and thereby decreasing the likelihood for errors.
● Pogo pins have a far superior lifetime as compared to other connector types as they
minimize the mechanical strain on the parts.
Disadvantages of Pogo pins:-
● Pogo pin connectors require high precision and accuracy, which is easy to cause a high
failure rate.
● The contact point of the pogo pin connector does not move when compressed. When
there is foreign matter or dirt in the contact part, connection failure is prone to occur.
Application of Pogo Pins:-
● Spring-loaded connectors can be used for a wide variety of applications. Their application
varies from charging applications to high-frequency signal transmission.
● Pogo pin is connected to the charging antenna of Bluetooth earbuds for low impedance
and anti-interference.
● Pogo pin in is used for charging connection of mobile phones, power bank, wireless and
Bluetooth speaker and smart door lock for stable high current long life.
● Pogo pins are mainly used in Printed circuit board (PCB) testing, Integrated circuit (IC)
testing, In-circuit testing, Battery testing and other electronics testing.
● Pogo pins are also used in smartwatches, memory cards, computers and in battery
terminals of laptops.
● Pogo pins are also essential in electronics products of automotive, medical devices, and
aerospace devices.
