Assembly Type C - Assembly information for switching probe receptacles with a press-ring.

Probe plate
A receptacle is normally fitted into a block, or into a board called the probe plate. The block can be plastic such as nylon. A probe plate can be made of resin-laminated fibreglass, eg. G10 or FR4, or other materials; such as perspex or polycarbonate. The thickness should be such that it will support the total spring pressure of all probes without significant bending. For a very large density of test probes installed into a probe plate, it may be necessary to put some support pillars underneath to minimise probe plate flex. The probe plate should have a thickness of 8-10mm.

Installation
Receptacle press-rings are designed to collapse when inserted into the hole in the probe plate made from a hard material. This press ring holds the receptacle in permanently once installed. No other gluing or securing mechanism is usually required. In most cases the top aperture of the receptacle is usually left flush with the probe plate. However, for many vacuum-operated test fixtures, it is preferable to leave the top aperture standing up a little above the probe plate, to allow some space for air movement. Alternatively, it is perfectly acceptable to use the press-ring as a shoulder to stop the receptacle falling through the hole. However, you will then have to glue the receptacle into place.

Tools
Specific receptacle insertion tools are available for most of the ranges. These will install the receptacle without damaging the top aperture, or distorting the tube wall. Please see the type suitable noted in each series, and with more detailed instruction in the Tools & Accessories section.

Drills
A variety of sizes of drill bits is available to drill the holes in your probe plate. For plastic/nylon probe plates, a slow speed drill is desirable to avoid material melting and thus any subsequent receptacle misalignment. For fibreglass, a carbide-tipped drill run at high speed (greater than 10,000 rpm) is preferable to avoid drill wander caused by the glass strands. Please see the suggested drill hole size under each probe series, and also in the Tools & Accessories section. Where the test fixture has a large number of probes spread over a large area, it is recommended that a CNC-controlled miller run from a PCB CAD data program should be used. After installing the receptacle, the probe must be pushed fully home to the bottom of the receptacle, where it is retained by the detents on the side of the receptacle.

Probe Installation
For the switching probes with this type of fitment, a proportion of the probe's body remains protruding from the top of the receptacle. This allows a longer reach which is intended for use in applications where the contact point is recessed.

For applications where the required height of the switching probe is the same as the other probes in the array please use the PS3 and PS4 series.

For applications where the required height of the switching probe is higher than the other probes in the array please use the PS5, 6, 7 or 8 series.