Hi, I need to reuse many PixelBlaze v3 boards for different projects (classroom distribution). Each also has JSTs with removable sensor boards. Are the only touch pads on the back of the main board? How do you suggest creating something that would allow touch connectors to be easily added / removed without creating too much additional board bulk, yet also bring up to the stress of being carried around in backpacks, and connected/disconnected. Thanks for your recs!.
I’ve soldered a vertical pin header to the middle column before (yes, those are the only touch pins exposed), but that does bulk up the height considerably.
Right angle surface mount pin headers might be a good option and would lay flat. Especially with a “dupont” style connector plugged in it would reduce the chance that they are damaged from being squished. Something like this (you can break these into custom sizes):
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/harwin-inc/M20-8891045R/6565728
You might have trouble with going in the expansion header direction since you have soldered a JST connector there. If the connector is on the top of the board, you could trim and file down the soldered JST pins for some room.
Tips/ideas for soldering SMD headers: tin one pad on the PB with a decent blob, and pre-tin one pin on the header. While holding the cold pins, heat the pad and align the header. Placing the pins slightly to one side can help expose a larger pad area for getting with an iron later. Once in place, you can solder the rest of the pins+pads.
Another option would be to get some kind of connector with wires and glue the connector to the board, then solder the wires to the pads and tack them down so they don’t snag.