Test & measurement
Figure 3. The pin shape and material can be optimised to ensure high endurance for testing high-frequency signal or to handle high-current testing.
meantime electrical properties achieving great conductivity at copper level. The combination of alloy properties and dedicated pin design (figure 3) allow one-piece pins that eliminate the size restrictions and potential for seizing associated with the conventional spring mechanism.
OPTIMISED ELECTRICAL PARAMETERS The pins let test engineers create high-reliability test fixtures with a pitch down to 0.175mm. Because the pins have been shown to make proper contact with the test point on over 99.8 per cent of test operations, the risk of false NG results from poor pin contact is greatly reduced. Also, with a lifetime
easily reaching 500,000 cycles depending on application and design, their longevity improves efficiency and reduces stoppage time. The one-piece design ensures consistent electrical parameters and extremely low contact resistance, typically about 30mΩ, which is suitable for testing products like OLED panels. Moreover, flexibility to optimise all aspects of the pin size, shape, and tip design mean the pin properties can be adapted for a wide variety of applications.
EFC pins are suited to pin blocks and complete custom sockets for board-level testing and are also used in optimised fixtures for IC and other component testing, or even device test. They have
been designed for testing high-end modules with high transmission speeds, as well as high-power electronics at levels much above 2A per pin for unique bundle structure, meantime reaching highest testing durability.
There is also an off-the-shelf product. The unique test socket for USB Type-C connections combines EFC pins with resin pin tips and a special floating head mechanism that allows one degree of tolerance in X-Y positioning (figure 4). The floating head ensures fast and faultless insertion to avoid stoppages when used in test equipment while the special internal pin structure extends the endurance of testing sockets compared to existing means.
CONCLUSION
Pogo pins have a long and distinguished record in the history of electronics testing and can continue delivering great performance in many applications. At the cutting edge, however, the geometries of the latest components and assemblies are becoming too small for conventional pins.
Creating a suitable solution has demanded innovation both in materials science and electroforming production processes. New one-piece EFC pins allow test-point spacing as small as 0.175mm, with lower contact resistance than pogo pins, and enhance positional accuracy, resilience, and reliability. Using custom shapes and tip profiles, these pins can reach difficult areas such as inside complex connectors, and can meet demanding applications such as high-frequency or high-current testing. Product manufacturers can experience fewer false NG calls and fixture repairs, raising efficiency, productivity and delivery performance.
Figure 4. The socket’s floating head mechanism prevents mis-insertion.
34
OMRON Electronic Components Europe
industrial.omron.co.uk
January 2026 Instrumentation Monthly
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