Pogopinnar

Pogopinnar are spring-loaded electrical test pins used to establish temporary connections between circuits during testing and prototyping. In English, these components are commonly called pogo pins. The term pogopinnar is used in some language communities to describe the same devices.

Construction and variants: A pogopinni typically consists of a cylindrical barrel housing around a compression spring and a conductive pin. The pin extends beyond the barrel to contact a pad or lead when pressed; the spring provides a consistent contact force and tolerates minor misalignment. Variants include straight or angled pins, multi-pin arrays, and full contact assemblies integrated into test fixtures or docking connectors. Materials include copper alloy cores with nickel or gold plating to reduce wear and improve corrosion resistance.

Applications: They are widely used in automated test equipment, bed-of-nails fixtures, prototype development, and consumer electronics manufacturing. Pogopinnar enable fast, repeatable connections without soldering and are advantageous in environments requiring quick changeovers or easy rework.

Advantages and limitations: Pogopinnar offer repeatable, non-damaging contact, high mating cycles, and quick connection changes. Limitations include wear of contact tips, current and voltage limits, risk of pad damage if excessive force is applied, and the need for proper alignment and protective housings to prevent debris ingress.

History and context: Pogo pins emerged as standard connectors for test and development in the latter half of the 20th century. Today they are produced by many electronics and test-equipment manufacturers and come in a range of sizes, forces, and plating options. See also pogo pin, bed-of-nails, spring-loaded connector.