Skip to content
mbedded.ninja

Pogo Pins (Spring Loaded Connectors)

Authors:
Geoffrey Hunter
Geoffrey Hunter
Published On:
Feb 21, 2025
Last Updated:
Mar 24, 2025

Pogo pins (a.k.a. spring loaded connectors) are a type of connector which make electrical contact via a spring loaded mechanism.

A close up of the tip of some pogo pins with a pointed tip.1

They are commonly used in:

  • Between PCB connections in a multi-board assembly (e.g. PCB stack). Although usually your first choice for this application would be mezzanine connectors and/or standard header style connectors.
  • Wireless ear buds, to make electrical contact with the base unit for charging.
  • Test jigs to make electrical contact with a PCB during testing.

TagConnect

TagConnect is a company and name of a range of pogo pin style connectors intended use with a PCB for programming and other development/production line related use.

Wurth Elektronik REDFIT IDC SKEDD

Wurth Elektronik manufactures a range of pogo pin style connectors under the REDFIT IDC SKEDD brand name. SKEDD is the broad name for their pin style which allows connections to the circuit board without soldering. REDFIT IDC is the name of their IDC based connectors which use SKEDD pins. As of March 2025, REDFIT IDC was the only product family under the SKEDD umbrella. The connector accepts 1.27mm IDC (ribbon) cable. This is a placeholder for the reference: fig-redfit-idc-skedd-pushing-into-pcb-model shows a REDFIT IDC SKEDD connector pushing into a PCB.

A REDFIT IDC SKEDD connector pushing into a PCB.2

This is a placeholder for the reference: fig-skedd-contact-plating-of-pin shows a close up of the contact plating of a single SKEDD pin. Notice also the shape of the forked pin tip, which is presumably so it locates itself in the PCB hole as it’s pushed into the PCB.

A close up of the contact plating of a SKEDD pin.2

Footnotes

  1. Solarbotics. Push Pogo Pin 6 - 6 Point [product page]. Retrieved 2025-02-21, from https://www.solarbotics.com/product/pp6. ↩

  2. Moritz Jakob & Stefan Schilpp. SKEDD - Technology, Advantages & Application. Wurth Elektronik. Retrieved 2025-03-24, from https://www.we-online.com/components/media/o210254v410%20ANE011b_EN.pdf. ↩ ↩2