At&t Technologies, Inc.

Robert G Workman

David R Dines

George Svoboda

Printed circuit boards 10 having connector terminals 14 and 16 overlaying contact pads 17 and 18 are loaded into fixtures 22 which are conveyor 31 advanced through a pair of solder applying stations 33 and 34 whereat solder is laid and melted at the junctures of the terminals and contact pads. As a fixture approaches a solder applying station, the conveyor is slowed down and a programmed controller 170 is enabled for operation. If a circuit board is sensed by a photodetector 172, a second photodetector is rendered effective to sense elements 176 projecting from a side of the fixture. The sensed elements 176 effectuate the generation of count pulses and output signals to control the movements of solder applying devices 36 to soldering sites where solder feed devices 136 lay discontinuous stripes of solder at the junctures of the contact pads and terminals.

Apparatus for applying stripes of solder to opposite sides of circuit

Various permutations of plugs (13) are inserted in keying holes (12) formed in a connector 10 secured to an edge of a printed circuit board (11). A carrier nest (16) is loaded with a permutation array of plugs (13) at a load station (20), advanced to an insert station where the array is checked, and then advanced to an unload station (22) where a group of insert pins act through carrier nest holes (17) to seat the plugs in the connector holes (12). At the inspect station, checks are made for missing plugs and plugs in wrong holes. If plugs in wrong holes are detected, the plugs are dumped from the carrier nest and a new array of plugs are loaded into the carrier nest (16). If a missing plug is detected, the carrier nest is returned to the load station and a plug is loaded into the proper nest hole (17).

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Yukon City, OK, United States of America

Robert G Workman