As I mentioned in the top post of this thread, I wanted to do my K3-J14 connector in a different manner than that done in the original connector thread (link in top post).
The original connector thread used a subtractive process. Where the connector contacts where etched from a copper plated board using the "toner transfer" method.
Nothing at all "wrong" with that process, if you have or can get the materials.
This connector thread uses an additive process. Here the connector contacts are made of gold plated, spring wire laid into grooves in a plastic substrate.
Of course, one of the main questions here is, is this even possible with the materials and tools a person is likely to find around their home (or workshop or local store, or ...).
This work is on the small side of most "construction" projects.
The reader should refer to the dimensioned sketches of the internal dimension of J-14 in prior posts of this thread for the details.
The raw materials will be:
- A RJ-14 telephone jack
- A credit card
- An adhesive
The telephone jack gets disassembled for its four, gold plated, spring wires with attached lead wires. We only need three, the fourth one is a "construction spare".
The credit card is "sacrificed" to provide the slip of plastic for the substrate, trimmed from one side of the credit card. If you cut up the credit card charging you the highest annual rate, you might even make a profit from building this connector tab.
Credit cards are made from a plastic stock that is 0.030 inches thick.
The wires from the telephone jack are 0.015 inches in diameter.
The total height of the connector slot is 0.046 inches.
Duh...
Plus, the little wires need to be held in position, so . . . .
Cut three parallel grooves in the credit card, 0.010 deep, fasten wires into grooves;
both problems solved with an over-all thickness of 0.035 inches.
So these images show the "First Cut" and test of the assembly process.
Now, the only tricky part is cutting the three parallel grooves, 0.010 inches deep, 0.060 inches apart.