Screw terminals provide a more secure way of connecting wires to products that may be exposed to vibrations and shocks, and in the past, we’ve seen Pi-oT MKR module enclosure that routes Raspberry Pi GPIO’s to screw terminals, and also happens to include a breadboard area.
52Pi has come up with another product with screw terminals designed for Raspberry Pi boards, but more geared towards education as the company’s “GPIO screw terminal HAT for Raspberry Pi” exposes all I/Os from the 40-pin expansion headers and adds an LED to each pin.
That means you don’t need to search for “Raspberry Pi pinout diagram” on the web or reach out for a printout each time you plan to wire your project as the main function of each pin is clearly marked on each screw terminal.
It’s an easy way to teach about GPIO since the LED will be turned on and off according to the pin level, or you could even use it for debugging using those user LEDs. That’s all there is to it. You can see the board in action in the (unnecessary long) video below.
The screw terminal HAT for Raspberry Pi works with all relatively recent versions of the popular SBC, namely Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B/B+, Raspberry Pi Zero (W). Raspberry Pi 2 Model B, and Raspberry Pi Model B+.
The HAT ships with four M2.5 copper stands, four M2.5 screws and nuts, a screwdriver, and a GPIO pinout tape. It can be purchased for $13.90 plus shipping on Aliexpress, Seeed Studio, and Amazon.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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Oh, wow, that is beautiful!
“works with all recent model B versions of the SBC, namely Raspberry Pi 4 Model B, Raspberry Pi 3 Model B/B+, Raspberry Pi Zero (W).”
Hmmm, how does that work with the Raspberry Pi Zero (W)?
Oh, wait: TIL: you can solder the GPIO header on the Raspberry Pi Zero (W)
Or you could buy Raspberry Pi Zero WH with a pre-soldered GPIO header: https://www.cnx-software.com/2018/01/15/new-raspberry-pi-zero-wh-launched-with-pre-soldered-headers/
Would love a version w/o the screw terminals soldered on, as there are myriads of footprint compatible better terminals/connectors from the likes of Wago, Phoenix, Weidmueller, based on the much easier to handle cage clamp tech. i.e.