Hello :). I have some of these Molex 1054440011 USB-C edge connectors/plugs of that I somehow don’t know what’s the best way to assemble them onto my PCB.
I have the pads (standard layout from the datasheet drawing) exposed on the stencil but the pins push the paste away a little so I had quite an amount of solder bridges to rework after reflowing them. Could probably a little less solder paste (so smaller openings) and/or differently shaped stencil openings help? Also there are pins (and other components) on the backside so it’s difficult to apply paste accurately on both sides. The pins are additionally a little weirdly shaped (they bend upwards at the ends so it’s easier to push the PCB between the pins) what makes them less accessible with a soldering iron and the 0.5mm pitch doesn’t make things easier. At least the tension of the pins holds the connector in place while reflowing.
This specific one will primarily only be a one (or two)-off prototype board so I could life with some reworking but maybe someone around here has experience with these things. I also wondered how something like that would be assembled in a larger scale, the pins hold the PCB quite tight between them, I can’t imagine a pick-and-place machine could handle that.
Thanks for reading this post and maybe you have some answers :).
Not a massive fan of surface mount only USB connectors, I'd always use through hole, or at least make sure the case has a through hole mount but needs must...
If you're not capable of soldering stuff with that pitch, and it's nothing to be ashamed of because most people can't, then drag soldering is the way to go.
Sadly there aren’t many options when it comes to USB-C plugs, the only ones with different mountings were these (also surface mount only contacts and even less accessible): https://www.digikey.de/en/products/detail/USB4155-03-C/14305161 which seem to be an even huger pain, need a fixture and take up more board space.