GPIO Connections

[Phishfry]

I am struggling to find a good interconnect method for GPIO to sensors.

I bought all kinds of lures and hats plus capes.

CZH-LABS Screw Terminal Block Breakout Board Module for BeagleBone Black.

CZH-LABS Screw Terminal Block Breakout Board Module, for BeagleBone

czh-labs.com

This one is my favorite so far but I dislike the phoenix connectors.
They don't seem rugged enough for me. I want seriously positive connections.

So I messed with terminal strip for GPIO output.
Mounted on lid of APU2.
Not satisfied. Couldn't find size I wanted.

Now I am building my own breakout board in the alpha stage.

3 binding posts with Positive, Negative and Signal for 15 GPIO Pins. Red/Black/Yellow
Mounted on a piece of plastic 12"x 3"

10 PCS 4mm Banana socket Binding Post Nut Banana plug jack connector Red + Black | eBay

5 pcs Red Banana Jack For 4mm Plug. 5 pcs Black Banana Jack For 4mm Plug. Suitable for 4mm Banana Plug. Product information.

www.ebay.com

I am not using bannana plugs.
I am planning on soldering the tabs on the underside of the board for power and signal.

I am using the knurled nut on top of the binding post for a fork spade connector.
Using external 3V power source.
Running 18/3 thermostat wire to each sensor.

This was my inspiration for this project with many tweaks:

Banana Socket GPIO Breakout Board for Raspberry Pi 1A+ 1B+ 2B 3B 3B+ 3A+ 4B

Banana Socket GPIO Breakout Board for Raspberry Pi 1A+ 1B+ 2B 3B 3B+ 3A+ 4B

czh-labs.com

How do you breakout your projects to the real world?

 

[Jose]

You far more into hardware than me, but that's some cool stuff, man.

 

[Phishfry]

I felt the need to grow beyond the limited footprint of a cape or hat.
I have big fingers and wanted room around the pins to hand tighten the nuts.

 

[Phishfry]

Revised my design. APU2 and RockPro64 are well along: