Edge connector for mechanical and electrical interconnection of PCBs

The goals of the work introduced in this article are the development, manufacturing and testing of a three-dimensional (3D) modular system for electronic prototyping allowing for a fast, efficient and modular assembling of electronic systems dealing with a high volume of interconnections. This system uses a special kind of connector manufactured straight on the printed circuit board edge which highly reduces the surface required for the interconnection and also the final cost of the system. The Proto3D system will be very useful for educational and research purposes and also for small and medium size companies which will have fully functional prototypes for complex electronic systems in a few days term.