Abstract: Multi-purpose cowling structures are provided to minimize spacing impact within an electronic device, while maximizing functional utility. In one embodiment, an electromagnetic interference shield may provide one or more anchors for enabling a logic board cowling to apply sufficient downward force to one or more board connectors to prevent inadvertent disconnects. In another embodiment, a cowling can electrically connect the ground plane of a logic board to the ground plane of a housing member and provide a pre-load force to a conductor connection existing on logic board. A compass mounted on a flexible printed circuit board is also provided. Mounting the compass on a flexible printed circuit board enables the compass to be mounted remote from ferrous object that may affect the compass's performance.

Abstract: Electrical components are mounted on a printed circuit in an electronic device housing. Shielding can structures may include a sheet metal shield can layer with a conductive gasket. The printed circuit may have an opening. A screw passes through the opening in the printed circuit and openings in the conductive gasket and sheet metal shield can layer to secure the shielding can structures to the housing. When secured, a lip in the gasket lies between the printed circuit substrate and the housing. The gasket may be formed from conductive elastomeric material. A shield can lid and a flexible printed circuit may be embedded within conductive elastomeric material that provides a thermal conduction path to dissipate heat from electrical components under the lid. Shield can members that are located on opposing sides of a bend in a flexible printed circuit substrate may be coupled by a conductive elastomeric bridging structure.

Abstract: An electronic device contains electrical components. An electrical component is mounted to an electronic device housing using mounting structures. The mounting structures include a flexible printed circuit jumper having opposing ends with metal contact pads. Metal traces in the flexible printed circuit jumper form contact traces within openings in a solder mask layer. Solder in the openings may be used to connect the metal contact pads to the contact traces. A metal bracket may be screwed into the electronic device housing to mount the electrical component to the electronic device housing. The metal bracket may press the metal contact pads on one end of the jumper against mating contact terminals on the electrical component and may press the metal contacts on the other end of the jumper against mating contact pads on an additional printed circuit.

Abstract: An electronic device has circuitry mounted within an electronic device housing. The electronic device housing may have housing walls such as metal sidewalls. Openings are formed in an electronic device housing wall to accommodate buttons. A button may have a switch with a switch housing mounted to the housing wall. A movable button member that extends from the switch housing may protrude through a housing opening. Switch terminals are coupled to signal lines on structures such as flexible printed circuits. The switch terminals may be formed from portions of elongated switch leads supported by support structure that are mounted to the housing wall or may be formed on an inner surface of the switch housing. Support structures may be molded into engagement with features on a housing wall or may be mounted to a housing wall using a fastener such as a screw.

Abstract: Systems and methods for securing components of an electronic device are provided. In some embodiments, the electronic device may include a housing having an opening, a cover resting on a portion of the electronic device in a first cover position within the opening, and a lock component configured to move within the housing from a first lock position to a second lock position for securing the cover in the first cover position.

Abstract: Switch assemblies that mitigate stack up variations and methods of making the same are provided. The stack up variations are mitigated by embodiments that use a floating switch design. The floating switch design may eliminate height variations in the stack up by directly mounting an activation assembly to a support bracket. This ensures that the stack up height of the activation assembly and support bracket remain fixed, independent of a flexible printed circuit board (PCB) that may also be secured to the activation assembly. This way, regardless of the thickness of the flexible PCB and any height variations in solder used to secure the flexible PCB to the activation assembly, the stack up height of the activation assembly and support bracket remains fixed.

Abstract: Examples of electronic components and printed circuit board assemblies which may be configured for directional heat transport are described herein. A circuit board assembly according to the examples herein may include a plurality of stacked planar layers, including a signal layer with a plurality of signal traces, a ground layer separated from the signal layer using an insulating layer, and a plurality of heat sink traces extending from the ground layer through at least a portion of the thickness of the insulating layer, each of the plurality of heat sink traces being electrically insulated from the signal traces and coupled to ground. The circuit board assembly may further include one or more electronic components electrically coupled to the signal layer using one or more of the signal traces, with the heat sink traces arranged around the one or more electronic components such that heat is selectively directed from one location of the board (e.g.

Abstract: The described embodiments relate generally to improvements to injection molding equipment. More specifically, concepts for reducing sink and improving cosmetics of portions of injection molded parts in close proximity to gate areas of an injection mold are disclosed. A cold runner system is described in which molding material disposed in a mold cavity is separated from excess molding material in the runner system shortly after the mold is filled at a predetermined packing pressure.

Abstract: An electronic device may contain electrical components mounted on one or more substrates such as printed circuit boards. During a drop event, the printed circuit boards and components may be subjected to stresses. Strain gauges may be formed from metal traces embedded within dielectric layers in the printed circuit boards. The strain gauges may be used to make stress measurements at various locations on the boards. Stress data may be collected in response to data from an accelerometer indicating that the device has been dropped. Stress data collection may be halted in response to determining that the device has struck an external surface. Impact may be detected using accelerometer data, strain gauge output, or other sensor data. Stress data may be analyzed by the electronic device or external equipment.

Abstract: Latch mechanism devices for attaching components within a device and methods of use are provided herein. In one aspect, the latch mechanism includes a pair of deflectable members between which a protruding latch member, such as a latch pin, is inserted thereby separating the deflectable members. A latch pin can have a distal insertion portion and a proximal locking portion, the locking portion having a reduced profile so as to resiliently receive the deflectable members displaced by insertion of the latch pin so as to couple the latch pin between the cords. The latch pin can have insertion faces and locking faces angled so as to control the force required to insert and retract the latch pin from the cord pair. The latch mechanism may utilize releasing mechanisms for separating or reducing tension in the deflectable members to facilitate retraction of the latch pin.

Abstract: Switch assemblies that mitigate stack up variations and methods of making the same are provided. The stack up variations are mitigated by embodiments that use a floating switch design. The floating switch design may eliminate height variations in the stack up by directly mounting an activation assembly to a support bracket. This ensures that the stack up height of the activation assembly and support bracket remain fixed, independent of a flexible printed circuit board (PCB) that may also be secured to the activation assembly. This way, regardless of the thickness of the flexible PCB and any height variations in solder used to secure the flexible PCB to the activation assembly, the stack up height of the activation assembly and support bracket remains fixed.

Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with a printed circuit board having padded through-holes. The padded through-holes may be formed from openings in a printed circuit board substrate and elastomeric members in the openings. The elastomeric members may be conductive elastomeric members such as electrically or thermally conductive elastomeric members. The printed circuit board may be secured within a housing for the electronic device using engagement members that extend through padded through-holes. The engagement members may engage with the housing or with additional engagement members that are attached to the housing. The electronic device may include a cowling structure formed over electronic components on a surface of the printed circuit board. The cowling structure may be secured to the printed circuit board using attachment members that engage with the engagement members in the padded through-holes.

Abstract: A clamping apparatus includes a base, a vertical support member coupled to the base, and a head member coupled to the vertical support member. The head member is configured to receive and engage a portion of a coaxial cable. Additionally, the base is configured to engage through a through hole or slot arranged through a substrate and provide electrical communication between a portion of the coaxial cable and the substrate.

Abstract: Various systems of an electronic deice and methods for manufacturing the same are provided. In some embodiments, a routing assembly is provided that may not only route a cable along a circuit board, but that may also shield and electronic component or secure an electronic component to the circuit board. In some other embodiments, there is provided a mechanism for electrically coupling two components of an electronic device that may also be visually appealing in the context of other portions of the electronic device.

Abstract: Components may be mounted to printed circuit substrates using solder. A breakaway support tab may be detachably connected to a component and may help prevent the component from shifting or toppling over during reflow operations. The component and breakaway support tab may be formed from sheet metal. The interface that links the component to the breakaway support tab may be perforated or half sheared to allow the breakaway support tab to be easily separated from the component following reflow operations. The breakaway support tab may be fixed in place during reflow operations by mechanically coupling the breakaway support tab to a fixture or by mounting the breakaway support tab to an unused portion of a panel of printed circuit substrates. A breakaway support tab may be mechanically coupled between two components on a printed circuit substrate and may be used to maintain a distance between the components during reflow operations.

Abstract: An electronic device contains circuitry such as radio-frequency transceiver circuitry and antenna structures that are coupled using transmission line paths such as coaxial cable paths. A coaxial cable is mounted within an electronic device housing cable mounting structures. The coaxial cable has a meandering portion that forms a service loop. The cable mounting structures includes grooves that receive the meandering portion of the cable. The grooves may be formed within a molded plastic body. Patterned metal may be formed on the surface of the molded plastic body using laser-based processing techniques. The cable in the meandering portion may have a segment in which an outer cable conductor is exposed. The patterned metal on the molded plastic body may short the exposed outer conductor to the electronic device housing or other ground structure.

Abstract: A switching subassembly includes a modular molded interconnect bracket and a switching device arranged on the modular molded interconnect bracket. The modular molded interconnect includes at least one electronic circuit trace arranged thereon configured to interconnect a portion of a flexible printed circuit board and to support a portion of the flexible printed circuit board. The switching device is configured to contact portions of the at least one electronic circuit trace.

Abstract: An electronic device may have a signal cable formed from a flexible printed circuit. A service loop may be formed in the signal cable. The bend may be formed in a desired location on the flexible printed circuit by contraction of an elastic member having ends attached to the flexible printed circuit. The elastic member may be conductive to carry signals and provide shielding. Structures may be attached to the flexible printed circuit to promote bending in a desired location and direction. A crease or other bending promotion feature may be applied to the flexible printed circuit at a desired bend location. Overbending prevention structures such as overmolded elastomeric structures may be applied to the flexible printed circuit at the bend. Integral strain relief features may prevent overbending of the flexible printed circuit upon exiting the elastomeric structures. Overmolded structures may serve as protective bumpers.

Abstract: The described embodiments relate generally to electronic devices and to three dimensional modules for increasing useable space on a circuit board associated therewith. In some embodiments, the modules can have a cuboid geometry, and can include a number of surfaces having embedded circuit traces configured to interconnect electronic components arranged on various surfaces of the module. One of the surfaces of module can include at least one communication interface configured to interconnect the circuit traces on the module to associated circuit paths on a circuit board to which the module is coupled. In some embodiments the module can be operative as a standoff between the circuit board and another component of the electronic device.

Abstract: A method and system for securing a flexible circuit to a mounting structure is disclosed. The system can include a surface-mount device, flexible circuit, stiffener, and bracket. The stiffener is used as an intermediate coupling device between the flexible circuit and bracket. The flexible circuit is coupled to the stiffener with a heat-activated adhesive. Next, the surface-mount device is mounted to the flexible circuit with surface-mounting techniques. A peripheral area of the stiffener is then welded to the bracket. The bracket in turn can be fastened to the enclosure of an electronic device.