I recently cracked open a 12v USB charger I got from Amazon because I want to 3D print a new enclosure for my car setup. Everything was going well, but I noticed that the board seems to be soldered to the plastic using a couple of pins (check the second image). Do these pins serve an actual purpose or are they just there to hold the board in place?
1 Answer
Those pins are likely just heat stakes! Basically, they melt the top part to keep the board secured to the plastic. It's a common technique for holding components in place during manufacturing.