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Rev B1 ECN-12 — Battery connector rotation (draft)

Draft — EverTag Station only

Rotate the JST PH battery header 180° on Connectivity Module PCBs so the 232250 battery cable can route over the PCB with adequate plug-in clearance. Not approved. Observed on A3 assembly; fix targets the B1 Altium release. Does not apply to Tag (230220).

Ships in the same B1 respin as Rev B1 ECN-01 — GPIO remap.

What changes

Battery-backed Station variants use article 232250 (EEMB LP472040F-PCM-LD, JST-PHR-02, 10 cm cable) mated to PCB header JST S2B-PH-SM4-TB (232201 §3.2).

On A3 boards the header orientation leaves too little room to mate the connector and route the cable away from the PCB edge / enclosure wall. Rotating the header 180° and routing the cable across the top of the board (over component side) gives a workable assembly path.

A3 (current) B1 (proposed)
Header orientation Existing rotation — tight plug-in / cable exit Rotated 180° on same footprint anchor
Cable routing Limited clearance beside board Over PCB toward battery pocket
Connector MPN S2B-PH-SM4-TB(LF)(SN) Same — rotation only, no connector family change
Battery article 232250 (10 cm PHR-02 cable) Unchanged

NFC, charger, and power-path schematics are unchanged — this is footprint orientation + cable routing only.

Rationale

Factor Current (A3) Proposed (B1)
Assembly access Difficult to align PHR-02 plug and bend cable out More space to mate; cable exits toward board centre
Enclosure fit Cable may foul inner wall or corner Route over PCB under 232506 ceiling — verify in STEP
Electrical Proven Same pinout — polarity check mandatory after rotation
Risk Shipped Low — same JST PH system; re-verify DFM at EMS

The change is driven by mechanical assembly ergonomics, not cell or charger specification.

Scope

Item B1 change
232201 Base Bat Header rotated — battery populated
232203 Base Bat+WiFi Same shared layout — battery populated
232204 Base Bat+Radar Same shared layout — battery populated
232200, 232202 Footprint moves on shared PCB — DNP on non-battery BOMs
232250 battery No change — existing PHR-02 cable
230220 Tag No change

Gateway / LTE variants: confirm rotated cable path does not conflict with ESP32 keep-out, B2B connector zone, or future 232210 stack height.

Altium implementation (after design approval)

  1. Rotate header 180° — Same S2B-PH-SM4-TB land pattern; rotate about footprint origin (do not mirror — mirroring would swap pin ½).
  2. Polarity — Re-confirm Pin 1 = BAT+, Pin 2 = GND after rotation. Update silk + / − or 1 / 2 marks.
  3. Copper — Reroute BAT+ / GND traces from rotated pads to MCP73123 / power-path (length and via count may change slightly).
  4. Keep-out — Cable bend over PCB: no sharp kink over PAN611, ESP32, or NFC coil (ECN-11). Maintain clearance to enclosure ribs (232506).
  5. 3D / STEP — Export updated STEP; validate cable sweep with 232250 battery model in enclosure assembly.
  6. Assembly drawing — Note “route cable over PCB” for EMS; optional dashed line on fab drawing.

Verification (assembly / QA)

  • PHR-02 mates without forcing; no enclosure wall interference
  • Cable routes over PCB with ≥ recommended bend radius (JST / EEMB guidance — measure on prototype)
  • Polarity: Pin 1 = BAT+ at connector and TP10
  • Charge / discharge smoke test unchanged (MCP73123 CC/CV, power-path switchover)
  • 232203 with LTE extension stacked — cable clears B2B gap and extension board underside
  • Non-battery variants (232200, 232202) — DNP pads do not affect assembly

Open items

# Question Owner Status
1 Confirm 180° rotation direction (clockwise vs counter-clockwise from A3) in Altium — attach before/after screenshot Altium Pending
2 Minimum cable bend radius and max height over components (mm) for 232506 ME + Altium Pending
3 Update 232201 PCB design notes §6 with final routing rule HW docs Pending