How to fix SparkFun Qwiic SHIM for Raspberry Pi
I love Raspberry Pi with the Qwiic connect system for playing with I2C devices. I've been using SparkFun Qwiic HAT for Raspberry Pi in a while and I have no issue. It is nice and easy. So this time I wanted to try SparkFun Qwiic SHIM for Raspberry Pi, but it was disappointedly unusable. I will talk about how I fixed it.
Excitement
More than the low price (US$1), I was very curious about how the catalog described the product.
- a small
- easily removable
- allows you to plug directly to the Pi's I2C bus with no soldering required
- uses a unique friction-based connector that wedges itself onto the GPIO header for a secure, solderless connection
Particularly the word "friction-based" intriegued me and I was excited about using it.
Disappointment
But as soon as it arrived, I was disappointed. There is no friction at all. The connection is so flaky that it is almost unusable.
Fix
So I decided to fix it. I wanted to make the Qwiic SHIM as reliable as the Qwiic HAT. Thankfully it worked out. Here is what I did.
Extras
Tools
- Solder iron
- Solder wire
- STANLEY 10-499 Gray,Carbon Steel Utility Knife
- Sandpaper or nail file
How-to
- Cut the GPIO Header in a way one end has 6 pins.
- Clean the edge with a knife and a sandpaper
- Solder
Now the connection is just as tight as Qwiic HAT!
Final thoughts
It is pretty disappointing that the catalog description is misleading. If one really does not want to solder, s/he should get a Qwiic HAT in the first place. I am hoping this informs somebody.