Five gold-plated, spring-loaded test needles for PCBite SP10, SQ10, SQ100, SQ200, SQ350 and SQ500 probes, as well as the earlier SP100 and SP200. The same needle also fits Sensepeek’s patented spring-loaded ground, so one pack covers both signal and ground across a mixed bench.
The tip is a sharp 30° cone. 0.19 mm (0.007 in) from the apex it is only 0.10 mm (0.004 in) wide, so the needle reaches PCB traces and pads down to 0.10 mm (0.004 in). Angled probes can be placed with a minimum pitch of 0.3 mm (0.012 in) tip to tip, and parallel probes at 1 mm (0.039 in) center to center.
A spring force of about 40 g (0.39 N) gives a defined, consistent contact on the pad, which keeps the connection stable throughout the measurement, even if the setup is bumped or exposed to vibration. The needle is rated for 30,000 mechanical cycles, with plunger and barrel gold-plated over nickel and a gold-plated spring.
When a needle wears, it is replaced in the probe on the spot, so the probe itself stays in service. Every SQ oscilloscope probe is delivered with one spare needle. The SQG high-frequency probes use a different test needle.
