Design Log DEC 080 retrospective pm and stator dock connector redesignation amends dec 038 - thepinkmile/Enigma-NG GitHub Wiki

DEC-080 - Retrospective: PM and Stator Dock Connector Redesignation (Amends DEC-038)

• Status: Decided
• Date: 2026-05-18
• Category: Naming / Identifier Conventions
• Area: Controller Board, Power Module, Stator — dock connectors
• Author: Izzyonstage & GitHub Copilot

Summary

Retire the alphabetic-suffix designator scheme introduced by DEC-038 for the Controller ↔ Power Module and Controller ↔ Stator dock connectors. Replace with plain integer designators that eliminate gaps and reflect each connector's distinct purpose.

Problem

DEC-038 introduced suffixed families J1A / J1B / J1C (PM dock) and J2A / J2B (Stator dock) on the Controller and Power Module boards. This scheme has two structural defects:

1. False kinship. Sharing a base designator (J1, J2) implies the suffixed connectors form a replicated set of identical-function components (analogous to C1-C5 or U3-U10). The three PM dock connectors carry entirely different signal types (rails, PoE aux, control/telemetry) and the two Stator dock connectors carry different power domains. The suffix convention misrepresents their relationship.

2. Identifier gaps. Using J1A / J1B / J1C consumed the J1 slot on the PM and Controller while leaving J2 and J3 (as plain integers) absent from the BOM, FR, and DR tables. Similarly, J2A / J2B on the Controller left J3 absent before J4. Project convention requires no gaps in integer identifier sequences across FR, DR, and BOM tables.

Decision

Controller Board

Old designator (DEC-038)	New designator	Function
J1A	J1	PM main regulated rails — 3 x 5V_MAIN, 2 x 3V3_ENIG, 5 x GND
J1B	J2	PM PoE auxiliary handoff — 3 x VIN_POE_12V, 7 x GND
J1C	J3	PM control / telemetry — I2C, PM_IO_INT_N, PWR_GD, ROTOR_EN_N, etc.
J2A	J4	Stator 5V-biased power dock — 4 x 5V_MAIN, 1 x GND blade
J2B	J5	Stator 3V3 / logic dock — 4 x 3V3_ENIG, 1 x GND blade, JTAG/I2C signal field

Power Module

Old designator (DEC-038)	New designator	Function
J1A	J1	Main regulated rails to Controller
J1B	J2	PoE auxiliary handoff to Controller
J1C	J3	Control / telemetry to Controller

Stator

Stator dock connector designators J11 (5V-biased dock, mates with CTL J4) and J12 (3V3 / logic dock, mates with CTL J5) are unchanged and were not affected by the DEC-038 suffix scheme.

Rationale

• Distinct purposes warrant distinct base designators, consistent with all other boards in the system.
• Sequential integer designators eliminate the FR/DR/BOM identifier gaps that violated project convention.
• Plain integer numbering is unambiguous and aligns with the designator practice used on every other board without exception.

Amends / Supersedes

• DEC-038 — supersedes the J1A/J1B/J1C and J2A/J2B naming decisions only; all other DEC-038 decisions (dock architecture, connector families, rail allocation, grounding rule) remain in force.