Board-to-Board Connectors Product Roundup
This week’s Product Roundup highlights board-to-board connectors from leading suppliers.
Board-to-Board Connectors
SV Microwave just launched its line of 3 mm coaxial between board spacing PCB interconnects. This line allows for the lowest stacked height (3 mm) of any board-to-board high frequency coaxial connection system. SV’s 3 mm product line is ideal for high-density stacked and high-density multiport applications. This line can be installed with and without solder.
Omnetics’ COTS and standard Micro Strip connectors include latching options and the rugged mil-spec flex pin and socket system. A fine-pitch board mount option is available with high-quality solder contacts. These connectors are designed for extreme conditions where space and weight are a premium. These low-profile micro-miniature connectors come in a wide variety of configurations, including both single- and dual-row connections to meet your board-to-board or cable-to-board interconnect requirements.
METZ CONNECT offers a variety of board-to-board connectors for a compact, flexible and safe printed circuit board connection. Board-to-board connectors are available as multi-pin connectors with horizontal and vertical wire entry and as female connector strips with vertical wire entry. For connecting peripheral assemblies with a PCB or for interconnecting PCBs, METZ CONNECT offers a variety of multi-pin connectors (also in reflow-capable designs). Due to the continually increasing automation levels in the manufacturing processes, there is an increasing demand for components that are THR-capable (through hole reflow) or SMT-capable (surface mount technology).
With its fully-shielded and narrow design the NOVASTACK 35-HDN from I-PEX is ideal for high frequency applications including 5G mmWave antenna module and devices and USB4 / Thunderbolt 3. The power supply is available with Corson alloy contact, 0.35-mm pitch, and 0.7-mm height. The ZenShield fully shielded design decreases EMC issues caused by 5G applications. NOVASTACK 35-HDN is halogen-free, and REACH- and RoHS-compliant.
Lumberg’s Series 51 direct connectors for insert cards come in 2.5-, 2.54-, 5.0-, and 5.08-mm pitches. The series features socket boards for insert cards, with solder pins for board-to-board or solder eyes for cable-to-board connections. They are available with accessory keying inserts, and mounting and guide flanges. They can handle signal and load currents up to 5 A.
JAE’s MA01 Series is the next generation floating board-to-board connector. This product features a highly reliable two-point contact structure, achieving high-speed transmissions exceeding 8 Gbps. With an operation temperature range of -40 ℃ to 125 ℃, the connector is suitable for harsh temperature environments unique to the automotive industry. MA01 is suitable for onboard equipment such as ADAS-ECU and central gateway, FA equipment, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, office machines, communication equipment, measuring equipment, broadcasting equipment, and various other applications.
NorComp’s 2663/2664 Series features 2mm header single row/dual row with straight pin header. The .079″ spacing saves valuable space. The series is available in a variety of pin counts and minimizes PCB stacking heights. The insulator is black glass-filled thermoplastic, UL-rated 94V-O. The contacts are phosphor bronze. The plating is gold flash entire contact with 260° C process temperature.
Phoenix Contact’s board-to-board connectors from the FINEPITCH series provide shielded and unshielded solutions for signal and data transmission. This allows for individual PCB orientations with different designs, stack heights, and numbers of positions in compact 0.8mm and 1.2mm pitches. The advantages are variability (board-to-board connectors in shielded and unshielded versions); reliable mechanical and electric connections, thanks to the double-sided contact system; flexible device design; and high-speed data transmission. They are the ideal solution for robust PCB connections suitable for industrial use. The shielding provides very good EMC protection against interference, both from and to the outside.
Using CoreHC interconnect technology, CarlisleIT offers high-density, board-to-board connectivity solutions to address the need of interconnecting multiple boards, while maintaining excellent signal integrity at high frequencies in the range of DC – 65 GHz. 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 channels standard. Spring-pin solutions result in typical stack-up height of 8mm max. These connectors only require optimized footprint on each PCB to be connected. By using alignment nuts on one PCB and machined nuts on the other, these connectors provide highly reliable interconnectivity between high-density boards without any soldering. Spring pins, dielectric insulators, and gold-plated body block are the key components of the connector. CarlisleIT can also customize the solution with any number of high speed and digital channels in single, dual, or multiple rows, depending on the application.
Amphenol ICC offers new ComboStak and PowerStak board-to-board connectors. These hybrid and medium power solutions are compact, hybrid (signal and power) and power board-to-board connectors. ComboStak combines existing, BergStak 0.8mm pitch signal pins with 2mm pitch power blades. It has a high current carrying capacity of up to 20A per power blade with miniaturized shape. PowerStak is the power only version. Both ComboStak and PowerStak provide high signal and current density with a wide range of stack heights.
Smiths Interconnect’s HPH series features high-density interconnects available with multiple hardware choices and a backpotting option. With a 0.6mm contact diameter, the HPH Series comes in 3 to 6 row configurations and is available with up to 303 signal contacts on a 1.901mm staggered grid. Contacts are removable for ease of maintenance. Using the proven Hypertac hyperboloid contact system, the connectors ensure a low contact resistance under high levels of shock and vibrations and over 2,000 mating cycles. They provide low engagement and withdrawal force, long life, and low rate of wear for high reliability and enhanced quality performance.
Cinch Connectivity Solutions offers SMP ganged edge mount 2- and 4-Port coax connectors supporting SMP to 40 GHz. These connectors are available in full detent, limited detent, and smooth bore PCB mount solutions for orthogonal board-to-board mating. Specifications include a maximum frequency of 40 GHz, brass/beryllium copper, and 50-ohm impedance. Connectors may mate board to board using bullet adapters or with individual cabled connectors.
Requiring only 5mm of board space, COAX Connectors’ 0.4/2.8 straight surface mount true 50-ohm PCB plug is one of the smallest available. This ultra-small, 4mm diameter, 3mm high PCB plug has gold-plated contact and body and can be packed either loose or in tape and reel for automatic board assembly. A flat on the body aids orientation. These are some of the smallest true 75 -or 50-ohm connectors available. This micro-miniature series is ideal for high-definition camera and CCTV applications, or anywhere that a very small board connection is required. Suitable for use up to 3 GHz, this series exceeds the requirements of SMPTE 292M / HD-SDI specification for HD broadcasts.
TE Connectivity’s range of AMPMODU interconnection solutions is now available with 2mm centerline board connectors, available from Heilind Electronics and Allied Electronics & Automation. These new connectors occupy 38% less space than traditional 2.54mm [0.1″] centerline products, while reliably and economically meeting the packaging and interconnection requirements of today’s miniature sophisticated electronics. The breakaway and shrouded headers are intermateable with major brand receptacles and efficient with automated surface mounting and through-hole-reflow manufacturing. The shrouded header’s polarization feature provides correct mating and the detent latches help prevent unmating in vibration environments.
Ex-El supplies IEH’s HMM series of 4-, 6-, and 8-row connectors, 1.9mm pitch, with sizes from 58-604 contacts. This series of board-to-board connectors is quite versatile with many contact number and size options to choose from. It also features one of the primary benefits of the hyperboloid, low insertion force, which is especially preferred in high-density connectors. The HMM series comprises the vast majority of IEH’s new design-ins.
TE Connectivity has upgraded its rugged, high-speed Mezalok mezzanine connector family to support the growing demand for higher data rates and improved processing power in military electronics. The upgraded connectors have increased data rate support up to 32+ Gbps. The Mezalok connector family has been designed specifically for mezzanine cards in rugged applications and is standardized as the interconnect for XMC 2.0 (VITA 61). Mezzanine cards are often used to provide additional functionality and processing capability within a small form factor. TE designed the Mezalok connector family to support these applications. Typical applications include application-specific high-speed input/output (I/O) protocols, graphics, memory, and digital-signal processing.
A special feature HARTING’s har-flex family and the modular manufacturing concept is the combination of signal and power contacts: the birth of the har-flex Hybrid. This makes compact and versatile connection solutions possible, which are ideal for miniaturized PCB systems. har-flex Hybrid connectors are available in straight and angled versions and can be used in parallel (mezzanine) board, extender card, and motherboard-to-daughtercard configurations.
Samtec’s Edge Rate® interconnect system is designed for high speed (56 Gb/s PAM4), high cycle applications, including telecom, datacom, industrial, instrumentation, medical, aerospace, and military. The ERM6 (board-mounted header) and ERF6 (board-mounted socket strip) minimize PCB real estate. The body width is a slim 2.5mm, and the mating stack height is a low 5.00mm. The surface of the Edge Rate contact is milled, creating a smooth mating surface area instead of a stamped contact that mates on a cut edge. This reduces the wear tracks on the contact, increasing the durability and cycle life of the contact system. It also lowers insertion and withdrawal forces, allowing the connectors to be zippered when unmating. Edge Rate contacts have superior electrical performance compared to most stamped contacts. They are positioned in the plastic insulator so the narrow edges of the pins are parallel to each other, minimizing the parallel surface area while reducing broadside coupling and crosstalk.
WAGO’s 2065 interconnecting board-to-board links simplify in-line assembly of LED modules and aid in space-saving connection of printed circuit boards. Often designers need to connect two PCBs in a small space. WAGO’s easy-to-install 2065-131 interconnecting link and 2065 series PCB terminal blocks allow for a rigid, convenient, solid, and reliable board-to board-connection. The 2065 interconnecting link is silver-colored. Length is 17.6mm with 6.5mm pin spacing.
Greenconn’s floating mechanism (pitch 0.635mm connector with floating range x-, y-, z-axis) is characterized by the absorption of alignment errors at the contact point of the receptacles. The dual contacts shift with respect to the movement of the connector, thereby achieving flexible range of motion. They are most often used in devices where multiple substrates are densely incorporated.
Ironwood Electronics’ custom connector converts an SMT device to a through-hole device. Using this custom convertor, an SMT device can be placed in a target board which has only plated through holes for soldering pins. This custom part is made of FR4 and gold-plated machined pins. Ironwood Electronics specializes in quick-turn custom solutions, with some custom solutions available in as little as one week.
PRECI-DIP’s spring loaded connector has patented PRECI-DIP multi-finger clip technology for a backplane connection. PRECI-DIP’s proprietary unique production system, from raw material to finished product, is built entirely in-house, including all tooling, high-speed screw machines, and automatic assembly machines. This gives the company’s team of engineers the ability to design and build custom products to fulfill customers’ needs.
The LRM surface mount connectors from Amphenol Aerospace meet the high-density needs of today’s integrated electronic modules. The flexibility in design allows Amphenol to meet and exceed the wide variety of user requirements. Multiple different contacts being used in the connectors, mainly digital (brush), allow for thousands of possible combinations of inserts. These different configurations are all tailored to meet the needs of the customer. The utilization of brush contacts with low mating force, ESD shields for Level II Maintenance and lateral float for ultimate cold wall heat dissipation make this board-to-board mating scheme the best solution for ruggedized chassis.
Axon’ Cable offers micro-D and nano-D connectors including PCB connectors in both product families. BS and CBR versions of the micro-D connectors are available. These connect through the PCB. The Micro-D connector system meets all requirements for robustness, durability, low contact resistance, high current, dielectric strength, vibration, and shock. Axon’ offers different versions of nano-D connectors, including BS and CBR versions. The Axon’ nano-D family range also includes SMV and SMH versions. These require soldering onto the PCB. Axon’ expertise extends to custom PCB connectors as well, such as float mount versions that are able to compensate for the gap which can appear between the PCBs.
Rosenberger North America’s SMP connectors offer a high level of flexibility alignment tolerance and simplify the production process. RNA’s SMP connectors are suitable for a wide range of board-to-board and cable-to-board applications up to 40 GHz. Such a broad frequency range allows a high level of application flexibility, including test & measurement and aerospace applications. Available in through-hole or surface-mount formats, Rosenberger’s SMP portfolio is highly versatile featuring, for example, PCB connectors in smooth bore, limited detent, and full detent variants, while bullets come in various lengths. This range is mateable with MIL-STD interfaces.
Like this article? Check out our other Product Roundup, Product News, and Connector Industry News features and our 2021 and 2020 Article Archives.
- Mezzanine Connectors Product Roundup - April 16, 2024
- Out Now! New eBook Shares Bright Ideas for Electrification - April 16, 2024
- What are ARINC 801 Connectors? - April 9, 2024
