New-Tech Europe | June 2017

Connectors & Cables Special Edition

INTERCONNECT DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS

Danny Boesing, Samtec

Designersinthetelecommunications, high-performance computing, and medical industries face ever- changing electrical and mechanical interconnect requirements. These industries are driven by increasing data rates, denser systems, and shrinking product footprints. Fortunately for designers in other sectors,likeindustrial,motioncontrol, and some military applications, interconnect requirements do not change as quickly. Reasons for this include longer product life cycles, lighter bandwidth requirements, and designers do not face constant pressure to reduce product size, among other reasons. Designers in industrial markets are generally not too concerned with high-speed interconnects. Ethernet is usually the maximum bandwidth

Board locks on connectors that mechanically lock two PCBs together. Positive latching systems on discrete wire and IDC cable systems. Manually activated latches can increase unmating force by up to 200%. Screw downs which secure the connector mechanically to the board. Weld tabs, which significantly increase shear resistance of the connector to the PCB. Dust and water protection are often a concern; IP ratings such as IP67 and 68 are frequently required. Space does not allow us to discuss the innumerable insulator design permutations such as insulator material, heat deflection temperature, maximum processing temp, RoHS compliance, or dielectric

requirement. Many industrial EOEM designers use the word “rugged” to describe their board-level interconnect needs. While “rugged” can mean different things to different people, it usually includes the ability to withstand high shock and vibration applications, maintain mechanical and electrical integrity after exposure to harsh environments and after high mating cycles, and provide EMI shielding attributes, to name a few. Several design elements contribute to a connector being called “rugged,” including the contact design, plating, and insulator design. INSULATOR DESIGN Examples of plastic insulator design features that are popular with industrial product designers include:

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