New-Tech Europe | June 2017

Connectors & Cables Special Edition

This minimizes the parallel surface area reducing broadside coupling and crosstalk. PLATING Designers frequently ask what plating finish we recommend. The best plating finish is whatever material meets your requirements at the lowest cost. Gold is generally specified for high cycle and high reliability applications, or in low voltage or low current applications. Even in very hostile environments, it will remain free of oxides which could cause an increase in contact resistance. Tin is a lower cost alternative and has excellent solderability. It is used in connector systems where fewer cycles are expected. Tin is also used in high normal force contacts which

cause sufficient wiping action during lead insertion to help break the tin oxide surface film. Selective gold-tin plating is Samtec’s most popular plating option because it provides designers with the best of both worlds. The critical contact area has the reliability of gold, and the tail has the lower cost and solderability of tin. In conclusion, interconnect systems do not meet industrial performance requirements by chance. The connector insulator, contact system, and rugged features must allow it to withstand high mating cycles, high reliability, and harsh environment applications. Also, rugged contacts and insulators, often on a smaller centerline, are designed to meet higher bandwidth requirements.

Phosphor Bronze, long-beam contact for shock and vibration applications

Multi-finger, heat treated BeCu contact for high cycle, high reliability applications

New-Tech Magazine Europe l 55