Mezzanine Connectors Product Roundup
This week’s Product Roundup highlights mezzanine connectors from leading connector manufacturers and suppliers.
Mezzanine Connectors
The Archer .8 series from Harwin has a 5 mm stack height. These cost-effective, dual-row 0.8 mm-pitch board-to-board connectors are intended for uses with limited available space. These include factory automation and environmental monitoring equipment, smart meters, point-of-sales units, servers/data center hardware, and battery management systems in electric vehicles. Mated connections support data rates up to 24 Gb/s or 12 GHz. The Archer .8 connectors have all the attributes necessary for modern industrial equipment. The phosphor bronze contacts can carry a current of 0.5 A each. Available in 30, 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120 pin count versions, these connectors satisfy a broad range of design requirements.
Mirror Mezz and Mirror Mezz Enhanced from Molex are stackable, hermaphroditic mezzanine connectors that deliver superior signal integrity performance and data speeds up to 224 Gb/s to address ever-increasing data transmission requirements for telecommunications, networking, and other high-density applications. Mirror Mezz adapts to both legacy and future connectivity, with potential for up to 270 differential pairs in a 48.00 x 41.10 mm footprint. Stackable for maximal space efficiency with improved thermal management, Mirror Mezz achieves up to 224G data rates. The robust mechanical design prevents connectors from damage during assembly. Mirror Mezz Enhanced delivers enhanced signal performance in the same compact, modular envelope.
The board-to-board connectors of Phoenix Contact’s FINEPITCH product range provide shielded and unshielded solutions for signal and data transmission. This allows for implementing individual PCB orientations in all dimensions with different designs, stack heights, and numbers of positions in different pitches from 0.635 mm to 2.54 mm. Mezzanine, coplanar connections, and mother-daughter cards are also possible.
Samtec’s Edge Rate® connector family is designed for high speed, high cycle applications. The popular ERM8, ERF8 system incorporates Samtec’s Edge Rate contact. The contact surface is milled, creating a smooth mating surface area instead of a stamped contact that mates on a cut edge. This smooth mating surface 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. ERM8, ERF8 features a long 1.5 mm contact wipe, is robust when “zippered” during unmating, and is rated up to 56 Gb/s PAM4 performance. The connector set is available in stack heights from 7 mm to 18 mm. 360º shielding is available (ERM8-S), Latching, differential pair, and extended guide post options are also available.
The STRADA Mesa connector from TE Connectivity is available in eight pairs per column and in sizes one, two, and three, which when fully loaded with differential pairs, will yield 40, 80 ,and 120 pairs, respectively. The product design incorporates a pin and socket separable interface and a press-fit PCB attachment, creating an ideal condition for mating multiple connectors simultaneously. Additional features include optional open space for airflow and optional guide systems to accommodate blind mating. Stack height options start at 8mm and grow to 42mm in 1mm increments — making the connector ideal for high-speed differential architectures utilizing PCBs arranged in a mezzanine application. The product solves power issues associated with board-to-board stacking through integrated power contacts that are each capable of carrying 14 Amps of current.
Hirose’s IT14 Series stackable ball grid array (BGA) mezzanine connector for high-speed and high-density server applications features a self-mating design to eliminate the need for additional mating parts, reducing costs, increasing reliability, and enhancing performance. With data transmission rates of more than 56 Gb/s NRZ/112 Gb/s PAM4, this Ethernet OAM specified connector utilizes a high-density design (172DPs/in2) to meet telecom and networking application requirements. It has a stub-less 2-point contact design for ultra-reliability and a protective housing to encapsulate the contact tips to prevent warping during mating. The IT14 Series connector has been widely accepted by the open computer project (OCP) and is available in a 688-position version. It is 68.0 mm long, 20.10 mm wide, and 4.91 mm high and has a rated current of 1.2A, a rated voltage of 30V AC/DC, and an operating temperature range of –55 ℃ to 105 ℃.
Würth Elektronik’s WR-BTB family of connectors is now made of guaranteed halogen-free plastic. The board connectors, serving as data line connectors, are more environmentally friendly than conventional BTBs without sacrificing plastic strength, electrical resistance, temperature resistance during PCB assembly, or fire protection rating. The SMT-mountable signal connectors are available in variants with 40, 64, 80, or 100 pins. The models with 0.8 mm and 1 mm pitch are also available in different heights. Various plug and socket connectors can be combined to achieve a precisely defined separation between two boards by using stable board-to-board connectors so purely mechanical spacers can be eliminated under certain circumstances.
Greenconn’s high-speed series of board-to-board connectors are compact mezzanine connectors designed specifically for high-speed applications, with a mating height ranging from 8 mm to 20.90 mm. Designed with a 1.27mm / 0.05″ pitch, these versatile connectors provide various flexible stacking solutions for mezzanine (vertical, parallel stacking board-to-board) connections, and are ideal for high-density applications where space is limited. They excel in seamlessly integrating with a wide range of electronic systems and devices, delivering exceptional performance with a blazing-fast data transfer rate of 4 Gb/s, ensuring reliable connectivity. With their durable construction and dependable signal integrity, they are well-suited for datacom applications and other industries.
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