USB Connectors and Cable Assemblies

By Christine Stieglitz | June 04, 2019

This week’s Product Roundup highlights USB connectors and cable assemblies from leading suppliers.

USB Connectors and Cable Assemblies

ACES Connectors offers a range of USB Type-C Connectors with data, power, and audio transmission capabilities, high mechanical strength, and improved EMI performance. The range supports USB 3.1 SuperSpeed Gen 1/Gen2/TBT3 and 100W USB power delivery and is currently comprised of 19 female connectors, three male connectors, and one waterproof connector. The female connectors are available in top-, middle-, and vertical-mount configurations with 14 or 24 pins, 3A or 5A current ratings, single SMT, dual SMT, or hybrid SMT and DIP solder terminations, and above-board heights extending from 1.47mm to 13.30mm. The male connectors are available in edge-mount configurations with 11, 12, or 24 pins, 3A or 5A current ratings, and dual SMT solder terminations, and the waterproof connector is available in a top-mount configuration with 24 pins, IP67 protection, and dual SMT solder terminations. The company can also provide custom USB Type-C solutions for high-speed FPC applications.

METZ CONNECT offers three surface-mount (SMT) USB Type-B Jack Connectors designed to handle downstream data transmissions from USB serial bus connections that successively transmit individual bits of data packages. The five-contact, shielded, single-port, side-entry Mini USB-B jack (AJS08G) has a brass shell, PBT/Nylon housing, and five gold-plated (30µin) phosphor bronze contacts, measures 9.20 x 7.70 x 3.9mm (L x W x H), and is available with black or white inserts, with or without pegs spaced 2.4 or 4.4mm apart, and in tray, tape and reel, or Mylar tape and reel packaging. The four-contact, shielded, single-port, side-entry Mini USB-B jack (AJS09G) has a nickel-plated brass shell, Nylon housing, and four gold-plated (30µin) phosphor bronze contacts, measures 16 x 12 x 10.6mm (L x W x H), can handle peak reflow temperatures of 260±5°C for 3±0.5 seconds, and is available with black or white inserts and in tray or tape and reel packaging. The five-contact, shielded, single-port, side-entry Micro USB-B jack (AJS17G) has a nickel-plated stainless steel shell, a black UL94 V-0 LCP housing, and five copper alloy contacts plated with gold flash or 30µin of gold in the contact area and 40µin of gold all over. It measures 5 x 8 x 3.05mm (L x W x H) and is rated for a maximum of 1A, 30VAC dielectric withstanding voltage for one minute, a maximum of 30mΩ contact resistance, a minimum of 1,000MΩ insulation resistance at 500VDC, a maximum of 35N insertion force, a minimum of 10N extraction force, and operating temperatures extending from -30C to +80C. All three USB Type-B jack connectors horizontally mount to target PCBs and are RoHS compliant.

PEI-Genesis stocks Amphenol ICC’s Waterproof USB Type-C Connectors, which deliver 10Gb/s SuperSpeed communication, 5A, and 20V, support USB 3.1 Gen 1 and Gen 2 protocols, and are backward compatible with USB 2.0. They are similar in size to micro USB connectors, have a low-profile housing with a reversible plug and cable orientation that improves user experience, and are ideal for use in datacom, telecom, industrial, medical, consumer, and automotive applications, including communications systems, tablets, flash drives, hard drives, solid-state drives, industrial computers, mobile phones, virtual reality systems, point-of-sale systems, in-vehicle device charging outlets, and infotainment systems. They also feature high-quality copper alloy terminals, 24-pin assignment for compatibility with different audio and video signal output protocols, and waterproof glue, O-rings, and front-end insert molds for IPX2 to IPX8, and are available in right-angle stand-off and straddle-mount configurations rated for up to 10,000 mating cycles.

I-PEX Connectors ’ IX-UC Series USB Type-C receptacles deliver quick-charge capabilities, the ease of a reversible mating face, and data rates up to 10Gb/s per USB 3.1 Gen 1 and Gen 2, and offer a range of sizes, configurations, materials, and performance characteristics for broad application suitability. Options include mid-mount, stand-off, top-mount, and vertical mounting configurations with stainless steel or nickel-plated stainless steel shells, black UL94 V-0 housings, 24 gold-plated Corson, copper alloy, or brass contacts on a 0.5mm pitch, and SMT or DIP and SMT terminations. The series ranges in size from 2.56–8.9mm high (1.93–3.46mm body height and 0.6–2.75mm center height) and 8.37–11.03mm long, and offers 5V or 20V maximum voltage ratings, 3A or 5A current ratings, rated operating temperatures extending from -55°C to +85°C, 40mΩ maximum initial contact resistance, 100MΩ minimum insulation resistance, and 10,000-cycle durability.

BTC Electronics offers Amphenol Pcd’s line of rugged, field-installable USB 3.0 Type-A connectors and cordsets, which is comprised of transversally sealed receptacles, hermetically sealed receptacles, high-reliability cordsets, and accessories including standard and metallic self-closing caps, and is ideal for use in harsh-environment applications including embedded computers, data acquisition and transmission systems, rail cars, and battlefield and shipboard communications. These USB connectors and cable assembles easily mate with standard USB 3.0 cordsets, protect them against shock, vibration, traction, dust, and fluids, and support data rates up to 5Gb/s. The range has a MIL-DTL-38999 Series III style tri-start threaded coupling mechanism with an anti-decoupling device that reliably withstands even intense vibration, offers two mechanical coding options, IP68 protection when mated, and effective EMI protection, and is rated for a minimum of 500 mating cycles in operating temperatures extending from -40°C to +85°C. It also ruggedly withstands 21 days of 98% humidity at 43C and 48–500 hours of salt spray exposure, depending on shell and plating materials, and exhibits flame retardance and low-smoke characteristics per UL94 V-0. The range is available in square flange receptacle and jam nut receptacle configurations with female USB 3.0 terminations and plug configurations with or without a cordset. Additional options include aluminum shells with olive drab cadmium or RoHS-compliant nickel or black zinc nickel plating, RoHS-compliant marine bronze shells, and flexible, high-reliability USB3 cables with halogen-free, flame-retardant, and UV- and microbial-resistant polyurethane jackets, braided and foiled shielding, crossed, straight, or open (no plug) configurations, and standard lengths spanning 0.3–1.5m (11.81–59.05”).

Newark, An Avnet Company , stocks TE Connectivity’s Waterproof USB Type-C Connectors, which provide data, power, and A/V connectivity, industry-leading IPX8 waterproof or IPX4 splash-proof protection, and enhanced EMI protection in consumer, industrial, datacom, telecom, medical, and automotive applications, including smartphones, wearables, tablets, laptops, power packs, chargers, factory automation equipment, lighting systems, data centers, and infotainment systems. The connectors transmit 10Gb/s and 100W of power at 20V and 5A, have a robust housing with a reversible mating interface, a compact dual-row SMT footprint, and enhanced board retention features, and support a variety of different protocols, including USB 3.1 Gen 1 and Gen 2, USB 2.0, and — with the use of adapters or converter cables — HDMI, VGA, DisplayPort, and other connections.

Stewart Connector ’s USB 2.0 Type-B connectors are small, robust, reliable, and economical, and are ideal for use in space-constrained, high-data-rate applications including IoT devices, printers, compact power devices, scanners, and external storage devices. The I/O connectors can support data speeds up to 480Mb/s in USB 2.0 applications and are available in vertical and right-angle configurations molded in LCP plastic that is compatible with both IR reflow and wave soldering and operating temperatures extending from -55°C to 85°. The series also features contacts plated with 30uin of gold to support a peak current rating of 1.5A per contact, a frog leg shield-pin design that increases stability during the soldering process and throughout the product lifecycle, and through-hole terminations.

GCT ’s charge-only USB4085 USB Type-C connector was developed to satisfy growing market demand for devices that transfer data wirelessly but still require power charging, such as headphones and speakers; as, until its release this February, the additional cost of USB-C connectors’ PCB receptacle had prevented this market sector from capitalizing on the technology’s fast-charging capabilities, small size, and reversible form factor. GCT’s 16-pin USB4085 USB Type-C connector sacrifices the eight SuperSpeed differential pair contacts to deliver streamlined USB 2.0 functionality with improved charging capabilities and consumer-market pricing. Additional features include through-hole mounting, four PCB retention/grounding posts for enhanced board strength, a 3.46mm above-board height, 10,000-cycle durability, and an extensive set of design resources, including 3-D models, product drawings, and PCB layouts to ease and hasten the design-in process.

Amphenol ICC offers an extensive range of USB connectors for consumer, datacom, industrial, medical, telecom, and automotive applications. Currently comprised of 20 different series of USB connectors and cable assemblies, the range supports protocols including USB 2.0, 3.0, and 3.1 and is available in straight, right-angle, surface-mount, and through-hole configurations with mini, micro, Type-A, Type-B, Type AB, and Type-C connector interfaces. The range also offers off-the-shelf versions of both standard and ruggedized designs, as well as semi- and fully-custom designs. Ruggedized USB connector series in the range offer enhanced strength, waterproof protection, 12,000-cycle durability, and unique designs including double-stacked USBs with additional power delivery ports, while USB 3.1 Type-C solutions offer low profiles, reversible mating faces, 10Gb/s SuperSpeed communication capabilities, and 5A and 20V power supplies.

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Christine Stieglitz

Christine Stieglitz was the associate managing editor of ConnectorSupplier.com from 2016 to 2021. She has worked in B2B public relations within the electronics industry for more than a decade.

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