ept GmbH

The Colibri^® 0.5 mm-pitch SMT connectors from ept have guaranteed reliable data transfer rates between printed circuit boards (PCB) for high-speed applications for years. Pin counts of 40, 80, 120, and 160 will be available for applications of up to 16 Gbps as of the 2020 embedded world. This gives developers maximum flexibility when designing hardware. They can choose pin counts ranging from 40 to 440 contacts and data transfer rates of up to 10 Gbps or 16 Gbps, in addition to the board-to-board distances of 5 mm and 8 mm.
The pin count versions, 220 and 440, have already proven their merit in COM Express applications in terms of performance and contact design over many years. What’s more, they are compatible with connectors available on the market now. This has been proven by signal integrity tests. The testers compared Colibri^® connectors to other COM Express connectors and also tested the two connector types in combination, achieving excellent results in each scenario. S-parameters and samples for use in simulating your proprietary designs are available on request from ept, free of charge.

The edge card connector principle enables data transmission rates of up to 24 Gbps.
In contrast to conventional connectors, edge card connectors do away with diverse obstructions such as direction changes, reflections and cross section changes, as a clear signal transmission calls for.

The edge card connector enables direct contacting of the PCB without corresponding mating connector. In comparison to a female-male pair, there are therefore fewer contact points and transitions, this having a positive effect on current carrying capacity and data transmission properties.

Using traditional methods, it took several process steps to connect two boards to each other vertically. First, the connectors had to be soldered to both PCBs. Additional spacer pins for mechanical joining and secure fixation of the clearance were required when plugging the PCBs together. With ept flexilink b-t-b and the press-fit technology it provides, both PCBs are connected electrically and mechanically in just one process step. No additional screw connections are needed thanks to its high intrinsic stability. The electrical and mechanical connection is maintained even while molding the assembly. The assembly size and costs can be reduced in most any scenario.

The flexilinkb-t-b is available for 5–25 mm board spacings with one to three rows and pin counts from 2 to 90.

Our Zero8 product range was developed especially for demanding industrial applications while simultaneously offering ultimate scalability: This lets you customize the construction types, stack height, and number of contacts to meet your individual needs. The socket and plug are currently available in the mid-profile type and will also be available in the low-profile and angled versions in the future. Thanks to their various structural heights, the Zero8 PCB connectors let you implement board-to-board distances of 6.00 to 20.00 mm. You can request a variable number of contacts between 12 and 80.

Features of the 0.8 mm SMT PCB connector with ScaleX technology

ScaleX – this brand stands for double-sided, robust contact technology in a plug connector system that can be scaled on a variable basis.

Place your trust in reliable contacting, even under difficult operating conditions and challenges such as vibrations and shock! At the same time, you’ll enjoy the full flexibility that the plug connector system’s scalability provides with respect to the number of contacts, board-to-board spacing and orientation, as well as optional EMC shielding.

Electromagnetic compatibility

The shielding concept on both sides guarantees interference-free, high-speed transmission in the industrial environment: The integrated shield material is especially suitable for components with high requirements in terms of electromagnetic compatibility and guarantees coupling inductance of max. 10 pH for the PCB connectors.
The large-scale shield concept reliably diverts interference currents via the multiple contacting points to both PCBs in the direction of the ground connection.

The shield concept guarantees reliable contacting at all times for individual board-to-board distances of 6–20 mm with a secure-mating range of 2.3 mm.

The shield concept not only protects the PCB connector against electromagnetic influence (interference suppressor) but also adjacent components when the PCB connector functions as a source of interference.

With ept’s One27®-SMT connectors, PCB distances ranging from 8 mm to 13.8 mm can be facilitated

Electronic developers are frequently tasked with adapting parallel PCB connections to a wide range of spatial requirements. With ept’s One27® SMT PCB connector, which has a pitch of 1.27 mm, the distance between any two stacked PCBs is variable by up to 5.8 mm. This flexibility is provided by two factors: On the one hand, both the male and female connectors are available in low-profile and mid-profile sizes. On the other hand, the profiles can be freely combined, which means the board-to-board distance can be as low as 8 mm and as high as 13.8 mm.

This wide range is made possible by the wide secure-mating distance of the One27® connectors. The connection between any male and female connector remains secure up to a distance of 1.5 mm. Secure mating between the male connector’s contact pin and the dual beam contact of the female connector is ensured by the remaining 0.9 mm of contact distance. The maximum achievable board-to-board distance when using a mid-profile male connector with a mid-profile female connector is therefore 13.8 mm. On the other hand, when a low-profile male connector is plugged all the way into a low-profile female connector, the board-to-board distance is only 8 mm.

Thanks to right-angle male and female connectors, the One27® SMT connection system can also be used to create right-angle and horizontal PCB layouts. In addition, IDC male connectors make it possible to connect ribbon cables to the PCB. All connectors from the One27® range are available with pin counts of 12, 16, 20, 26, 32, 40, 50, 68, and 80. The connectors have been demonstrated to be fully compatible with common 1.27 mm-pitch SMT connectors from other manufacturers.